Ecological Sanitation: A Challenge

[ecosanchallenge]

So far, we've foreseen 3 major challenges, 4 additional instances still pending. 

Let's focus on the future.

We need a fourth member for our project. Now that we have zoned in on behavioral change, we are going to need a microbiologist to test latrine efficacy. Back on the hunt. The fact that we've defined our last area of expertise that is needed for our mission is really exciting. 

[velence]

Water and sanitation are a human right! Sign now!

http://www.right2water.eu/ (via velence)

[ecosanchallenge]

more edits: egad!

Our proposal could go in two routes right now with regards to evaluation - the infectious disease route or the social behavioral route. We have decided on the latter - pre/post surveys, workshops, education all directed towards behavior change and acceptance of an ecological sanitation model in an island country.

Nonetheless, we will still need a biological method of testing the effectiveness of our model [just to male sure it works].

I am scheming up ideas for community workshops (which are inevitably variable since we aren’t in our community yet) and getting really excited.

[ecosanchallenge]

It is imperative that we distinguish between our goals and the tools that we will use to achieve these goals. Technology, art, media--these are just platforms to transmit our ideas, our mission. But without specific and measurable goals, we will be without direction--a fate that no snazzy video or fluffy press release will mask. 

[ecosanchallenge]

Finding an apartment in St. Lucia is proving to be difficult. 

[ecosanchallenge]

It's true that we know less than 1% about our topic. There is an abundance (to say the very least) of literature on sanitation and sustainability, while it is impossible to even get your hands on a fraction of them. 

College of Public Health (COPH) has been incredibly useful thus far, specifically through the guidance from our faculty, who have already done amazing work in this area. We are using most of Dr. Izurieta's papers to help develop our model. He did work in El Salvador (where the soil type is quite different from St. Lucia), but many of the concepts in terms of the composting protocol overlap. 

I should be studying for biostatistics! 

[ecosanchallenge]

Studying for biostats while Krystal works on the proposal since we were granted an EXTENDED DEADLINE! Hey ain't life wonderful now? (even though it was only a 9 hour extension...:-|)

[ecosanchallenge]

cold water,

and I have only stuck my toes in.

We are so close to having completed the updated proposal. If we can finish it by tomorrow, we can apply for the $500 grant (a decent addition to the $5000 we were already awarded). 

Regardless, we are meeting with the Minister of Health from St. Lucia this week and it will be imperative to have a hard copy in front of her. Of course we are  spending a bulk of our time and energy on the text even though I am anticipating that she will obtain our proposal only to be flipping the pages seconds later to get to the illustrated model of our design. 

The value in the methodologies are supposed to be most apparent at the end of your project. I suppose no one is really going to check me but myself (and Krystal, challenge grant team member and personal mentor to ME), and it would suck if it all came crashing down because I could not hold myself accountable.

That being said, motivated by fear on this dark night, I am jumping back into writing, referencing, rewriting, consolidating, and and rewriting again. 

Also, I am aware that I have yet to explain the context of my thoughts. This is all coming soon. 

[ecosanchallenge]

the most recent resource on sanitation facilities and utilization in St. Lucia. goldmine (or too good to be true?).

http://www.wssinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/resources/LCA_san.pdf

the paper outlines trends of rural v. urban sanitation behaviors since 1990: you see that both urban and rural areas have had improved sanitation facilities over time. But if you look closely, in urban environments, in the last 20 years, you see a decrease in individuals using “other unimproved facilities” which may fool you at first, because when you look at the column for open defecation, you see that these rates are actually increasing in urban areas of St. Lucia. In contrast (and in their favor), rural environments see a decrease in both groups using unimproved systems or open defecation, and we also observe that many of these individuals were now using improved sanitation sources. This is good news, but we cannot overlook the fact that urban sanitation right next door is reverting back to its most primitive, and deadliest, forms.

I am not sure where we will be working just yet, but this information will definitely guide our social marketing initiatives.

[lostforaurl]

Visit Original Link

[ecosanchallenge]

grant writing music