Final Report. Peace Corps Masters International, University of Minnesota

Transcription

1 Peace Corps Masters International, University of Minnesota Final Report Makenzie Dixon Water and Sanitation Specialist November 2013-November 2015 San Miguel de El Faique, Perú Dixon 0

2 I. Introduction Through the Peace Corps Masters International Program at University of Minnesota, I II. served 27 months in the Peace Corps Peru, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program. September 2013 through November 2013 was spent in intensive training in Lima, Peru focused on language, program, culture, and safety orientation. November 23, 2013 through November 4, 2015 I served in San Miguel de El Faique, Peru, a small district located in the northern mountains. In the following report, I will describe the service goals achieved while working with community partners in the district as well as secondary goals and cultural lessons learned through my two years of service. This report may be used as a guide to future Peace Corps Masters International students or any individual interested in implementing water and sanitation projects in developing countries. Description of Site The district of San Miguel de El Faique is located at approximately 3,500 feet above sea level, in the department of Piura, located in northern Peru, as shown in the map in Annex ai. The district is broken down into five zones made up of smaller towns, or caserios, and in total the district has 36 caserios. A map of the breakdown of the five zones is in Annex aii. Each of the zones has a center caserio where the health post and the high school is located for that zone. During my service, I worked mainly in Zones 1, 2, and 3 on various projects and community visits. Zone 1: Loma Larga Baja Zone 2: San Miguel de El Faique Zone 3: Higuerón Zone 4: Calangla Zone 5: Machay A town census was completed in June of 2015 and indicates that there are 8,454 residents in total, with 48.1% male and 51.9% female as shown in Annex aiii. Overall, the population has decreased by approximately 500 people since the last census taken in The majority of residents, 69%, make their income from agriculture, 20% from livestock, 8% in production and forest management, and 3% in commercial business. The main crops in the district are coffee, chocolate, bananas, mangos, and other local fruits for Zones 1, 2, and 3. In the higher altitude, in Zones 4 and 5, the main crops are wheat, beans, and potatoes. The census also measured the education level completed (Annex aiv), the sanitation situation in the district (Annex av), and the potable water situation (Annex avi). Dixon 1

3 III. Program Goals Achieved A Peace Corps volunteer is encouraged to work with the local government, health post, education system, and leaders to achieve their main program goals in order to make the projects more sustainable. There are two main goals of the water, sanitation, and hygiene program; the first is that low income families will adopt healthy water and hygiene practices and the second is that community members will reduce environmental health risks of their communities. Within the project framework there are five different objectives on which I focused my work for the two years of service. a. Objective 1.1: Community members will possess skills and knowledge to safely treat and store water for household use. i. In March through June 2014, I worked closely with the local government to give community trainings to the 80 beneficiaries of new bathrooms in the villages of Los Alamos, Chamelico, Santa Ana and Nangay. The trainings consisted of two ninety minute community meetings focused on the healthy practices of treatment and storage of water at the household level, the importance of handwashing and the critical times of handwashing during the day, negative consequences of burning trash, and how to properly maintain their new bathroom. ii. In July 2014 through November 2014, I, along with the local government, health post, and individual leaders held trainings as a part of the project Reduction of Risks in Annex Coyona. There were four community level trainings for the 80 residents in healthy hygiene practices at the household level. In addition, the households were visited four times throughout the second half of the year-long project in order to determine the impact of the trainings and the impact on individual s behavior change, which is represented by various charts in Annex C. iii. March through October of 2015, I worked with 55 fifth and sixth grade students on a leadership in hygiene program called Mano a Mano. The students were trained in healthy practices such as water storage and treatment, hand washing, trash collection, and recycling. The 25 students who successfully completely the 15 week program then participated in leadership trainings in order to replicate the lessons to their fellow peers. Dixon 2

4 iv. In the months of August and September 2015, I coordinated with a local NGO CIPCA on the project of Early Childhood. My role was to train community members on the importance of treating and storing their water correctly at the household level in the small villages of Higueron, Quitahuajara, Chamelico, Pizzarrume and Coyona. My community partners and I are giving trainings in the various communities about water treatment and storage. b. Objective 1.2: Household members will consistently wash their hands with soap and water at a handwashing station. i. In July of 2015, I worked with the schools of Loma Larga Alta in order to install 8 liquid soap dispensers. The volunteer held various training sessions for the teachers and school workers on how to create liquid soap and the importance of handwashing with soap. ii. Each October 15, I coordinated celebrations for Global Handwashing Day with various educational institutions and students. iii. I worked closely on all health campaigns for the promotion of handwashing with soap during the critical times of the day. Dixon 3

5 Left: One of the eight soap dispensers installed in the Loma Larga Alta schools. Right: The kids celebrating Global Hand Washing Day in Faique. c. Objective 2.1: Water Committees will show improvement in the administration, operation, and maintenance of their water and sanitation systems. i. I worked closely with the health post of San Miguel de El Faique in order to hold trainings every month for a year for the local water committee of Loma Larga Alta. The water committee focused on improving one aspect each month of the administration, operation, and maintenance of their water system for 283 individuals. The population for Loma Larga Alta is found in Annex bi from a town census in June of 2015, the water statistics for Loma Larga Alta are found in Annex bii, and the activities accomplished each month with the water committee can be found in a table in Annex biii. ii. July through October 2015, my site replacement Peace Corps volunteer and myself worked with the local government on creating a database of every local water committee in the 36 villages throughout the district. The status and level of involvement of each committee was analyzed as well as the status of the infrastructure of the water system and quality of water community members receive. Dixon 4

6 A photo of myself with the water committee members from Loma Larga Alta on our very first meeting in October of d. Objective 2.2: Community members will benefit from improved reliability and/or quality of safe water from water supply systems. i. Working with the water committee of Loma Larga Alta, the volunteer and local officials made various changes to improve the infrastructure of the 15 year old water system. Changes included protecting exposed pipes, regulating the chlorine addition, and improving the valves in the system. Left: The exposed pipe before beginning the project which was in danger every year during large rain storms. Right: Weeks of moving rocks and laying cement covered up the most exposed part of the water pipe. Dixon 5

7 Left: The system was repainted blue during October of 2015, signifying that it is potable water. Right: The president of the water committee, Jose, testing the chlorine level of the town s water. e. Objective 2.3: Community members will correctly and consistently maintain and use their latrines/bathrooms. i. I partnered with the local government and friends in America to receive sufficient funding for the construction of 26 new bathrooms with gravity septic tanks for the project of Reducing Risks in Annex Coyona. The project was evaluated through household visits and observations two weeks and one month after the completion of construction. In annex ci you can find the population breakdown of Annex Coyona, annex cii is a table of the program indicators for Objective 2.3 used by the volunteer to measure the success of a project, annex ciii-cv are graphs representing the increase of capacity built through the duration of the project which was measured during household visits. Left: The finished bathroom with the ceramic sink on the outside of the house. Right: Thanks to excess funding we were able to buy mirrors, trashcans and soap holders for every bathroom. Dixon 6

8 IV. Secondary Goals Achieved Peace Corps Volunteers are encouraged to be involved in community projects outside of their program goals in order to share their passions and interests with their local community. Secondary projects are often useful for the cultural exchange between the host country and American culture. During my two years of service in San Miguel de El Faique I participated in the following secondary projects. a. One of the main skills a volunteer can bring to their community is teaching English to individuals who are interested. After a bit of hesitation, I held various English classes as part of a summer school program for 35 youth. In addition, during the first year of service I held English classes every week for 25 sixth grade students, and during the second year of service that expanded to a total of 55 fifth and sixth grade students. Also as a part of teaching English, I partnered with a classroom in America to have a pen pal program where the students exchanged letters on a monthly basis. b. I worked with the health post and the high school to teach lessons on sexual education, self-esteem, values, achieving goals and practicing healthy habits to teenagers. All of the volunteers in the department of Piura hosted a youth conference for a weekend where I was able to bring one girl from Faique to attend. Dixon 7

9 c. The volunteer in the next town over and I hosted a local weekly radio program to promote American culture, music, English, and discuss healthy hygiene practices. d. I worked with the seniors of the high school class on a world map mural in order to help with geography in the schools and help the graduating students leave a positive impact on their community. V. Challenges of Development Work Carrying out various projects in a developing country did not come without its challenges and obstacles. I tried my best to find ways to overcome these challenges, but often had to just be reminded by my host mom that, Asi es Peru! which translates to this is Peru and this is how things work in Peru. Some of the major challenges faced during the two years of service included change in the local government and building sustainable solutions. It seems that families and individuals in developing countries rely heavily on their local government for support. When someone builds a new home in the United States, they have to obtain various permits, but the final design of their home includes water Dixon 8

10 connections, sewage connections, bathrooms inside the home, and many other amenities which are found to be basic necessities. In the rural and poverty stricken areas of Peru, as long as the individual owns the land, they can begin making their 2,000 adobe bricks VI. (which are made of mud, straw, and cooked in the sun) and using mud to set the bricks in place and build their house. Their roof is made of tin sheets and bamboo from trees as supports. The family, who is happy to have shelter over their head, then moves into the home, not yet connected to water, electricity, or sewage. They wait for their local government to do a new infrastructure project in their area for a water system or for bathrooms. This dependence on the government forces the limited funds of the district to provide for the basic necessities instead of creating plans for growth in other areas with their money. Since a water, sanitation and health volunteer is placed in these types of situations to help provide basic necessities to those who need it the most, it often works best if the volunteer works closely alongside the government for solutions to water systems, sanitation issues and hygiene problems encountered in their service. I had a unique experience, where the local government in San Miguel de El Faique changed halfway through my service, creating a gap in the progress of all types of projects for the few months of transition. It also meant that new relationships had to be built and new papers had to be submitted and signed, causing months of delays in the proposed project timeline. One of the most challenging parts of working in a developing country is the slow and often apparent lack of visible signs of progress with behavior change for community members. Development work is desired to be sustainable and outlast the presence of the aid worker or individual, which is often achieved through creating a permanent mindset or behavior change. In addition, when seeking sustainable solution for a child who suffers from malnutrition it is nearly impossible to pinpoint clean water as the only solution necessary; health eating, proper defecation, cleanliness inside the home, waste disposal, and even education are potential contributing factors as well. While focusing on solving one part to the problem, it is important to not forget that poverty is a multifaceted issue taking many years, and even centuries, to arrive at a sustainable solution. Cultural Lessons Learned Living with a host family for 27 months enabled a better understanding of the cultural differences between the host country, Peru and America. One major theme was the importance of family and community above all else and how it influenced thinking. I was Dixon 9

11 often questioned about my family or lack of husband and/or kids which seemed to be the most important thing for a Peruvian. It was really a neat cultural experience when my American family was able to visit Faique and meet my Peruvian family. Although, the two VII. families could only communicate through my Spanish and their hand signals, a lot was observed and Peruvians were able to see that my family is just as important to me even if I am living in a different country. Another difference with Peruvian culture is that people will say what they believe is the desired response even if it is not the correct response. When doing household interviews, it was often difficult to determine if the answers heard were 100% truthful or if they were what they knew I desired to hear. Therefore, follow up visits on projects would take a lot of time in order to spend adequate time with the family- building more trust, which then revealed more truthful answers to the question asked. While doing the project in Annex Coyona, I had to spend a lot of time in each of the households and with the family members to build trust among the individuals and determine and observe the actual situation instead of the story they wanted to tell me. It was also challenging to remain cognizant of the fact that in the Peruvian culture community gatherings are focused on feasts, dances, and drinking. Attempting to convince community members to pay their $2.67 yearly water bill was an extremely difficult task, however, there was never a shortage of family funds when it came to hosting the next community party. This was frustrating to understand at times coming from a different culture and mindset, but it was good to be reminded that family and community come before anything else for those who have little to give. Conclusions Along with enjoying the relaxed lifestyle of living two years in a rural town in Peru as a water, sanitation, and hygiene volunteer, came many obstacles, cultural lessons, and program successes. Building relationships within the community was a huge factor in success for myself throughout my time in San Miguel de El Faique. The Peace Corps Masters International Program provided a unique opportunity to learn and grow as an individual and as a civil engineer interested in working in the developing world. Dixon 10

12 VIII. Annexes a. Description of San Miguel de El Faique i. Geographic location in Peru Source: Municipality of San Miguel de El Faique ii. Names and location of communities within the district Zone 2 Source: Municipality of San Miguel de El Faique Dixon 11

13 iii. Population of district Age Range (years old) Men Women Total Total Source: CIPCA Census June 2015 iv. Education level of district Level of completion Men Women None Initial (Pre-Kindergarten) Kindergarten-Sixth Grade Sixth Grade-Tenth Grade Technical School University Post Graduate 1 0 Source: CIPCA Census June 2015 v. Sanitation status of district How trash is eliminated in homes: % Thrown in fields or rivers 7.37 Buried Thrown in trash cans 7.83 Burned Collected by the city Source: CIPCA Census June 2015 Sanitation situation in homes: % Latrine with hydraulic system Other 5.62 Hole in ground 70 Public connection inside home with proper sewage 8.45 Public connection (Outside of home but inside building) 0.83 Source: CIPCA Census June 2015 Dixon 12

14 vi. Potable water status in district Water inside home is: % Chlorinated 3.44 In Pipes Potable Source: CIPCA Census June 2015 b. Annexes related to Objective 2.1 and 2.2 goal: i. Population table of Loma Larga Alta Age Range (years old) Men Women Total Total Source: CIPCA Census June 2015 ii. Water statistics about Loma Larga Alta Water inside home is: % Chlorinated 5.88 In Pipes 85.3 Potable 8.83 Source: CIPCA Census June 2015 iii. Activities completed each month by Water Committee Month October 2014 November 2014 December 2014 Activity 40 points of 66 for the baseline test Inspection of the system and house visits Creating an annual work plan Dixon 13

15 January 2015 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 September 2015 October 2015 Creating an operation and maintenance plan and annual budget Record keeping of funds and water committee members Disinfection and chlorination of the water system Practice of cleaning and disinfecting the water system Law and responsibility of each water committee member Planning and carrying out water system improvements General Assembly Meeting Measuring the level of chlorine in the water system on a daily basis Planning and carrying out water system improvements 50 points 66 for the follow up test c. Annexes related to the Objective 2.3 goal: i. Population table of Annex Coyona Age Range (years old) Men Women Total Total Source: CIPCA Census June 2015 ii. Program indicators related to Objectives 1.1, 1.2, and 2.3 Objective Indicator Description 1.1 HE-055 Number of individuals trained/educated on purifying and proper storage of drinking and cooking water. 1.1 HE-111 Number of individuals who can identify two or more characteristics of a safe storage vessel and at least three ways to purify water. Dixon 14

16 1.1 HE-056 Number of people who are able to demonstrate how to correctly treat water. 1.2 HE-049 Number of people trained to build hand washing stations and correctly clean their hands with soap, ash or other disinfecting material AND water. 1.2 HE-052 Number of households having soap or ash, or other disinfecting material AND safe water for proper hand washing at a hand washing station commonly used by household members. 1.2 He-053 Number of household members using the hand washing station. 2.3 HE-060 Number of people trained by volunteer on how to maintain a latrine. 2.3 HE-061 Number of people who can identify 2 or more standards for maintaining latrines. 2.3 HE-062 Number of individuals in households with access to an improved or rehabilitated latrine. iii. Percentage of increase for each program indicator Growth Percentage Baseline Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 3 Visit 4 HE-055 HE-111 HE-056 HE-049 HE-052 HE-053 HE-060 HE-061 HE-062 Dixon 15

17 iv. Percentage of increase during project for indicator HE Growth Percentage Baseline Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 3 Visit 4 M 25+ M M M 0-9 F 25+ F v. Percentage of increase during project for indicator HE Growth Percentage Baseline Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 3 Visit 4 M 25+ M M 0-9 F 25+ F F 0-9 Dixon 16