ACTED India: Desalination plant in Rengan Colony
Rengan Colony is situated 4 kilometers away from the sea and 3 Km away from the Uppanaru river. The total population in Rengan Colony is 219 inhabitants; all of them belong to Schedule Caste Dalits (the most vulnerable). The whole community is engaged in agriculture and related activities, mostly as agriculture labourers. The water facility in this village is mainly from one open well. The water quality was tested as part of the health and hygiene activities conducted by ACTED in the region. The results showed poor quality water and the villagers thus have a problem not only of water scarcity but also of unclean water. Moreover the sanitation situation in this village is very poor, the households do not have access to safe and hygienic sanitation infrastructure.
In the framework of an ECHO funded project, ACTED had constructed 56 semi permanent shelters and 56 eco-san toilets in this village. The people of Rengan colony suffered a lot due to the unavailability of drinking water. They requested ACTED to support them for getting good drinking water. Taking it into consideration, ACTED provided a Desalination plant worth 20,000 USD (INR 800,000) which was donated by AURORE (a unit of AUROVILLE - Centre for Scienti?c Research) free of cost. The machine runs by solar power which is very cost effective. The building cost and the training & inspection charges were borne by ACTED which comes to around 1625 USD (INR 65,000).
ACTED Sudan: Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Urban Areas of Western Bahr El Ghazal
OFDA recently came to assess the WatSan project in Wau and Raga, South Sudan. The ?eld trip began with a visit to the Wau of?ce (even checking our latrine for cleanliness!) and then a tour around the schools. We are working in 21 primary schools in Wau and Raga towns; wells are being dug and rehabilitated, latrines constructed, handwashing facilities installed, and children's hygiene promotion clubs being set up. Though it was a Saturday morning, in every school we were fortunate enough to be greeted by the Cash for Work bene? ciaries busily digging the latrine pits. The head teachers met us with warm welcomes, and reported that the Hygiene Promoters were doing a great job in the schools, training the teachers on the transmission of waterborne diseases and singing songs with the hygiene clubs. Everyone was very positive, and they hadn't even been surreptitiously briefed beforehand.
Next on the agenda was a visit to the largest township of returnees in Wau, where we are working on a water supply, forming a water management committee and conducting house to house visits on hygiene promotion. No other aid agency is currently working in this township. We visited a family who has dug their own latrine following the ACTED hygiene promoter's advice. The day ended with tea at the Commissioner's house, where he praised ACTED's work on water and sanitation and the rehabilitation of the Wau-Raga road. OFDA seemed impressed. All in all it was a successful visit.
ACTED Afghanistan : BPRM Visit to Khowja Alwan Land Distribution Site
On May 8th representatives from the US Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration visited the Khowja Alwan Land Distribution site in Baghlan, where they are the main donors and partners of ACTED. The donors met with bene?ciaries including both a group of men and a group of woman. They also inspected water points, shelters and the site of the new school and clinic all which are being built as part of the project to resettle Afghans returning mainly from Pakistan and Iran.
The donors were warmly thanked by bene? ciaries who noted that only ACTED and BPRM have been a presence on the site to help them. They cited the remaining needs that should be ? lled on the site such as access to livelihoods and transportation that would allow them to travel to the nearby city in order to work, shop at the markets and access health care. Bene? ciaries would also like assistance in building a mosque on the site so that they can begin to build a sustainable community in this previously barren area.
The BPRM representatives were pleased to see the progress that has been made on the site over the past year. Only one year ago Khowja Alwan was a barren ? eld, now there are 140 completed shelters and an additional 600 shelters that are partially completed. Many families are living there full time.
The BPRM representatives agreed to take the bene?ciaries' concerns to the relevant government ministries and it is hoped that in the future communication between the government and the bene?ciaries will be improved. Meanwhile, construction of a school and clinic continues on the site, part of the ACTED/BPRM effort to meet the needs of these returnees.