WINE TO WATER (WATER FILTERS)

Transcription

1 Fathom Impact Study WINE TO WATER (WATER FILTERS) LOCAL PARTNER: ENTRENA Project Overview: This activity brought travelers from aboard the Fathom ship Adonia to a ceramics factory in Higuerito, a small village located 90 minutes from the port in Amber Cove in the Cibao Valley south of Puerto Plata. The village of Higuerito is known for its fired ceramic artisans who have been developing their craft, handed down through the generations, for over a century. The founder of the project, Ramon Rhadames Polanco, utilized his skills as a master ceramic craftsman to begin developing water filters at his factory after struggling with water-borne disease and parasites for decades. The factory in Higuerito subsequently partnered with a US based nonprofit organization, Wine to Water, in order to expand and improve its operations and filter process. Since its inception in 2004, Wine To Water has been dedicated to providing clean water around the globe. The partnership along with the local Dominican organization Entrena and Fathom developed the opportunity for Fathom travelers to visit the factory, learning about the filter process, creating filters, and delivering the fired filters to families in the surrounding communities. Interview Sample Overview: POPULATION SAMPLE FILTER RECIPIENT COMMUNITY MEMBER W TOW EMPLOYEE CHILDREN OF EMPLOYEE TOTAL INTERVIEWED The sample interviews included key informants and those directly and indirectly connected to the project or communities: the founder of the water filter project, water filter recipients, members and presidents of neighborhood associations, neighbors of filter recipients, a colmado (small convenience store) owner in the neighborhood, and two children of one of the Wine to Water factory employees.

2 Fathom Impact Study Wine to Water (Water Filters) 2 Outputs Overview: Primary Data Analysis Observations 1 : FATHOM TRAVELER OUTPUTS APRIL 2016 MAY 2017 VISITS TRAVELERS WORKING WATER FILTERS PRODUCED INDIVIDUALS USING AND / OR BENEFITING FROM THE WATER FILTER (ESTIMATED) Education / Information / Communication / Social Capital Almost every individual interviewed (80%) mentioned in some format how he or she heard about the filters or the project, either formally from one of the Entrena employees in an information session or from a relative, neighbor, or friend. As a result, the individual became interested in the filter or the project itself. What is important to note here is that it is often someone they know or trust or someone they know trusts them. In the case of the Entrena employees, they were familiar with the community and had developed a measure of social capital there. In the case of the other individuals they trusted their friends or relatives as a valid source of information. In other words, this level of trust has strong correlations with social capital and thus there is a possible assumption that had strangers attempted to educate the community on the opportunities with the filters or the project that it might not have garnered the same level of engagement. 2 Monetary savings / economic livelihood improvement Of those interviewed, approximately 68% reported an economic improvement of some measure, generally some measure of cost savings correlated with the filter. Many reported that the bulk of the savings was due to not having to purchase bottled water at roughly RD$40 RD$45/gallon (approx. $ $0.95USD). Over 9% of the population of the Dominican Republic lives on less than US $3.10/day and over 32% are living at or below the poverty line, 2 thus a household living on $3.10/day purchasing a gallon of water per day could realize an approximate 30% increase in available household funds. One interviewee reported that his savings was so substantial he was able to make a twomonth down payment ($RD 3160 pesos/$66.50 USD) on the purchase of a new washing machine to replace a broken one. These stories of savings and economic empowerment demonstrate that the water filter recipients are noticing a substantial improvement in their financial situation, so much so, that they are actually able to account, in many 1 These are roughly in order of significance, in that, these are the elements of the interviews that were either mentioned the most overall or by the most people or both. As this is subjective coding the term significance is not used in the statistical sense but in what appears to be of significance to the respondents based on the interviews and coding process 2 The World Bank, World Development Indicators, Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (2015) (% of population), Poverty headcount ratio at $3.10 a day (2011 PPP) (% of population). Retrieved from SI.POV.2DAY?locations=DO

3 Fathom Impact Study Wine to Water (Water Filters) 3 instances, what they are able to do with the additional funds. Many of those interviewed noted that the money saved had been redirected to general livelihood necessities (such as food staples or other items such as detergent) versus recreational activities. 3 Quality of Water / Filter Approximately 63% of those interviewed discussed the quality of the water and the filter itself or the customer support for the filter (i.e. in one instance a broken lid was replaced immediately). While most interviewed prior to the filter used purchased bottled water or had access to another brand of water filter (likely provided through a government funded program or other NGO / nonprofit initiative) the taste and quality of the water of the Wine to Water filter (validated either by personal I was paying RD$180 monthly. use or friend or relative use) was of paramount I m saving that for now. I have importance. Many cited that the other filters seen positive changes. We used had poor taste and also indicated that the to buy four and five water gallons bottled water, particularly when left out in the weekly, each RD$45 pesos. Now sun, not only did not taste good, but also noted we save that money that can be that sometimes it would also cause illness as used in food, eggs, and provisions. well. There is no diarrhea or throwing up anymore. I value this because I do The water quality significance is a critical not get sick and don t have to spend observation because if the product does not money in medicine. There is no more produce a quality output, the recipients stomach sickness due to this will not use the product thus rendering then entire intervention largely a waste of time and resources. 4 Health Improvement One of the most fundamental assumptions in a clean drinking water intervention is that the filter will have positive health outcomes. In this instance many participants (50% of those interviewed) reported some level of health improvement correlated with the water filter, predominantly stomach illness and parasites. Several were drinking out of contaminated water from the taps in or around their homes (the public water system) or those in more rural areas drank from the rivers. Many purchased bottled water, however, the bottled water quality degraded when left in the sun for extended periods of time which was often the case. Health improvement conventionally translates into savings both in time and money from physician or hospital visits as well as it can often impact the ability to work, which in turn can detrimentally impact household income.

4 Fathom Impact Study Wine to Water (Water Filters) 4 5 Mitigation of stress emotional and physical livelihood improvement Since the filter arrived, we stopped There were several ways in which lack of buying bottled water. Now we access to clean drinking water impacted the consume this water and we like interviewees. The most significant of these it a lot, since it is better than the mentioned was the challenges of having to bottle. We saved that money to purchase bottled water. The burden of leaving buy something else, like to buy children home alone to go and get the water, detergents. In health we also had the monetary act of purchasing the water, changes, because before one drank carrying the water back to the home (often on that bottle water that spent up the back of a motoconcho (motorbike used in to 5 days in a convenience store, the Dominican Republic as transportation and being old, that water gave and often as an informal taxi service) which us stomachache. That water was can be hazardous and also has an associated not very safe. One consumed it monetary cost), and the physical labor because it was the one we had. involved multiple times a week presents Then when the filter arrived, it has substantial stress. given us health security, and the children do not get sick and, as I In addition the interviewees often had said, the economy has improved tremendous fears about the quality of the because we do not have to spend water they were drinking, even if it was bottled money on water water or other filtered water. Having their health improve or the taste/quality of the water improve with the Wine to Water filter appeared to ameliorate the stress and anxiety around water, which is a tremendous burden to lift as water is a critical life resource and for that resource to have a correlated persistent and chronic connection with fear and anxiety is a substantial threat to one s emotional and physical well-being. While the scholarship is more robust on the correlations between food in security and emotional distress, food and water insecurity tend to co-occur and there exists a significant risk to psychosocial well being when faced with water insecurity and lack of access to clean, potable, drinking water. 3 3 Stevenson, E. G.J., Greene, L. E., Maes, K. C., Ambelu, A., Tesfaye, Y. A., Rheingans, R., & Hadley, C. (2012). Water insecurity in 3 dimensions: An anthropological perspective on water and women's psychosocial distress in Ethiopia. Social Science & Medicine, 75(2),

5 Fathom Impact Study Wine to Water (Water Filters) 5 Unintended Consequences and Assumption Challenges: 1 Work / school attendance: One of the primary assumptions was that with access to clean water, work absences and/ or school absences would be reduced. While this is a frequent outcome in most international development water filter programs, none of the participants reported this as a primary or significant change. That is not to say it didn t occur, however it was not mentioned as a significant benefit or outcome by those interviewed. When I tell you that now everything is well is because some times the day arrived to buy a gallon of water and we didn t have (the money). Nevertheless, even if we didn t have, we had to find it; get into a debt we couldn t afford, but now we don t have to. You know it is a preoccupation same as getting food and we had to get it because we had to drink water 2 Water sales at colmados (neighborhood stores) as this is one potential source of revenue for the colmados not having access to that revenue in a community could negatively impact the colmado owners/community. At this point it s unclear if or how significant this is (no data were collected on this issue) but it s worth noting that there are always unanticipated effects on a community when introducing new interventions.