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THE EWB-CAMBRIDGE – OK CLEAN WATER PARTNERSHIP
In January 2011 a partnership between EWB Cambridge and OK Clean Water, a Canadian NGO operating in Kumbo, Cameroon was set up after two former EWB-Yale members, who had worked in the area previously, identified the need for continuing support for clean water projects. They also identified OK Clean Water as one of the best organised non-governmental organisations working in the region, as they actively engage the communities in their projects and provide continuing support to the villages to help them maintain their water systems. The partnership was started with the aim of supporting OK Clean Water’s work in providing sustainable, good, clean water to village populations.
OK CLEAN WATER – ‘Laying a Lifeline’
The OK Clean Water Project takes its name from the link that has been developed between Ottawa, Canada and Kumbo, Cameroon. In 2002, an article on water in a small Canadian publication sparked a discussion among a small group of widows and single mothers in Tobin, a section of Kumbo. The women’s discussion recounting the difficulties of living and raising children without access to clean water was printed in response to the article on water. While water was available in the village many people could not afford the cost of the connection. Consequently, many families continued to rely on the polluted stream for their daily supply of water. The women’s stories sparked the interest of a small group of readers in Ottawa, Canada. The plight of the women in Tobin energized the readers to try to help. Their self-appointed task was to find ways to finance the cost of helping families obtain a connection with the existing water system. This initial response enabled seventeen families to have a standpipe bringing clean water into their compound. Soon applications were arriving from nearby villages for assistance in extending their pipe-borne water systems to quarters (neighbourhoods) that lacked access to clean water. And thus, what began as a small gesture to help a few families, grew over the past nine years bringing clean water to twenty-six villages and over 30,000 people.
The mission of the OK Clean Water Project is to provide the resources to make clean water readily available to villages in the area of Kumbo, Cameroon. Having access to potable water will reduce the incidence of water-borne disease and generally improve the living conditions of the villagers.
The above information has been collated from the OK Clean Water website – www.okcleanwaterproject.org.
PROJECT PROPOSAL
15 villages have approached OK Clean Water for a clean water supply and are currently waiting for the resources to become available. EWB is helping to take one of these villages, Sakir, off the waiting list. We will be following the development of the system from the initial surveying right through to a working system. We will work with OK Clean Water, Cameroonian engineering students, and the local community on a gravity-fed water system capturing clean water from a stream several kilometres outside of the community and pipe it into the centre, distributing water via standpipes throughout the village.
The people of Sakir currently obtain their water from far-off streams which are exposed to pollution by animals and man. They are often quite heavily contaminated, since the same streams are used for bathing and washing of clothes. The high incidence of ill-health, as compared to medical reports by Health Posts in neighbouring villages, motivated the community to approach OK Clean Water for technical and financial assistance for the construction of a water supply scheme back in 2007. The villagers of Sakir hope that the clean water system with reduce water borne diseases and increase personal hygiene. The system also has economic and social benefits as less time is spent collecting far-off water. The livelihood of the entire village community will be greatly improved, and the search outside the village by youths for better living conditions will be reduced.
An important aspect of OK’s work is the development of Water Management Committees who are responsible for the management and maintenance of the system after construction. This is particularly important to ensure the long term sustainability of projects. Sakir was chosen to work with us as they have a particularly dedicated and hard-working committee who have been waiting a long time for clean water.
As well as the benefits to Sakir this project aims to develop members of EWB-Cambridge and Cameroon. As well as the opportunity to practically use our university education, we will gain some basic experience of development work encouraging involvement in development work in the future. What’s more the project promotes a sense of unity across countries (‘Without Borders’), allows the sharing of cultural insight and helps build networks that may be valuable in the future.
INITIAL VISIT TO CAMEROON - JULY 2011
Several EWB-Cambridge members have recently returned from a trip to Cameroon to meet with OK-Clean Water and the village of Sakir. Our main task was to complete a precise survey of the first 1.5km of proposed pipeline in order to determine the best location for the storage tank. Altimeters and GPS were then used to map the rest of the pipeline. The initial study completed in 2007 was not accurate enough to ensure the system would work sufficiently. As such we were able to provide Visi Edwin, the local engineer who works with OK-Clean Water, with much more detailed information. As a result there was a significant redesign of the pipeline layout to provide a more efficient system. On top of this we used our DelAgua water quality testing kit (www.delagua.org) to check the levels of contamination in the spring. Fortunately the spring is almost completely free of bacteria and with suitable protection around the catchment area we will be drinking from it ourselves! We were able to make further use of the DelAgua kit by visiting other villages in the area. This highlighted just what a difference a good water management committee and therefore catchment protection can make as some systems were significantly cleaner than others.
As well as the technical side of the visit we cannot understate the hospitality we received from the Cameroonian people –from a spectacular welcoming ceremony, where we were blessed with a live chicken, to the daily lunches provided by the village. Their hard work and commitment to clean water stood out throughout our time there but it was particularly evident on a “Country Sunday”, a day where villagers work on civic projects rather than their farms. Men, women and children turned out in force to dig trenches, carry materials and generally do whatever was needed to get the job done. And as we found out when we joined in carrying sand to the catchment – it wasn’t easy! By the end of our stay the catchment was already nearing completion and regardless of our presence it looks like work will continue relentlessly.
FUNDING NEEDS
The project will be implemented in two phases, each necessitating funding for materials, construction costs, and transportation. Phase I will include the construction of 2 catchments at spring source, a 20,000 litre storage tank, and 3 standpipes (2 in the village and 1 at the catchment for local users), laying pipeline for the main branch of the system and including 4 low points for the clearing of sediment. Phase II will include laying the pipeline for the extra branches, including 2 more low points, introducing 4 valves at high points in the system for pressure release and of course constructing the remaining standpipes.
The community contribute in kind by providing unskilled labour; for example for the excavation and backfilling of pipeline. The total cash cost of the project is 21,206,000 CFA (£30,294) of which OK-Clean Water will provide 60% (£18,177) and EWB will aim to raise £12,000 with the following fundraising targets:
30th December, 2011 £5,000
30th April, 2012 £3,000
30th August, 2012 £3,000
If you are interested in assisting with fundraising or making a contribution to the project, please contact us via the Cameroon Water Project link under the Contact Us tab or visit our justgiving page.
We have to thank the following bodies for their donations towards the phase I trip:
- Eric Lane Award
- Cambridge University Engineering Society
- Mary Euphrasia Mosley Fund
- Queens' College Travel Grant
- Royal Academy of Engineering
- Clare College Travel Grant
FUTURE PLANS
Over the coming year we will be planning a return trip for summer 2012. At the same time we will be researching the most suitable method of water quality testing that OK-CW can implement as their current method is not always suitable. We also hope to produce some material for them on the benefits of gravity fed systems over wells to counteract the common perception that wells are always the solution to water problems.
PROJECT PREPARATION: GRANTCHESTER PROJECT
In order to prepare for this trip and gain familiarity with meeting the water needs of a community, we have taken on a local UK project in the nearby town of Grantchester. After developing cost estimates and designs for improvements to an irrigation system used by the local farmers, we have submitted a proposal to the community and hope to gain further experience if the proposal is approved and funded for implementation.
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