Global Handwashing Day

October 15 is Global Handwashing Day.  But you already knew that.  (Right?)  What you do know, I'm sure, is that thorough handwashing does a lot to reduce incidence of various diarrheal and respiratory illnesses.  Remember the number 1 thing we were told during the H1N1 panic last fall?  Wash your hands!  It really is that important.

So Global Handwashing Day...  We live about a 20 minute bike ride from the town of Bounj, where a couple other NGO's are based.  The WaSH (water, sanitation, & hygiene) coordinator from Relief International (RI) organized a Handwashing Day celebration for the region and enlisted help from representatives of other NGO's in the area.  Stephen and I were both representatives for the SIM Sudan Water Project, along with 2 of the Sudanese staff.  

RI invited 5 local schools to participate, so the day started with the schools marching across the football pitch (soccer field) where the day's activities were held.  There were introductory statements, and then each school presented a song they had prepared - mostly having to do with handwashing and hygiene.  After remarks various NGO representatives, the SIM Water Project team facilitated a handwashing & hygiene quiz.  Each school provided 3 volunteers for their team, and each with an NGO "team leader."  We asked 5 multiple choice questions, and had the teams give their team leader the card (A, B or C) representing their choice.  Most of the schools did quite well, and we ended up with a 2 way tie for first place, both of which answered all the questions correctly. 

Students gathered for the event

 

Introductory remarks - use water and soap together for your hands!

Bankuman Primary School singing their song.  Their shirts, from Oxfam, say "Water for life, Hygiene for health"

Quiz time!  You can see the groups of students behind us.

The schools then participated in various athletic competitions - races of different kinds, followed by a handwashing demonstration.  The steps to washing your hands are as follows:
1. Put some water on your hands
2. Get the soap
3. Rub your hands together for 15 seconds (don't skimp!)
4. Rinse your hands thoroughly
5. Let your hands dry

Volunteers were asked for from each school to have a handwashing competition.  Several of the students tried to make it a race, but the two girl volunteers took their time to very carefully and thoroughly wash their hands, so they both won first prize for the contest. 

 

Volunteers for the handwashing competition

 The students then were sent to a nearby school for a meal, during which there was supposed to be a football match (soccer game) of an NGO team vs. a local Mabaan team.  However, as we were sitting by the field waiting for a ball to come (I was not playing - it was just men, and they were being way too serious about it for anyone of my very low soccer skills to participate!), we watched as a very dark, black cloud rolled straight for us.  As the wind picked up, we decided it would be a good time to head over to RI to wait and see what the weather held.  The rain began before we even reached the road, and we were all soaked through (at least on the side the wind was blowing from) by the time we got to RI - which was just around the corner!  So the football match was canceled, and we ended the day by eating our dinner in an office while the rain pummeled the tin roof above us.  Fortunately, RI had a vehicle available to give us a ride home so we didn't have to bike through the mud, pouring rain, and frequent (close!) lightening.

All in all, it was a fun day.  The students seemed to greatly enjoy themselves, and hopefully learn a little too.  And remember...  Wash your hands!

Biosand Filters

One thing the water project has begun working on recently is the construction of some biosand filters. A biosand filter is a simple, small scale filter for cleaning water. There are a number of ways to make the filters, but we are making them using old aviation fuel drums. AIM AIR, the missionary flight service that brings the missionaries in and out of Doro leaves a stock of drums full of jet fuel by our airstrip, so that the planes can refuel when they land here. The empty drums get piled up in a corner of our compound, and we can purchase them from AIM AIR for a small fee. They are ideal for making the sand filters.

To construct a sand filter, we put a small layer of gravel at the bottom of the filter, and a thick layer of sand on top of the gravel. A flexible hose is placed inside the gravel layer and fed to a tap on the outside of the barrel. The sand and gravel has to be cleaned thoroughly before placing it inside the drum. To use the completed filter, you simply fill the drum with water. The water percolates down through the sand and becomes clean. The way the filter really works is that over time a layer of bacteria forms on top of the sand. This layer of good bacteria actually works to purify the water, as it eats the harmful bacteria in the water as it filters down through the sand. These filters have shown to be very effective in cleaning water. One filter is sufficient to provide clean water for several families in a community.

So far we have constructed one filter which we have located down near the Doro health clinic. Our hope is to construct some more and place them in villages that have access to a source of water, but not a clean source. It could be a dirty borehole or river water. They can then take the water that they have access to and put it in the filter to clean it and make it good to drink.

This is just one of several ways that we are trying to help people in the villages have access to clean water. It is such a neat experience to not only learn about different ways of providing clean water (such as the construction of the filters), but also to be able to help the people with such an important need. Stay tuned for more updates on other ways we are seeking to provide clean water. For now I will leave you with some pictures of the process of making a biosand filter.

Here are the barrels that we are turning into sand filters.

Abel starts getting a barrel ready.

We cut out the top of the barrel and now John is filing the sharp edges.

This is what happens after a hard day's work!

Joseph is preparing the hose to go into the barrel. He is drilling holes in the hose so the water can pass into it.

Abel washing the sand.

Putting the sand into the barrel. Notice the tap is already attached.

Joseph and I with the finished sand filter.