The Five Masons in Our Rain, Forests and People Project, Loul Ndoundour, Senegal (Marine Protte-Rigg, 20.05.2020). The stories in this newsletter tell how rainwater harvesting helps safeguard people’s health, farmers’ livelihoods and biodiverse, biotic communities. In the face of environmental hazards, including floods, drought, waterborne diseases and the COVID-19, rainwater harvesting cultivates community resilience.
The World Health Organization names ‘community engagement’ as the second pillar of COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Planning.
The dedication and commitment of IRHA staff and our collaborators fuels our newsletters' content. So too does the trust of our donors.
We are conviced that planting rain should do a world of good. Accordingly, we have been frugal in our admin costs in 2019, directing 17 CHF of every 20 CHF donation into rainwater-focused sustainable development projects.
The quality of our recent projects has been recognised by the Federation Genevoise de Cooperation (FGC). Becoming members of this organisation allows us to develop more ambitious projects; thus, advancing the FGC’s vision that development should further goals of justice, and respect for human dignity and the environment. Daya Laxmi Chhwaju Laxmi Liquid Soap, Kathmandu, a micro-enterprise initiated by IRHA in collaboration with Guthi (Guthi, 18.05.2020). Rain-Silience Beyond COVID-19 in the Nepali Mid-Hills
As IRHA secretariat staff soap our hands, we picture communities in the Nepali Mid-Hills, where IRHA Blue Schools are situated. With their rainwater-sourced sanitation facilities, these institutions are currently being used to isolate people suffering from COVID-19 symptoms. When lockdown eases in Nepal, hand soap, made by a sister project in Kathmandu, will hopefully reach these schools, ensuring appropriate hygiene protocols continue to safeguard people’s health.
Our recent monitoring of the rainwater-fed, decentralised WASH infrastructure in Mid-Hills’ Blue Schools, built in collaboration with Kanchan Nepal, is now available on our website. This Looking Back Report assesses nine schools’ impact on local communities’ access to drinking water, and reviews how this infrastructure has been maintained in the decade after its installation. > Read more An APAF-Senegal Nursery (Marine Protte-Rigg, 18.03.2020). |