SHI: Safe Drinking Water for 20,000 Rural Families

Since its inception in 2012 of the Clean Water Program, Self-Help International in Nicaragua has been improving its training and guidance approach for the CAPS (Drinking Water and Sanitation Committees) according to the needs of each CAPS. Self-Help has worked with the CAPS on many communities to install chlorination systems that use solid chlorine tablets, which are very efficient in sanitizing water supplies. Chlorination has been shown to improve the quality of water for human consumption in rural communities by supplying water that is free of bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Chlorinated water meets the appropriate technical parameters regarding microbiological quality and is suitable to be consumed without contracting diseases.

The cost required for a rural community to obtain its water chlorination equipment for the first time is equivalent to $110. Each CAPS must pay $11 per month to keep the water drinkable for a rural community of 800 to 1,200 people per community. A chlorinator uses five chlorine tablets each month.

Self-Help Nicaragua provides training and has a revolving fund that helps the CAPS in many rural communities improve their water collection and distribution tanks, acquire PVC pipes to distribute the water, and provide chlorination and chlorine measurement equipment. Self-Help Nicaragua also has started working with five communities on installing and maintaining water meters.

More funding from donors will allow Self-Help to meet these needs and expand its clean water program to more communities. 

Self-Help’s Training Program

Self-Help always following the guidelines of Nicaragua’s laws governing access to drinking water and sanitation for the general population. The law requires that the Board of Directors of the CAPS must be constituted voluntarily by members of the community who have been democratically elected in a community assembly. Those who are elected have the task of administering the community’s water system, which means keeping the system operational and sustainable.

One problem is that many of the CAPS members who are elected sometimes lack the experience and knowledge necessary to manage the community water system. For that reason, the mission of Self-Help Nicaragua’s Clean Water Program is to provide its "Comprehensive Technical Advice" training model to deliver the knowledge and skills needed.

The Comprehensive Technical Advice model is currently being deployed by Self-Help in 91 rural communities, working on important topics such as management, administration, organization and legislation of the CAPS, as well as management of the clean water systems so they provide high quality water for human consumption. The model uses understandable information on how to manage and administer the aqueducts, as well as supporting the CAPS members in the application of this knowledge, helping them improve and strengthen their abilities to manage their community water system.

Training and guiding CAPS members is not an easy or quick process, but Self-Help Nicaragua is committed to work as a team with the members of the community CAPS and the community assemblies for the benefit of their local communities. All of those involved with Self-Help Nicaragua’s Clean Water Program discuss matters of interest, make decisions, and reach agreement on issues that promote common welfare.

Self-Help also helps CAPS members establish water rates according to their operating and maintenance expenses and to formulate internal regulations for the use of water. This assistance includes knowledge about acquiring and installing water meters to gauge water use. By installing water meters, revenues from the water system are enhanced by making sure all water customers pay for the water they use. The increased revenue means that investments can be made in the expansion of the water system as well as having funds available in case of any emergency.

Administration of the Community Aqueduct

Another important training topic that Self-Help provides CAPS directors is "Administration of the Community Aqueduct." With this training, the leaders of each CAPS learn to record and control the financial aspects of the system.

The advantage of the training model is that it allows the identification of the most fundamental problems and needs in community water systems such as how to curb the waste of water because of a lack of meters. Experience has shown that less water is wasted when people pay for only the water they use, instead of everyone paying the same amount, regardless of the amount of water that is consumed.

Self-Help Nicaragua has been working in key communities where the need for water meters is needed most, considering the following factors:  

1. Waste of water by the inhabitants of the community.
2. Lack of awareness of the available water resource.
3. Leaks, waste, or mismanagement in the use of water.
4. Deficient distribution and coverage of water for homes located in high areas.
5. Economic imbalance from the payment of a fixed water rate by all users. 

CAPS in five communities have reached the level of knowledge needed to obtain financial assistance of $1,620 from Self-Help to buy at least 50 new water meters either for installation for the first time or to replace those that were already in poor condition. This financial assistance from Self-Help has benefited 1,232 homes with a total of 4,517 water customers. The five CAPS are just beginning the process of improving water meter service to their clients and they know that to meet all the needs of those consumers, they must continue to work hard.

Self-Help also recognizes that there are more CAPS that need additional training and financial support to meet the needs of their water customers. More donations to Self-Help for its water quality programs will allow the expansion of this important and much-needed service.

Self-Help International in Nicaragua has been working for 11 years with Frutan, a company that raises oranges on the banks of the San Juan River east of San Carlos, where Self-Help’s Nicaraguan headquarters are located.

Having access to high quality water is important for the hundreds of employees of Frutan, one of the largest companies in the province of Rio San Juan. 

Many of the men and women who work for Frutan come from communities that are a great distance from the workplace. Some must leave home at 3 a.m. so they can start their workday at 6 a.m. Many have had to bring their own clean water in addition to their food because the company didn’t provide them with water that was safe for human consumption. Recent changes in workplace regulations have required the improvement of water supplied to workers to prevent illnesses caused by poor quality water. 

At first, Frutan tried on its own to provide safe water for its employees but, because of the isolated location of the company’s orange groves, it wasn’t possible to access a chlorination system.  After an exhaustive investigation of ways that the company could comply with the new clean water regulations, in 2014 Frutan became aware of Self-Help Nicaragua’s clean water program. Since then, Frutan and Self-Help have been working together to improve the quality of the company's water, so all its workers have access to clean water that is free of diseases.

This collaboration has been made in coordination with the company’s Occupational Health and Safety (HSO is the Spanish acronym) division. Frutan’s agricultural operations consist of four separate farms, and each farm has its own facilities for workers and administrative offices. To cover the different operations, Frutan operates seven wells with submersible electric pumps to supply and distribute water for its 980 employees. (There are 650 seasonal workers who are hired for six months at a time for harvesting duties and 330 permanent workers, including administrative personnel.) Each well has its own water system with a chlorinator installed. All seven chlorinators have been installed over the past 11 years with the assistance of Self-Help, including new installations to replace the original chlorinators that have worn out as 11 years have passed.

Frutan has come to trust Self-Help’s clean water chlorinators because testing of the water by government agencies that supervise the safety of workers have never found pathogens that can adversely affect the workers’ health. Frutan’s maintenance managers like the fact that the Self-Help chlorinators are easy to maintain and economical to operate.

Self-Help also provides comprehensive technical training so that Frutan’s employees who oversee the company’s worker safety have the knowledge to continuously monitor the water chlorination systems, so they are working properly to supply clean water. Self-Help also assists the Frutan HSO personnel in making sure that the amount of chlorine used to sanitize the water is adequate and not excessive. 

Self-Help is proud to be able to provide a clean water program that is helping a company supply clean water for its workers. Self-Help’s objective has always been to provide clean water for people in their homes or workplaces. In the case of Frutan, Self-Help is supplying clean water to hundreds of people. Self-Help has demonstrated that the organization cares about the health and well-being of all people by supplying high quality drinking water.

When donations are made to Self-Help, it ensures that many people can improve their health and well-being by having access to clean water. By having clean water at their workplace with the assistance of Self-Help, Frutan’s workers have the satisfaction of knowing that the company is supplying them with clean water in line with government regulations, so they don’t have to bring their own water to work.