Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Country statistics Population: 12 mio. People without access to safe drinking water: 3 mio. rumbling infrastructures and rampant cholera Child mortality: 9% Source: United Nations Statistics Division Project Project start 2007 Education by promoters Scientific evaluation of educational strategies by sociopsychologists 100'000 users

The SODIS project was begun in the slums of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, in 2007. It is a part of a sociopsychological research project by Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Sciences and Technology. While they were training the population, the sociopsychologists tested the effects of different intervention strategies on the acceptance of the method by the people. Because of this research, we now know what the quickest and best way to promote the SODIS method is, so that in future even more people can benefit from it.

About 100,000 people in Zimbabwe are already using the SODIS method to treat their drinking water. Many users say that the SODIS method has become a habit for them and is making them healthier.

The research project will be finishing soon, but work to spread knowledge about the SODIS method will continue. The need of the people of Zimbabwe to treat their water is greater than in any other country in Africa. The situation was recently made even worse by fresh cholera outbreaks. In the next few years, we therefore plan to redouble our efforts and increase the number of users by a great deal.

The political situation in Zambabwe and its effect on the health of the population

Research project: implementation and results

Local partner organisation

<< back