PROJECT LIST:
Etta Projects Comedors feed approximately 240 children per day.
Comprehensive Clean Water Project
2008-2010
Water Project Final Report, One Year Later
The Comprehensive Clean Water Project was scheduled for completion in November 2009. Concerns regarding maintenance and use of the water systems coupled with participants' interest in continuing "water group" meetings, led Etta Projects to extend monitoring of the project through October 2010. This allowed for the collection of additional data on the efficacy of the water filtration systems in improving community health.
Over the two-year timeline of the project, more than 60 families participated throughout the neighbordhood La Pampa de la Madre and surrounding communities. Each family received a low-cost, sustainable water filtration system coupled with ongoing training and support in its use. Training and hygiene education were conducted in water groups-participatory, democratic, community groups that met monthly with an Etta Projects team member.
During the extended monitoring period, each of the water groups elected a representative to make monthly visits to participants' homes to check on use of the water filters, assist with problems and monitor hygiene practices and health outcomes. These representatives received ongoing support from an Etta Projects Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator who attended the monthly water group meetings, collected and verified the information gathered by the representatives, and conducted further surveys, interviews and questionnaires with participants. The M&E Coordinator also facilitated water group representative meetings where representatives were able to share their work and findings with each other.
At the end of the second year of the water program, 76% of the original filtration systems were still in use. In the 55 families that were monitored during the final monitoring phase, water-related illnesses such as diarrhea, scabies, fungus and lice were dramatically reduced. By the final two months of the monitoring period no water related illnesses were reported. This demonstrates the power of combining effective, inexpensive water filtration with hygiene education. These families also are the stimulus for our 2011 Ecological Composting Latrine Project, supported by Rotary International.
Water Project Update 
Paisaje, Bolivia
December, 2009
This year Etta Projects choose one community where we serve to celebrate the holidays with. Staff and volunteers joined together to collect gifts and plan games. On the 23rd of December we surprised the children of the small community with fun-filled activities, presents, homemade cookies and other Christmas treats. Rather than just handing out gifts, we played games and enjoyed the day together. Over forty people came together to recognize Christmas and to celebrate. One woman made hot bread to add to the treats. It was truly a wonderful day that all will remember!
Next year we will collaborate with the community of Paisaje to create a large community garden and to transform the school into a Healthy School. If you are interested in learning more about this project or would like to donate to the community of Paisaje, please click the Donate button or call 360-876-7487.
November 2009 Progress
Etta Projects has completed The Water Project this month and we are proud to share some of the major accomplishments-
• Eighty-six families now consume clean, potable water.
o 64 families use a water purification system
o 22 families are connected to a gravity-fed water system
• All water-related illnesses have decreased in the homes of the 86 participating families by at least 70%.
• Community groups continue to gather to discuss and problem solve issues relating to hygiene and basic sanitation.
Although Etta Projects leaves its previous role in the project, the communities keep the major activities in full swing. Community Representatives now act as Health Promoters and Facilitators. They make routine house visits, organize and facilitate community dialogue sessions, and monitor clean water consumption and filter use. Participants understand the importance of making positive changes in their community and are dedicated to the continuation and sustainability of the work. Etta Projects will continue to learn from the communities and monitor the groups' activities.
Etta Projects hopes to collaborate with these groups in future projects. The women are now project planning and advocating for other means to improve the hygiene and sanitation in their communities. Most groups hope to begin a latrine project, recognizing the need to improve basic sanitation.
The Water Project gave Etta Projects a tremendous amount of awareness of how poor hygiene and the lack of basic sanitation impacts peoples' health, particularly in rural communities. Diarrhea, fungus, lice, and scabies are sadly part of their everyday life. Often the solutions are not difficult or costly... people just need to become aware of the causes so they can end unhealthy behaviors and implement positive changes. One participant said, "This is the first time in my life that I have had this kind of service. I never knew or thought about these things before. I was inviting illnesses into my home without knowing it. Now we know."
With hygiene, sanitation and education at the top of the agenda Etta Projects is beginning
new projects utilizing the lessons learned from the Water Project. We will have a new page up soon on our latest project which began this month: Improving Health & Hygiene in 25 Rural Communities.
You can help us begin planning how to solve the biggest sanitation problems for these and other communities...safe latrines. We are working on a plan for these communities and hope to have possibilites by mid 2010.
September 2009 Progress Updates
The Water Project is coming to a close; however, we have made certain that important components of this project will continue to sustain for years to come. The Water Project staff have spent this past month working alongside the six groups that make up this project with the goal to better organize and to strengthen their network. Each group has elected a Representative that will monitor use and effectiveness of the water system as well as dialogue with participants about health and hygiene issues. The Representatives will make monthly visits to all participants' homes and facilitate monthly neighborhood meetings. Their objective is to bring all project participants together in order to work cohesively to solve problems and plan new activities.
On October 3 Etta Projects held a closing ceremony to honor the participants for their hard work and successes. Attendance included Etta Project's Executive Director, Pennye Nixon-West; Etta Project- Bolivia Board President, Jaime Paz; Etta Project Montero Rotarian Representative, Ronald Justianano and over 40 participants and their families. At the event the Representatives of each group spoke about some of the major accomplishment of the project, including: a greater knowledge about hygiene, sanitation, and water; a stronger bond throughout their community; strengthened support to solve community hygiene and sanitation problems; and improved health of their families.
The Water Project is projected to finish in November of this year. Etta Projects w
ill continue to attend neighborhood meeting and support the Representatives for an additional 12 months.
El Paisaje
It was a few short months ago when the President of the small village of El Paisaje knocked on Etta Project's door to explain the water situation in his community. He talked about how less than two years ago people from Paisaje had to walk the long, dusty 2- kilometer dirt road when they needed water. Later, the community received an artesian well and a water tank; however the funding ran dry before people's homes were hooked up to the water system. With the support of Etta Project's Water Project and the enthusiastic participation of the community, today El Paisaje has clean, running water in every home for the very first time! 
Etta Projects involvement in this community went far beyond the installation of a water distribution system. Our main objective was to increase the community's knowledge of water related issues and to work with local people to make certain they had the tools to understand and maintain the water system. Women and children participatedin weekly education sessions focusing on → water, sanitation and hygiene. We also attended community meetings and helped to organize a Water Committee. The committee participated in the labor of the water system and learned how to maintain and repair it. Members are also responsible for collecting a small monthly fee to help ensure the water systems sustainability.
On September 30th El Paisaje hosted the inauguration ceremony of their water system. Etta Projects enjoyed an evening with people in Paisaje by sharing stories, eating food, and dancing. Most people shared the same sentiment with Etta Projects staff- they never believed the day would come that they would have water in their homes!
What's Next....
Etta Projects is dedicated to making significant impacts in small rural communities. The Water Project connected us with a number of neighborhoods and villages that now understand and appreciate the importance of improved hygiene and sanitation. We are inspired by the successes of these communities and are determined to continue this journey together. Currently Etta Projects is working with community members to plan projects that will bring these same communities ecological bathrooms and community gardens. These projects were chosen by the communities as a plan to continue to advance towards cleaner, healthier neighborhoods. We need your support, however, to make these local dreams a reality. Please donate today!
August 2009 Progress Update
More and more families have made hygiene and sanitation a priority over the last few months of the Water Project. Their dedication to improving the health of their families as well as the sanitation throughout their community is something that is certain to continue even as the project draws to a close. Etta Projects' community educators have spent the last month working alongside nine separate women's groups (made up of over 65 families!) to put into practice hygienic skills, complete the construction of all water systems and conclude training sessions aimed at building skills for members to become health leaders in their community.
The majority of the families that participate in the Water Project live in four rural
"The Water Project has also been really good. Before my family and I drank whatever water without knowing there was something wrong with it. Both my children and I have learned a lot. The kids want to wash their hands and drink clean water now. They say to me, "Mommy, I will only drink water from the filter." This is the first time in my life that I have had this kind of service. I never knew or thought about these things before. I was inviting illnesses into my home without knowing it. Now we know."
Other major accomplishments of the water project include:
• Increased cleanliness in and around the homes, especially in the kitchen areas
• Improved daily hygiene practices by mothers, children and community members
• Strong unity and support network among group members
El Paisaje
Paisaje is a small rural community of 20 families. Unlike the other communities that participate in the Water Project and construct water filter systems, El Paisaje is working to install a water distribution system to bring clean, potable water to each family's home. Community leaders from Paisaje learned about our Water Project from a local Bolivian NGO. They traveled the rigorous commute from their remote village to the city of Montero to seek Etta Projects' support. The President of Paisaje told Etta Projects' staff about the community's ongoing campaign for clean water. For years people from this community had to walk over a kilometer to reach the nearest source of water. Two years ago El Paisaje received an artesian water-well and an elevated tank through the support of a local NGO and the Bolivian government. Unfortunately, the water system is not being utilized because there is no distribution network in place. The community's President and other local community members have spent the last year urging the local government to complete the project, but the answer has remained the same: "There is not sufficient funding at this time".
Etta Projects is now working with the community and the local municipality to conclude the water system. This small village is scheduled to have clean water at their homes by the end of the month! However, the water project in Paisaje goes far beyond the implementation of a water distribution system. Etta Projects recognizes that without understanding and awareness of proper hygiene practices, infrastructure improvements alone would be insufficient for maintaining good health. Additional activities in El Paisaje involve:
• Weekly meetings with women in the community to explore new issues such as local hygiene and sanitation norms, methods to improve hygienic habits, utilizing and maintaining the new water system, nutrition, garbage, latrines and illnesses
• Weekly meetings with children to promote hygienic behaviors through fun and interactive methods of learning such as puppet shows, theater, and games
• Development of a water committee to maintain water system, educate the community and collect monthly dues
Children's Program
Health education for children in the Water Project continues to be highly successful. We are currently meeting with three communities and educating over 100 children on healthy hygiene and sanitation behaviors. By the end of the project, this program will have directly reached over 175 children! The goal of this program is to form positive habits early on in order to make health and hygiene a priority in these communities for years to come. Apart from the educational sessions, children have become active in Etta Projects community Water Fairs. They participate by performing in theater and puppet shows and by teaching their friends and families hygienic behaviors through art, photographs, and information sharing.
Water Fairs
Each community that participates in the Water Project hosts its own Water Fair. Program participants work alongside Etta Projects staff to share their knowledge and learning to people throughout the community. This month we held our final two Water Fairs. Over one hundred people attended each fair to participate in games, win hygiene prizes, and celebrate health and hygiene in their communities.
Ensuring Sustainability
After over a year of working with six communities in improving health and hygiene, Etta Projects is now in its final three months of The Water Project. We are counting on the support of the new community health leaders and the water committee to keep the lessons learned throughout this project a constant part of the communities' daily lives. Etta Projects is hiring one representative from each of the women's groups to continue to organize meetings, do routine house visits and support the other members with issues related to health, hygiene and water. This role will rotate among members every three months. Some of the women elected are already working to find new avenues (such as city fairs and additional health projects) to share their new knowledge with others.
This has been a large project and is almost at it's conclusion. Your contribution will help us continue to bring clean water to other poor neighborhoods.
