Daniel Abbott

Song and dance after meeting with the CBO, UPENDO – a widows’ group

I had the opportunity to work in Homabay, Kenya with the Safe Water Team of CARE Kenya to evaluate the uptake of the Safe Water System (SWS) in 5 communities in Nyanza Province. This study was a follow-up to work done in 2003 by another RSPH student. The SWS is a method of improving water quality and includes home chlorination of water using hypochlorite solution, safe storage of water in the home, and behavior change techniques. CARE has been working in the area for several years to promote the SWS. The SWS has been implemented through three strategies: CARE has promoted it directly, CARE has partnered with local community based organizations (CBO) who then promote the intervention, and the intervention has been implemented through a commercial model, recently undertaken by Population Services International (PSI). I spent 10 weeks working with the CARE staff to determine the use of home chlorination in the communities and to evaluate the relative success of the 3 implementation models.

To estimate the uptake, 529 household surveys were done in the study area. The surveys were conducted in the local language (Luo) by enumerators after a five-day training in Homabay. The surveys asked questions regarding knowledge, practices, and attitudes towards drinking water handling, treatment, and use, as well as about diarrhea. Water tests were done to measure levels of free chlorine in the drinking water. The survey also included questions about household assets to allow for analysis of uptake by socioeconomic groups. This will help identify whether or not this intervention is reaching the poorest members of the community. At the end of the summer, I gave an initial report to CARE, PSI, CBOs and other interested parties on the initial findings. Gaps in coverage and barriers to SWS uptake were identified and discussed. Specific recommendations were made to overcome gaps. Further analysis is underway and I will use the data collected for my thesis. All findings will be reported back to CARE to improve the success of their interventions in Kenya.

I had a wonderful experience working in Homabay, and learned a lot about doing research in the field. My responsibilities included survey design, enumerator training, data collection and data analysis. The CARE team members were incredibly welcoming, dedicated, and supportive. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with them. Thank you to the GFE for making it possible for me to do my practicum in Kenya.