Before the meeting we had a call-in with Kelly at EWB-USA who is reviewing our 521 Pre-assessment Report and 600 Health and Safety Plan (HASP). It was pretty informal and she had some really great input and suggestions on both documents. We’ve got a few follow-up action items, but the good news is that Kelly was able to give us verbal technical approval on our project! This means we can start looking more seriously at plane tickets as well as purchasing other supplies for the trip in March.
At the project meeting later in the evening we updated the rest of the team on the call with EWB-USA. Each of the subgroups (Fundraising, Water, Public Health, and Education) also provided a brief update. Each week, starting this week, one subgroup will give a more in-depth presentation on their progress so far. Tonight the Water subgroup kicked things off:
Stephen updating us on the Water subgroup’s activities
Stephen, Monica, Lydia, and Jonathan each talked briefly about water quality analysis, flow testing, mapping (GIS), distribution and treatment, water sources, case studies, and how they are collaborating with the public health subgroup with the public health surveys.
On the last item, the Water subgroup is working closely with the Public Health subgroup to develop a questionnaire to determine the community’s current relationship water. Where do they get their water currently? What do they use it for? How much? Are there any social taboos on groundwater, surface water, or rain water? These types of questions are important to answer before the first hammer is swung, which is why our first assessment trip has such a strong emphasis on public health surveys.