Back in Wales!

Now that I have returned to the UK and have had a chance to look back on this experience of a lifetime I'm able to reflect on how this trip has impacted on me..

The main thing I have taken from this experience is how  the provision of clean water and sanitation has enabled people to dramatically transform their lives and become self sufficient and productive. I hope the posts on this blog showing the differences in the pre-intervention areas  and the healthier, self sustained communities post intervention where WaterAid and their partners have worked have reminded people why they should continue to support (or start supporting) WaterAid.

I have many more photos (see the gallery below for a few more) and stories to relate, and over the coming months I will be working to raise awareness for WaterAid, so feel free to contact me about anything on this blog or if you want to know more about how you can support WaterAid, maybe I can use your questions in presentations etc!




Finally I feel so fortunate to have been selected and I would like to thank everyone for their messages of support while I was in Bangladesh, I really appreciated them - it at least proved someone was reading this blog!

Regards

Daniel

3rd December - Kalshi Takerbari Slum in Dhaka (Post Intervention)

Local kids swamp fellow WaterAid
 supporter Jez Heath

On the 29th November we visited the Aziz Bosti (pre intervention) slum, so it made sense to conclude our field visits at the Kalshi Takerbari slum to witness the transformation it had undertaken following the intervention of WaterAid's partner organisation DSK. Kalshi is a warren of narrow alleyways teeming with inquisitive kids peering at us from every doorway and corner, and by the time I was led to the meeting place at the community hall I was completely disorientated!


As per other post intervention slums, the community had formed "CBOs" (Community Based Organisations) to identify the water and sanitation needs of the area. They did this by mapping each household in the area and discovered that the 510 households had 16 non-hygienic toilets (i.e. hanging latrines overlooking open water as seen in Slumdog Millionaire!) and 23 illegal water connections between them (serving a population of circa 2,300 people).

Kalshi Takerbari CBO pore over their community map

An illegal connection is where the local water authority view the settlement as transient, and they'll only officially supply water to areas with a legal status. This means the community here were fully aware that at any given time their clean water could be cut off, and in the meantime had to pay over the odds for access to the illegal connections run by shady "musclemen" i.e. criminals. As for the sanitation, the committee members confirmed their community suffered from poor health (dysentery, worms, skin diseases etc) and in order to get treatment families had to spend a significant amount of their incomes on treatment, which they could ill-afford.

In order to address this situation, WaterAid's partner DSK began the slow process of building up a trusting relationship between the water authority and the community group to try and get legal connections, and finally by acting as guarantors the breakthrough was made in 2005, and by June 2010 27 water pumps had been completed and every household has access to a clean and legal water supply, and 24 community toilets have addressed the sanitation needs.

A member of the CBO proudly displays the
latest monthly meter bill.

Can pay, will pay!


As a consequence of this, this community are probably the very first people I've ever met happy to receive and pay their water bills,  I explained via an interpreter that in the UK when people receive a water bill they're not quite so enthusiastic! As you can see in the pics below the water authority have installed clean water pumps, toilets and the familiar sight of water meters to track usage. There is no comparison to this slum and the situation in the Sona Mia'r slum (which we visited on 29th November).

Tubewell hand pump (click for video)

Water meter chamber

Every household in the community contribute towards the installation costs (a tubewell/water pump costs 47,000 TK/£426, 10% is paid by the community) and the monthly meter bill, and in order to gauge how much individual households can afford to contribute the following categories are applied:

This notice on a latrine wall proves the community
contributed to installation & maintenance costs.

Household Income Categories

• Category A = able to afford 3 meals a day and children in school
• Category B = 3 meals children not in school, no savings
• Category C = Unable to afford 3 meals a day, may needs loans to meet needs
• Category D = Destitute, relies on loans & begging, cannot afford to eat properly

* note there are no Categories A in Kalshi Takerbari.

From destitute to Category C...

In order to understand what the improvements detailed above actually mean to individual households we took another stroll through the maze like alleyways to Ruma's house (Ruma is the CBO's Treasurer). Ruma is an example of how women are so empowered by the work WaterAid do in that now she has access to clean water nearby she does not have to queue for 2-3 hours during the night for water (she used to work during the day in a garments workshop) to secure enough water for her household of 7 people.

Ruma in her fabric shop

With the time she's saved Ruma has worked hard to improve the lot of her family, she works at her home to produce sanitary napkins to sell within the community, and has her own shop nearby selling fabric. Indeed Ruma proudly explained that following the intervention to provide water & sanitation, due to her hard work and money saved in medical bills her household had moved from category 'D' to 'C' (see above for the definition of income categories). Is there a better example of the value of the fundraising we do in the UK?

Note that Ruma has achieved this improvement in living standards due her own hard work, WaterAid gave the opportunity by providing clean drinking water and removing the prevalence of disease, and her involvement in the community group gave her the sense of empowerment. In fact Ruma is confident that with 2 years her family will be in category B.

Finally, as we were about to reluctantly leave her home, she insisted on telling us how grateful she was for our efforts in supporting WaterAid, and how even though we live so far away and our lives are so different we had ensured she and her family had benefited so much.

1st Dec - The effect of climate change

Add caption

Following a seven hour car journey out of Dhaka to the south west to the Shyanmagar area in the Satkhita district we met WaterAid's partner organisation Shushilan. Shushilan has done a lot of work in the area addressing the challenge of saline intrusion, a consequence of climate change, rising sea levels and over abstraction from rivers and groundwater. The effect of this on the local communities is that many drinking water sources which were previously usable have become contaminated by saline water.

In order to see how this affects people's lives we visited two communities in this coastal area, and although they were not far apart it took a while to reach as the roads are narrow as they're surrounded by water-logged shrimp farms as far as the eye can see. One of the remotest communities is the Kashimari Care Mazhipara community of about 80 households. The Community Volunteer Organistation (CVO) explained that pre intervention from WaterAid's partners they had no safe drinking water nearby, it took two hours to collect drinking water, they also suffered from poor sanitation conditions and people were unaware of the health issues from open defecation.

The CVO's vice president Ashura Parun invited us to her nearby home, where she lives with her husband, father and mother-in -law, two brothers-in-law and her daughter, Mim. Ashura explained that once Shushilan installed the tubewell pump about 100 yards from her home she no longer had to walk two hours to collect water ( the tubewell is 585ft deep to get to avoid salinity). The time saved has enabled her to spend more time looking after her 5-year-old (she needs to collect 6-7 pots of water a day) and looking after her families' needs. Additionally, after intervention from WaterAid's partner each household has their own latrine, and Ashura confirmed the environment had improved significantly, resulting in fewer illnesses and expensive visits to the (unqualified!) local doctor.

The overall impression of this family was of how content they were, the supply of drinking water and improved hygiene had enabled them to focus on other needs such as income & education, in fact while I realised they were at risk form climate change and cyclones while we were sat under the roof of their kitchen area the atmoshpere was really peaceful and almost idyllic!.

The second community, Kashipur Mundapara, was similar in that it was extremely remote and accessed via a narrow road surrounded by salt water.

The road into Kashimari community

This community also had a community group established to address the issue of clean water and sanitation, and were as determined to improve their situation as the Kashipur community had been, but the challenge was that due to the geography of this village in that it was small island surrounded by salt water it was impossible to install tubewells. WaterAid's partners had set up a system of rain water collection which collected rain from the roofs of their houses and stored them in large water butts. This collected enough water in the rainy season, but this only covers 3-4 months, so the women of the community still have to walk for 2.5 hours to collect water from the nearest fresh water point in the nearest town.

Rain Water Harvesting

The committee's vice president Minu made it clear how much of a problem this was for the community. Physically it involves carrying a huge water pot containing approximately 30 litres for 2-3 kms across land which is often water-logged up to her knees, and sadly as this community is a Hindu minority, she would often get harassed by men in the nearby town and sent to the back of the queue for water. She also had a small child which she would often have to carry for parts of the journey. Minu was clearly distressed by this and told us several times the task of collecting water caused her much pain and suffering, and wanted to know when WaterAid's partner would resolve the situation. They are working on different solutions but the problem of saline intrusion needs more research.

Meeting with Kashipur VCO

It was difficult leaving this community in the knowledge that their water and sanitation needs had not yet been fully met, and that saline intrusion is a problem partly caused by climate change, which is the Western worlds making, not a developing country like Bangladesh.The contrast with the first community we visited was significant, the community with secure water & sanitation was a much happier, healthier place.

On a positive note, it was impossible not to be impressed by WaterAid's partner organisation Shushilan, and they and WaterAid Bangladesh assured us that they work continually on solutions for communites like Kashipur.

This is a reminder of why the funds and support we raise in the UK for WaterAid is so vital to reansform lives in some of the world's poorest countries...

Contact me: danwateraid2010@gmail.com
Donate here

30th November – Visit to Post Implementation Area: Aziz Bosti, Bagmara Bridge, Khulna

Having visited a pre-intervention community in Dhaka, we travelled southwards to the divisional capital of Khulna for the opportunity to visit a post-implementation community. This was another intense experience, the following is my initial impression of the day, and I will post more pictures and facts at a later stage when I have more time.

Aziz Bosti is a slum of 70 inhabitants, on the outskirts of Khulna. Previously, this area had no water and sanitation infrastructure as the land was privately owned, however in 2006 WaterAid’s partner organization in Khulna NABOLOK formed a community group responsible for developing improved water and sanitation.

It was obvious that the community group were proud of the improvements they had made in setting up tube wells and hygienic toilets and in the provision of hygiene education, the benefits were confirmed anecdotally by a reduction in sicknesses affecting the area.

The school yard, with clean water pump.

We also managed to visit the local school and the headmaster and pupils were eager to tell us how this had meant that as children didn’t have to return home for water or to use the toilet there was less disruption and absenteeism.

As a result the school support group proudly told us that the school was now doing well academically, which is another benefit to providing clean water and sanitation (and the teachers and pupils' hard work of course!!).



Finally, adjacent to the school we visited the household of Saleha Begum, mother of three and wife of Asger. Saleha’s immaculately clean and tidy home and her devotion and pride in her children reminded me of Khohinur who I met on the 28th (see previous post for 29th) in the pre-intervention slum in Dhaka.

Tubewell pump installed by WaterAid's partner Nabolok in 2006

The major difference however, was as Saleha’s family had a water pump directly outside her house and a hygienic latrine nearby, she was not devoting significant hours of her day to securing water, worrying about a limited supply, and under the threat of severe illnesses due to a unhygienic environment.

As a result of this Saleha was filled with optimism about the future, had big hopes for her children, had more time to devote to her family and even help out in her husband’s shop.

This is in contrast to her plight four years ago before WaterAid’s partners addressed the water and sanitation situation, when she had to travel ½ km to the nearest water supply 8-10 times a day to secure enough water for her families’ needs. It’s also in contrast to Khohinur, who on reflection lives under constant stress worrying about whether her family have enough water, and that they avoid sickness from water bourne diseases.



I feel this is a clear example of the difference the money we raise in the UK has on people’s lives, Saleha is now focused on securing a better life for her family.
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29th Nov - Field Visit to Sona Mia'r Tak Dhaka

Monday 29th, a visit to a pre-intervention area - Sona Mia'r Tak Slum, Dhaka

In order to get a clearer understanding of the challenge of living without clean water and sanitation, WaterAid Bangladesh arranged for us to spend the morning of the 29th in a "pre-intervention" community, i.e. somewhere which has no water and sanitation infrastructure.

Entrance into Sona Mia'r Tak slum

The designated community was in the Sona Mia'r Tak slum, on the eastern outskirts of Dhaka. The huts and shacks are built on privately owned land and the inhabitants pay a rent to the landlord, and although currently the authorities turn a blind eye to this arrangement it's technically illegal and the land could be cleared at any given time.

The majority of the inhabitants are refugees from the Bhola, a coastal area of Bangladesh which had been severely affected by climate change (in fact Bangladesh faces severe challenges in dealing with climate change, and we are scheduled to visit the coastal area of Shyamnagor later this week to find out more).

As this area lies beyond the main city there is no water or sewerage connection, families have to pay 100 Taka a month for the use of a tube well. To understand how this impacts on people I was led through the narrow, winding alleyways of the slum to spend an hour with the family of Khohinur, pictured below.

Khohinur & I outside her house.

After being warmly welcomed into her home, and nearly overwhelmed by inquisitive kids I managed to ask Khohinur some questions around the challenges she and her community faces raising her family without clean water and sanitation (via an interpreter naturally!)

Khohinur is a motherof four, and lives in a two-room shack with her grandmother and mother-in-law. All eight of them rely on her and her daughter to collect the water for drinking and cooking. To do this she joins a queue at the communal tank at 4-5am, which as previously mentioned is privately owned.The water must be fetched this early to ensure the breadwinner, husband Kamal, has his breakfast prior to starting his shift as a rikshaw driver in the city.

The family are allowed two flagons of water in the morning, and one in the evening - if they run out then there is no provision for any more. In order to conserve water the family (and everyone else in the community) do their washing and bathing in the nearby river (1/2km away). This river is heavily polluted as it's downstream from the city centre.

Nearby open water is also contaminated from the latrines, these were very simply standalone latrines which were either over open water or a small tank to be cleared out.

Open latrine over water

As a result of the above obstacles it will come as no surprise that Khohinour confirmed that illnesses were common in the community, and sadly some of the children and the elderly displayed clear signs of water-bourne illnesses on their skin and eyes. There are no medical facilities in the slum, and medical care would have to be in private facilities (and expensive).

After speaking to Khohinour we had a tour of the community, and I hope the pictures convey the fact that while undeniably deprived of basic amenties we would take for granted, the atmosphere was cheerful and the people overwhelmingly friendly and the impression I got was of a very close community.

Having said that, on reflection the scarcity of clean water and no sanitation means that if a family breadwinner falls to one of the diseases caused by these factors, then the family would have no way of paying the rent, the water supply or for medicine - a sobering thought.

As I write this, it's gone midnight and it's been a long day, so I will return to upload a few more pictures at a later stage!

More about Bangladesh

The WaterAid supporter's trip to Bangladesh is less than a week away, so it makes sense to try and understand a little of the country we're visiting.

Fortunately for me in the Call Centre in Cardiff we have Menna Ali who's family originally hail from Bangladesh, and she very kindly spared some time to teach me some pronunciation.

Asalaam Walaikkhum - Hello

Walaikhum asalaam - Common response

Kamon acen? (Pronounced "kemorn achern") How are you?

Bhalo aci - I'm fine.

Judging by Menna's amusement at my efforts I think I need to continue practising!

Some Bengali text!

Continuing on the theme of Bangladesh's links to the UK, Ali at the Cardiff Bangladesh Association (based in Riverside, Cardiff) was particularly helpful in helping me understand what to expect in Bangladesh, from a warning about the spiciness of the food to a reminder that we're bound to have a really warm welcome from the people out there; can't wait!

Outside the Bangladesh Association, Riverside, Cardiff.

Radio Cardiff interview

The objective of this WaterAid supporter's trip is to raise awareness for WaterAid, so I jumped at the chance of a radio interview with Jane Morris at Radio Cardiff.

At Radio Cardiff's studio.

As well as giving the background to why we are doing this trip, I managed to swot up on WaterAid's facts about the challenges facing Bangladesh (diseases are common throughout the country due to contaminated drinking water sources and poor sanitation).

As it happened I managed to have one more practice run as the first interview recording was accidentally deleted! 

The interview itself was fine as the presenter Jane went out of her way to put me at my ease, the interview should go out in the week leading up to the 27th November- once the exact time/date is confirmed will update the blog...


Contact me: danwateraid2010@gmail.com

The reason for this blog

Veolia Water UK are sending a representative to the 2010 WaterAid Supporter's trip to Bangladesh, and I've been fortunate enough to be selected.

I will be given the opportunity to see WaterAid projects in Bangladesh first hand, participate in the project work and to be an ambassador for Veolia Water and for WaterAid during my 7 day visit to Bangladesh in late November 2010.

The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness of the the work WaterAid does, and the activities Veolia Water undertakes in supporting WaterAid by documenting my experience before, during and after the trip.

I aim to use this blog to keep you informed of my preparations ahead of the trip, what I learn about WaterAid and what they do in Bangladesh, and of course my experience in Bangladesh itself- the WaterAid projects, the Bangladeshi people etc.

Why did I apply...

Me hard at work!

As mentioned in my profile on this blog my name is Daniel and I work for Veolia Water on behalf of Dwr Cymru in Cardiff. My background is IT so your probably wondering...




....Why did I apply for the WaterAid Supporter's Trip to Bangladesh?

Back in 2008 I travelled through South West India, and during my trip I noticed that while I was urged to only drink bottled water, a significant amount of the local population tended to use open rivers and waterways to wash, drink and use as sanitation. It made me appreciate WaterAid’s vision that everyone should have access to safe water & sanitation.

 When I read about the trip to Bangladesh, I saw it as an opportunity to return to the sub continent in order to do something constructive to help the lives of others in a developing country.

Me in India, 2008

As anyone who works for a water company will no doubt have encountered the following  question :“If water falls from the sky, why should I pay for it? which I feel underlines how lucky we are in the developed world to be able to take access to clean drinking water and sanitation for granted.

Having contributed to WaterAid for years I can’t wait to see first hand the impact their work has on people’s lives in the developing world. I’m also looking forward to engaging with the local community members in Bangladesh and detailing these experiences on a blog so everyone can see how their support for WaterAid has a positive impact.

What to expect...

On Wednesday, 13th Oct WaterAid held a briefing day at their offices in London. It was great to meet the other representatives going on the trip, but the main point of the meeting was to discuss what to expect on during the trip to Bangladesh on 27th November.


The rough overview of what to expect included:

 

Team photo at WaterAid's office

• A "day in the life" - an in depth experience of life without clean water & sanitation with a local family
• A chance to meet local WaterAid partners
• An opportunity to see 1st hand how WaterAid use the funds raised in the UK to transform people's lives.

Personally, I can't wait to meet people from Bangladeshi communities and get an understanding of how WaterAid uses the funds we raise in the UK by meeting the local people... I'll be taking my camera with me and intend to post experiences, pictures, facts etc on this very blog!



Contact me:danwateraid2010@gmail.com

Fund raising

As previously mentioned, the purpose of this trip is to inform about WaterAid's work through personal experience, enabling them to return to the UK with greater knowledge and renewed motivation, to be ever more effective fundraisers and advocates.

As I have had so much interest and questions about the forthcoming trip, I felt it would be a good opportunity to incorporate a fund raising element to this blog. 

I will be seeing first hand how WaterAid uses our donations, for an example of how WaterAid spends our donations click here.

The cost of your gift will go towards WaterAid's water, sanitation and hygiene projects in Asia and Africa as well as related support costs, to ensure WaterAid keeps on helping more communities long into the future.


If you have any specific questions or request regarding the forthcoming trip, contact me here (danwateraid2010@gmail.com) for further information on WaterAid visit www.wateraid.org