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Improved physical development

20th of December 2011 – Monika Tobler

The prestigious Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, which has been investigating the SODIS method for many years, has recently presented its latest results. Scientists examined the impact of SODIS training courses on the health of Kenyan children aged between 6 months and 5 years. They also considered for the first time the growth of children. The study revealed that children consuming exclusively SODIS-treated drinking water were not only less affected by diarrhoea, but also physically more developed than children of a control group who drank untreated water. The results obtained confirm the long-term positive impact of SODIS projects on children’s health.

SODIS - Scientific publications >>

Article - Randomized Intervention Study of Solar Disinfection of Drinking Water in the Prevention of Dysentery in Kenyan Children Aged under 5 Years >>

 

Protection against diarrhea after environmental disaster in Nicaragua

1st of November 2011 – Matthias Saladin

More than 150 000 people along the Atlantic coast have been trained in the last two years in water treatment and improved hygiene. Even after the frequent tropical cyclones in this region, the inhabitants were able to protect themselves from diarrhoea and other diseases.

 

New project in the western part of Nepal

21st of September 2011 – Regula Meierhofer

In Nepal, a SODIS/Eawag and USAID-supported three-year project has recently been initiated in the Surkhet district. The aim of the project is to improve the sanitary and hygienic conditions in the project area and to promote different drinking water treatment methods.

 

Water kiosks for Kenya

6th of September 2011 – Regula Meierhofer

In the Kibera slum in Nairobi, our local partner organization is setting up water kiosks for women groups. These will advise their neighbours on drinking water treatment and hygiene issues and sell them products for drinking water treatment and hygiene. In the slums of Nyalenda and Manyatta in West Kenya, the inhabitants are being trained in SODIS use and improved hygiene. There, the project focus mainly on training in schools.

 

Positive health impact in Ecuador

26th of July 2011 – Matthias Saladin

The annual statistics of Ecuador now clearly reveal the positive impacts of the SODIS project jointly implemented with the Ministry of Health: the levels of diarrhoea in the project areas are decreasing, whereas the country average reveals an annual increase since 2001. The Ministry is interested in continuing the activities.

 

Collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Senegal

12th of July 2011 – Valérie Cavin

Thanks to the unrelenting advocacy work of our partner-NGO EVE, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Ministry of Health last year. This further consolidated the collaboration with the Ministry of Health. After government-conducted water tests, which reconfirmed the efficiency of solar water disinfection, the Senegalese authorities now officially recommend the SODIS method. In the Tambacounda region, signing of the memorandum of understanding paved the way to a joint SODIS project with the Ministry of Health.

 

SODIS partner workshop in New Delhi

11th of April 2011 – Samuel Luzi

Partner organisations from SODIS project areas in Asia (Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam) met in a workshop in New Delhi on 31 March to 2 April 2011. Focus of the meeting was the exchange of experience with the dissemination of low-cost drinking water treatment methods at household level (particularly SODIS) and improved hygiene practices. The participants developed jointly new strategies for integrated promotion of different technologies and institutionalisation of these approaches in government health and drinking water programmes.

 

Chilled SODIS water – a business idea of Madeleine Djike

28th of February 2011 – Valérie Cavin

Mrs Djike lives with her family in the Song-Mahop slum in Cameroon. She has been selling chilled water to neighbours and travellers for many years. In 2008, a SODIS campaign was conducted in her neighbourhood. A promoter also visited her home and explained the use of the method. Mrs Djike hesitated at first. Considering the poor water quality in her slum, the method appeared to be too easy to work. After placing PET bottles on her roof and testing the method herself, she became an active user of SODIS method. Since then, her family is drinking clean water and suffers far less from diarrhoeal diseases.

After her positive experience with the method, she also decided to offer her customers chilled SODIS water. The good quality of her water got around quickly in the neighbourhood. Today, she proudly says: "With the SODIS method, I already treat more than 40 bottles of water every day, which I chill and sell the next day. Thanks to the good water quality, I have acquired many new customers". Since Mrs Djike also shows her customers how to use the SODIS method at home, she makes a significant contribution towards improving the living conditions in her neighbourhood.

Further information on the Cameroon project>>

 

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