Malawi Water Project Follow Up: June 16

(Katherine)

Part of Malawi Water Project’s (MWP) goals include regular follow ups with biosand water filter recipients to ensure the filters are working properly and being well cared for (see previous posts from 6/12 for more about Malawi Water Project). Today, Derek and I helped MWP during some of the follow ups, and we participated in installation of filter #217!

The following is a Youtube video link, which is from the Malawi Water Project. It seems to be fairly well done, and includes more details on how to donate since I know a few readers had inquired about this.https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=38&v=QZBDuLixO4Q

Also, this is a link to the MWP website, which describes everything you might ever want to know about MWP!: http://malawiwaterproject.com/bio-sand-water-filters/

We were surprised to learn that the first follow up we made was for a filter that was already 2 years old, meaning it was one of the early filters the project installed in this area. Serving a large family who had three living huts on their property, the filter looked like new. By the end of the appointment though, Esau, the Mzuzu MWP project coordinator, determined that the filter’s flow rate is too low. The family’s filter will receive another visit from the team for maintenance as soon as possible. Other than checking the flow rate, analysis of the filter consisted of checking the height of the sand inside the filter, making sure the sand is level, and cleaning any brackish water from the top of the sand. The community health promoters, two women who are part of the team, administer a questionnaire to the family to assess the family’s use of the filter and its impacts on their health, hygiene, and cleanliness.

The second filter we checked had just been installed in the past few months. When we arrived at the small brick dwelling, a young boy about 10 years old was waiting for us on the porch. He and the family chickens proved to be the only people home. While checking the filter and helping the boy complete the questionnaire for his family, Derek and I stayed outside; there simply was not room for us to be inside! We enjoyed the time to learn more about a typical rural home in Northern Malawi. Each building was made of red brick with a tin or straw thatched roof. Aside from the living hut, the home also has an outhouse with a “local toilet” (hole in the ground that, depending on the family, is kept very clean or very dirty), a cooking hut, a bathing hut, and a hen house. Scattered around, we noticed the family grows chili peppers, which we thought odd as we have not had any spicy Malawian food. Bananas, mangoes, and corn also dotted the land. At the conclusion of the visit, Esau briefed us about the filter: with a flow rate of over 200 mL/min, the filter is doing well and being well cared for. However, since the boy was alone, the team plans to return to speak to an adult just to be sure the necessary messages are passed along.

The installation the MWP completed today ran very smoothly due to the extra hands the family members provided us. Even the 5 or 6 year old son Francis helped us with cleaning the sand and gathering buckets for extra water needed for the filter. When we began the project, the man of the house was not present. But, by the time we finished, he returned to see water running from his filter’s spout! Seeing his gratitude for the coming clean water made our day. Speaking in perfect English, he thanked us for our part in making his family healthier and offered us a seat on his porch while he received instructions from the MWP team.

This afternoon, the Anglican Sisters of St. Mary, a sister convent of the Sisters of St. Mary in the Diocese of Albany, New York, invited Derek, myself, and Mr. Mainga (Diocesan Secretary) to tea. Of the 5 sisters that are a part of the community, Sister Martha acted as our host and gave us a lovely tour of the property. She told us, while we walked through the gardens and animal pens, that this is the only Anglican convent in Malawi and it has been operational since 1999. Aside from farming, the sisters operate a vestment sewing business by employing local tailors, a 150-member in-home orphan care system which includes a choir, and are opening a nursery school this September for 60 students.

Sensing Sister Martha’s dedication, Derek and I are looking forward to meeting her again soon—we will be riding the Chambo boat to Likoma Island together on Thursday! 

Measuring the level of sand to determine whether the filter is functioning correctly.

Recording flow rates, sand measurements, etc.

MWP employees talking with the homeowner about her filter.