Miss V. lives in a remote village in Thateng district, Sekong province. She says, “Before, my family was in poor health, but now that I have latrines and a water filter, my family is healthier and leads a much more practical life”. Unfortunately, many people in Laos are less fortunate than Ms. V. A recent study found that 89 percent of rural households drink water contaminated with E. coli bacteria, which can cause serious outbreaks of diarrhea and other serious infections (UNDP Laos Progress Report 2018), and that only 48 percent use improved sanitation facilities.
The TerraCare project was born to help solve these problems. TerraClear, a local social enterprise producing and selling water filters, and SFE will join forces to provide clean drinking water and promote the construction and use of latrines to 10,000 of the most vulnerable families in southern Laos. The project will build on TerraClear’s normal activity: visiting villages and selling their water filters, offering a 6-month payment plan that allows the company to ensure that the filter is actually used by the family. A project team will precede the sales team and provide vouchers to the poorest families in the community. These people will then be able to participate in the sale and buy a (subsidized) filter with their entire community, a very good way to give them dignity and a sense of worth! Collecting money over 6 months will be an opportunity to build a relationship with the family and to teach them the dangers of open defecation, unsafe water consumption and lack of hygiene.
Strengthening the development project management capacities of the local partner TerraClear | |
Provide access to drinking water to the poorest by distributing subsidized filters and providing training in filter maintenance. | |
Reduce the risks of infection related to the consumption of non-potable water | |
Improve villagers’ knowledge of hygiene, primary health care (use of latrines, hand washing) |
TerraClear, a local company with a social purpose specialized in the manufacture and distribution of water filters.
This project is supported in France by these two local public agencies : Agence de l’eau Rhône Méditerranée Corse and Région Bourgogne Franche-Comté