Unfortunately I haven't been able to get internet access until now. I hope to provide more details and some photos over the coming days, but below are some of the trip highlights which I hope are of interest to you:
Day 1 - A day in the life of
We spent the day with a rural community (a three hour mainly off-road drive) who don't have access to clean drinking water or proper sanitation facilities. In the dry season they have to walk over 9km to the nearest water point. In the rainy season they have access to a stream near the village, but animals drink from it and the community wash and bathe there. This water is not safe for drinking but currently the village has no choice.
Day 2 - A rural community school and village
In the morning we visited a school that has a water point, toilets and hand washing facilities. These facilities combined with hygiene education has resulted in the instances of water born diseases amongst the children falling to virtually none. In the afternoon we visited a village that also has a water point and latrines. By speaking to the families living there, we were able to understand the benefits that they have gained since these facilities had been available.
Day 3 - Peri-urban work
We visited an area where the water utility has provided a pumped water supply with assistance from WaterAid. Although supplies are intermittent, families are able to obtain water at their homes or from nearby water points. In the afternoon we visited another area, spoke to the householders and helped with some construction work - completing a family's latrine by putting a roof on it.
Day 4 - Solar powered water treatment and water kiosks
We saw how a solar panel had been installed to make the treatment process more sustainable. We then visited a water kiosk in the village where people are able to go to buy and collect their drinking water within easy walking distance.
Day 5 - High density slums
This slum has built up in Lusaka over a number of years and currently does not have adequate access to safe drinking water or proper sanitation facilities. We did see examples of some latrines being built, but also saw the awful reality of people having to use a local stream to wash themselves, their clothes and their pots and pans, despite the fact it was obviously filthy and covered with rubbish.
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