Our Swiss NGO promotes rainwater as a sustainable resource, developing hydro-wisdom in a changing climate.

March-May 2020: 'Rain-Silience' Beyond COVID-19

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).

Rain-Silience during COVID-19 in Senegal

As Senegal went into ‘lockdown’ at the start of Ramadan, Mansour Ndiaye, executive director of APAF-Senegal, and Marine Protte-Rigg, our head of programmes in Senegal, shared their fears and good news regarding our joint projects:

Community information sessions about our Rain, Forests and People and Of Earth and Soil projects were held in 13 target villages for 2020, prior to COVID-19 making such gatherings unsafe.

Wearing masks, our team of 5 skillful, Senegalese masons have built 67 of the 70 rainwater tanks planned as part of the Rain, Forests and People project. Having a ‘calabash’ or domestic water reservoir is invaluable, with hand washing vital in preventing the spread illnesses including COVID-19. In twenty-member farming households, located far from health care provision, a decentralised water supply ensures appropriate hygiene protocols are implemented as the pandemic continues.

Many challenges remain for the farmers and local NGO staff participating in our agroforestry projects. The potential to safeguard and improve livelihoods and ecosystems through these initiatives is huge. But tasks, including successfully growing 20,000 saplings in nurseries and planting them out in agroforestry islands, pose considerable challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. > Read more

Rain-Silience beyond COVID-19 in Senegal

Once international travel is possible again, we look forward to welcoming Laura Vincini, of the Florence University’s Water Harvesting Lab, in the field in Senegal.

Laura will assist us in siting low-tech, water harvesting structures in our project areas using an environmental engineering’ approach. 

> Read more

Communities of Rain-Silience

During confinement in Europe, we used Twitter (@IRHA_H2O) to inspire people to ‘cook up some atmosphere at home’. We invited them to donate savings made by self-catering and partying at home to a grassroots NGO whose projects improve people’s hygiene practices.

As well as cooking up our own homemade pigeon pea cutlets, dahl and naan bread, we showcased two organisations whose initiatives during COVID-19 inspire IRHA; namely, WOTR India and the Caribbean branch of Global Water Partnership.

 Publications

IN THE HYDRO-SPHERE

Staff from IRHA and our partner NGOs are learning from the Water Harvesting Lab, by following their online course on Water Harvesting for Microclimate Management. The goal of ‘planting rain for common good’ motivates our continuous learning. If you are curious to know more about the subject, this abstract by Castelli et al. is a good place to start. It traces feedbacks between landscape restoration and water harvesting in arid areas, to reduce runoff losses and increase soil moisture.

Forthcoming Conferences

The American, National Rainwater Harvesting Association ARCSA have launched the call for proposal for their 2020 Annual Conference and Expo, Global Impacts of Rainwater Harvesting in Urban Settings, to be held in San Antonio, Texas. Abstract to be sent by 15 June 2020.

Funding Opportunities

Selavip are currently offering small grants to meet the housing and sanitation needs of urban families in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Funds are available (on a per unit basis) for drinking water systems and toilets.  Applications by June 30, 2020.

 

Wishing you Good Health in Summer 2020

 

 

International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

IEH 2, Ch. de Balexert 9, 1219, Châtelaine - Genève

Tel +41 22 797 41 57 secretariat@irha-h2o.org