Baby’s first Proposal…

Didn’t see this coming, but it came nonetheless. Here’s the initial POU-Ruaha proposal, and it’s definitely not a keeper! I expect to revise this at least ten times in the next three months alone, and probably just scrap it altogether and start over at some point….

PROJECT TITLE

Point-of-use treatment system and micro-enterprise development to improve drinking water quality for agro-pastoralist households and livestock in the Ruaha Ecosystem, Tanzania

PROJECT SUMMARY

The Great Ruaha River and its tributaries are the key water sources for wildlife, livestock, and domestic use. Water quality in the Ruaha river system has been significantly impacted through the combination of reduced flow and environmental contamination. The proximal coexistence of people, livestock, and wildlife provides conditions favorable for transmission of viral, bacterial, and parasitic disease agents. Increasing access and availability of a sanitary water supply may result in improved health and quality of life for people in the Ruaha ecosystem. The demand for cleaner water in the Ruaha communities, combined with poor water storage practices and little awareness of effective low-cost methods of in-home water treatment, enables this research to actively address rural sanitation and water quality issues in the area. The POU-Ruaha Project will investigate disease incidence in the Ruaha region, concentrating on the development and adaptation of BioSand filtration technology for a point-of-use (POU) water quality intervention in the area, and establishing a field trial among high-risk agro-pastoral households to assess the impact of improved water quality for household uses on disease incidence in both people and their livestock. The project will also assess the development of a micro-enterprise model to drive production and marketing of the filters, and ensure the sustainability of the POU BSF system.

Map courtesy of World Tours Safari: http://www.world-tours-safaris.com/map.gif