Aqua Clara International(ACI)

HWTS Options: Biosand Filter

Target Population: Rural Communities, Kisii & Eldoret, Kenya

Impact: more than 10,000 people with improved drinking water since 2007

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Introduction

• NGO headquartered in the USA and operating in Kenya & Nicaragua

• Mission: Empower communities to meet their own needs by using a partnership-based, entrepreneurial model

• Goal: Completely locally-driven and sustainable program that involves partnership between schools, their surrounding communities and ACI

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Current Details

• Current project start date: June 2010

• Current project size: 1,800 filters

• Implemented to date: 1,800 filters

• Target: 5,000 filters per year

Kisii

Source: worldtravels.com (2011)

ACI demonstration plastic biosand filter in Kisii, Kenya (2011)

Creating DemandCommunity Development Entrepreneurs (CDEs)

– Operate small ACI business– Social marketing– Construction and sales of WASH

products to end users– Receive profit on each product sold

Community Health Promoters (CHPs)

– Education & follow-up with end users and schools

– Oversight– Receive a stipend for specific project

activities 4

Creating Demand

First level of ACI Products– Biosand filters (820 KES ~ US $12)– Safe water storage containers (350 KES ~ US $4)– Hand washing containers

Biosand filter 5Safe water storagecontainer

Hand washingcontainer

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Creating Demand

• School launches– Kick-off for local business– Invitation to chiefs,

community, parents of students

– Participatory & engaging

• ACI’s public endorsement of CDE and their work

ACI staff lead community preparation of sand and gravel for a filter installation at a school launch (2011)

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Successes– Sold more than 700 biosand filters at full hard cost

recovery as of May 2011– Demand is growing in the target communities

Challenges– CDEs drive success of the business and sales,

some CDEs will be more/less productive

Lessons learned– School launches help to give the CDE credibility &

introduce products to the community

Creating Demand

Supplying Products and Services

Schools– “Neutral zone” & demonstration

site– Material storage – Education through Water &

Hygiene Clubs

ACI Staff– Manage supply

chain– Negotiate with

suppliers– Sand sourced

centrally from Nakuru

– Training of end users and schools

ACI partner school in Kisii, Kenya (2011)

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Supplying Products and Services

CDE– Construction & installation

of filters– Training the end user– Return to teach “swirl &

dump” maintenance

Households– Purchase filter (KES 820)– Participate in sand washing– Transport materials to home

CDE demonstrating an installation at a school (2011)

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Supplying Products and Services

Community Health Promoters

– Clear criteria– Stipend for each

follow-up visit (100 KES)

CHPs at monthly meeting (2011)

– Support work of 1-2 CDEs– Conduct education sessions with Water &

Hygiene Clubs at schools

Successes– Ability to meet growing

demand– Negotiation with suppliers to

reduce the cost to the end users, increasing access

– Centralized sand source, improved from past sources

– Better quality control by managing supply chain

– Follow up visits in households

Supplying Products and Services

CHP field kit (2011)

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Supplying Products and Services

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Challenges– Quality control of sand during washing;

varied filter flow rates– Long-term retention of CHPs

Lessons learned– Need to supply sand from a central source

to maintain filter quality– Importance of providing glue for CDEs, so

that the tubing is well constructed and does not leak

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Monitoring and Improvement

• CHPs conduction follow-up visits to end users– 1st visit – 1-2 months after installation– 2nd visit – 12 months after installation– 3rd visit – 24 months after installation

• At monthly meetings – receive sales orders from CDEs

• These are the households they will follow-up with in the next month

• Complete a questionnaire which is given to ACI staff

Monitoring and Improvement

ACI staff monitoring sand quality at the sand source (2011)

Successes•Good systems and communication in place to monitor the project•Strong commitment to improving quality of implementation by staff•Targeted and informed improvement of the program

Lessons learned•Early household visits are key to ensuring the success of the filters

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Building Human Capacity

ACI staff

• CAWST & outside training as needed

CHPs & CDEs

• Initial 5-day training

• Monthly meetings

• Refresher training as needed

Veteran CHP teaching new recruits about hand washing with soap (2011)

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Building Human Capacity

End Users•CDE at installation and for filter maintenance•CHP during follow-up visits

CAWST delivering a training session with ACI CHPs (2011)

Schools•Partnership with school and school representative•Two sessions each month to Water & Hygiene clubs

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Program Financing

• End users contribute– Pay complete hard cost of filter and safe

water storage container– Contribute some labor in sand washing &

transport of materials

• ACI subsidizes– Staff costs– Education & follow-up to users & schools

• ACI receives funding through individuals, foundations and corporations

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• If product is marketed well with a good distribution mechanism, people are willing to pay the full hard cost of a filter

• ACI is reaching the poorest of the poor (people who earn less than $2 / day) - end users have a reported income of less than $1/person/day

• Program is demand driven so productivity varies

• The model and network is applicable to other WASH products

Summary