Our target population for this project is a colony far from the center of Hubli. The government originally developed it as a habitation for the poor and since that time it has been enormously neglected. The streets, the homes, and other areas of the town are completely dilapidated– It is the by far the worst slum area we have seen yet.
We took the bus partway to the colony and had to get off to take a rickshaw to approach the desolate area. The four of us (3 USC team members + an Indian friend/translator) climbed out the rickshaw and looked around to be welcomed by intense stares. By the demeanor of the townspeople people, I immediately felt apprehensive. The four of us were a bit out of sorts as the rickshaw skirted away. There we stood in the mud as outsiders, in bewilderment of not knowing what direction to head next.
In a panic to move along and away from the townspeople I caught the attention of a curious little girl and asked her to point out the direction of the school. We headed down the street by her directions and started walking past more adults who seemed unapproachable. I whispered to the translator to explain our purpose in being there to anyone who asked…and as soon as possible. We needed to show the suspicious bystanders that we came in peace and were there to help them…Finally the wish was granted.
Within the moments that a few words were exchanged between the translator and group of young men, each one of the men’s faces relaxed. I stood in the back and breathed a sigh of relief. One of the men uncrossed his arms and pointed in the direction of the school saying something loudly, in an effort to allow other bystanders to loosen up as well.
From there we proceeded to walk down the muddy clay roads to locate the school of 580 students. On our way, watchful children followed us; many of them were pant-less running barefoot behind the group trying to keep up to see where we were going.
It was an experience in itself reaching the school but once we arrived we were immediately embraced. We were welcomed by open handshakes and smiles from the school’s Principal and Secretary who had seen us coming from a distance. They came out to the quad to greet us despite not knowing what our purpose was or why we had come to their school. I have an inkling that when they took notice of our fair skin from afar they believed something of great benefit them was coming their way.
As we began speaking with them about our idea, they continually nodded in agreement. It is hard to tell whether they were keenly interested in our aspirations or just the attention their students would be receiving from Americans, whatever purpose we were there for. From there we received a tour of the small six-classroom school. Except for the 7th Standard (or grade) all other children sat on worn mats on the floor. The school was much worse off than the one I had toured earlier in the week. After our tour and the discussion of our project, I asked the Principal if he had any further personal desires for his school. He answered me in his broken English, “Please, Please, bring us desks.” The feeling inside me must have been both an ache of sadness and yet a feeling of purpose. In comprehending his request, a small voice inside, said to me “done!” I was surprisingly confident that I could provide him with something that the school desperately needed though it was unrelated to our project. Desks are something that are easy to come by in the U.S. with a little fundraising, but sadly nearly impossible for a impoverished community such as this one to attain. I responded by speaking about the huge undertaking we would begin to accomplish this summer and that I promised to help him in the immediate future once I arrive back in the U.S.
Exiting the school grounds we all were beaming that our project would be underway much sooner than expected. The most surprising aspect about the small town was that by the time we reached the entry road again to find ourselves a rickshaw home, many of the once standoffish people were smiling and saying hello. I was in disbelief as I thought to myself; both positive and negative word must spread fast in this community.
This element, characteristic of many small towns, will only work to our advantage as we proceed ahead with our educational workshops in the primary school. The students will have a large impact in spreading the word within their homes and neighborhood. We hope that when we start distributing the water filters and raising awareness about waterborne diseases, parents will listen to their kids and neighbors will talk. As many call it here, it is “mouth marketing” that will greatly help cultivate both the enthusiasm for our program and the acceptance of our water filtration system. We hope that within the initial months of implementing our project the townspeople will become more and more accepting of our work and welcome us into their homes to conduct monthly surveys. From this experience I learned that it is going to take strong initiative to get the program off the ground but also the united support of the townspeople to make the project a success.

I have just read a very enlightening piece on water quality & health projects and it, along with Kimberly’s recent post expressing the lack of health awareness in Hubli, has shaken many of the assumptions I held about aid work in general and our project in particular.

I have summarized my lessons and recommendations below, but given the richness of the PDF I read, I highly recommend that anyone interested in water & health takes about two hours and reads it themselves. I assure that you will learn a lot from this non-traditional approach to our work.

Central Idea:

Don’t treat poor people like poor people. They don’t want to be poor and they don’t want technologies for the ‘poor’.

My Lessons & Recommendations:

Don’t give away filters and other technologies for free.
Instead, encourage local production and markets and use grant money to fund micro-finance programs and installment plans to increase affordability.
Why? Giving filters and other technologies for free (1) creates expectations that they are ‘free’ products that should be waited for rather than actively purchased and (2) reinforces the notion that the products have little value. This sabotages the efforts of local retailers. Only after a domestic market has matured should subsidies be introduced to help the absolute poorest members of the community.
First Action is to identify local retailers and health stores that might we might be able to partner with to sell filters.

Don’t ignore supply.
Instead, work with local vendors and manufacturers to ensure a reliable supply chain.
Why? The biggest reason people stop using water filtration or other technologies is because something broke and they either couldn’t find or couldn’t afford the new part. A supply chain that relies on donations is bound to run dry. Encourage local retailers and manufacturers.
First Action is to identify local retails and manufacturers and weaknesses in the supply chain.

Don’t ignore marketing.
Instead, use local leaders, teachers, celebrities, and pop culture to promote a branded product.
Why? Lectures willl convince some people but far more people will be convinced by lifestyle marketing. Link healthy behaviors and technologies to higher social status, admired leaders, and whatever is locally defined as ‘cool’ and you’ll hook far more people.
First Action is to identify what’s ‘cool’ in our community.

Don’t ignore branding.
Instead, make sure every filter or other product sold has a prominently displayed symbol on it.
Why? Brands do a couple things. One, they make products more desirable by giving them a ‘cool’ aura. Two, along with certification and regular manufacturer check-ups, they can create an image of reliability, giving people more confidence in their purchase.
First Action is to identify what’s ‘cool’ in our community.

Don’t assume filters = clean water.
Instead, promote good hygiene and water care as well.
Why? If a family filters their water but doesn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, they’re still going to pick up microbial diseases. If a family filters water but pours it into dirty glasses, there was no point in filtering it in the first place. Clean water & sanitation go hand in hand.
First Action is already under way, as I expect Kimberly is hard at work promoting sanitation

Don’t exclusively market to the poor.
Instead, market the same products to the middle class and rich as well.
Why? The poor don’t want ‘poor’ products. They want to be like the rich. The middle class and rich face many of the same water quality issues anyways. Convincing them to adopt healthy behaviors and products sets an example for the poor and increases the likelihood of adoption.
First Actions are to (1) identify where the middle class/rich get their water and (2) identify community leaders and see if they are willing to endorse our education programs and water technologies.

Don’t assume that everyone adopts water technologies for the same reason.
Instead, investigate local opinion on water cleanliness and see who boils or filters already.
Why? Those already convinced of the need for clean water don’t need to be told that changing their behaviors is healthy; they need to be shown that is convenient. Time and ease of use are the main points to address to them. Demonstrations of convenience in health stores is good way to approach them. Those not yet convinced of the existence of clean and unclean water will need to be shown the health benefits. Health improvement is the main point to address to them. Television commercials, community leader endorsemetns, and health talks within local social groups (like the bingo club) are good ways to approach them.
First Action is to identify who does and does not use water technologies and the places and organizations each group frequents.

Don’t promote and sell every technology separately.
Instead, make them available through ‘water kiosks’ run by locals.
Why? Filters aren’t for everyone. Neither is SODIS or chlorination or Twitter or any technology. Give people a choice all in one place and there more likely to feel in control and find something that appeals to them.
First Action is to keep an eye out for reliable, responsible, and entrepreneurial community members (especially those who are already shopkeepers) who might be able to pilot a ‘water kiosk.’

Don’t promote SODIS bottles as ‘free’.
Instead, sell branded SODIS bottles cheap through local retailers.
Why? PET (plastic) bottles used for SODIS (solar disinfection) are virtually ubiquitous and free. Yet people still don’t like to use them for two reasons: time (SODIS takes several hours) and image (plastic bottles are trash). Selling painted, branded bottles can help solve both. Bottles with a bit of UV-absorbing black tape or paint disinfect water significantly faster than plain bottles, and branded bottles wouldn’t seem like trash. How cool would it be for kids to buy, for a few cents, PET bottles painted with black & orange tiger stripes, under the brand name ‘Tiger’ bottles? Additionally, entrepreneurs could paint discarded bottles themselves, creating a sustainable, local supply chain.
First Action is to find out if people are aware of SODIS and, if so, why they do or don’t use it.

As always, criticism and suggestions are welcome and expected!

Apparently the UN declared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation, so it’s very appropriate that we are here doing our part to improve sanitation practices in Hubli. Of course, clean water isn’t the solution to all health problems, but the fact that, according to the World Health Organization, “nearly 1.8 million people die of diarrhea each year”, and that “88% of diarrhea cases is attributable to unsafe water or inadequate hygiene or sanitation” highlights the ever present need to target the contaminated water that the people of Hubli depend on.

Preparing for this summer, I fully expected to encounter plenty of things that would be heavy for both my heart and my head, so before leaving LA, I bought The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer, which is clearly a book that isn’t to be taken too seriously and doesn’t require much of my attention. I started reading this chick lit this morning before our Kannada class, and I came across this section:

“I believe that within every one of us is a woman of undiscovered beauty, a woman who is charming and talented and light of heart. I believe that all we need is a fairy godmother to dust us off and bring out our potential and, while she’s at it, turn the rats in our lives into coachmen.”

Maybe the book shouldn’t be taken seriously, but maybe this can be true. Great potential can be masked by unappealing appearances or unfortunate circumstances. But get past that, and who knows what one can find?

Today we visited SM Krishna Nagar, an area that was built by the government to provide housing for low-income families. It’s an area that we’re seriously considering working with because we feel it has a lot of potential – especially after actually seeing the place. After our visit, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we had a lot of thoughts going through our heads. Thoughts of the immense need for assistance in this community; of the exciting times we have ahead of us if we are to work with the people there; of the always pleasantly surprising welcoming nature of everyone we encounter. The houses there are small and shanty, and the stream that flows alongside the community is nearly black and surrounded by debris. The school isn’t nearly as big as the one by the ladies hostel here on the BVB campus, and too many of the children there are without desks. But the smiling faces and the shy giggling is all the same. The principal spoke English, which we were grateful for because we had been told that no one would speak English in this community. Although our project plans have not been completely finalized, it was definitely reassuring to realize that we would have the support of the school staff.

Maybe we can’t be fairy godmothers for the people of SM Krishna Nagar and fix all their problems, but we can certainly try to help get rid of one rat in their lives and bring clean water to them. And just maybe one of those adorable children covered in dirt will recognize the need that we’re trying to address with our project and become someone great who brings improvements to the community that go beyond our group’s capabilities.

We just set up an account on Twitter and invite all of you to follow us there for more frequent project updates & reflections. Our username, “hublipaani“, refers to the city we are working in (Hubli) and the Hindi word for water (paani).

For those of you who haven’t heard of it, Twitter defines themselves as follows:

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

You can also learn more at their FAQ page or sign up for an account here.

One of the greatest learning experiences this far was visiting the slums. A translator, another fellow, and myself went on an outing to conduct surveys of numerous homes in the poorer area of town. The purpose of the survey was to obtain data on the history of health in each household. We were most interested in understanding each family’s access to drinking water and the health of children less than 15 years of age (most notably the incidence of diarrhea or other symptoms in the households per month).
Our second interviewee was at first hesitant to speak us. Our translator conveyed to him, “They are students from America…They would like to speak with you–they are here to help.”
We were then invited to remove our shoes and come sit inside. The three of us shared one mat, the head of the household sat comfortably no more than two meters across from us on the other wall, in minimal light. My back was pressed up against the foundation of the dwelling, my socks tucked under me trying to remain as small as possible in the tiny, dark space. The residence consisted of two rooms and had a diminutive area for bathing–No toilet, no fan, no door, and no beds. It is in this home that in the couple raised their four children. Only one of them has been lucky enough to attend school.
During the thirty minute interview the man shared with us details of his personal life and that of his family’s. In hearing about their lifestyle, I began to comprehend to a greater degree the importance for our work. The more concerning answers we received during the interview, were from the following questions:
Translator: “What is your source for drinking water?”
Interviewee: “The bore well”.
Translator: “Do you treat your drinking water before you drink it?”
Interviewee: “Haha… No. It looks clean– Why should I do that?”
Bore wells are sites that provide drinking water for communities. However, many communicable water borne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, etc arise when bore wells are not adequately maintained and remained uncovered. The neglected site may be situated next to a garbage dump or may be affected by bacteria from nearby sewage piping. Bore wells then become improper areas to obtain drinking water and may carry water borne diseases. Furthermore, they may become sites that attract mosquitoes carrying malaria.
As an outsider, I realize there is a need to provide these people with access to clean water, but the surprising factor is, that many families remain unaware of the problem. They do know that it is the water that influences numerous disease outbreaks.
The closing survey questions were also informing:
Translator: “Would you use a treatment method if provided with one?”
Interviewee: “Not necessary. Water is clean. Why would I need it? Filters too expensive.”
It was in hearing the answers to these questions that it became clear that my team faces many challenges ahead. I realized it will not only be a challenge to physically implement water filtration systems into households, but more so a societal challenge to convince the people why they need to use the filtration system. Also, it is clear that in the future we must explore microfinance opportunities to disseminate the inexpensive filters on a mass scale that we find to be most effective, given the conditions of the community. This will be important to ensure that future filtration systems remain affordable and another opportune project to give back to trained individuals in the community.
My experience in the slums was an exceptional learning experience. It helped me to further understand the characters of these communities and catch an intimate glimpse into their lives. As anyone may guess, it was awakening to see how these families live, with the few amenities they have. While it was discouraging to learn about the challenges which await us, it is also thrilling to know that the USC team has the potential to positively impact the daily lives of many.