Aquaya

#JobAlert: We are hiring a Senior Research Manager to lead ongoing research programs. The role is preferably based either in Uganda, Ghana, or Kenya and requires the ability to travel across Africa. Learn more:https://ow.ly/Wc0m50SBLZc #nonprofitjobs #Hiring #Vacancy #SeniorResearchManager

Gender inequality, discriminatory social norms, cultural taboos, poverty, and lack of basic services often cause girls' and women's menstrual health and hygiene needs to go unmet. Be Girl's latest initiative under the #EnWASH activity in #Ghana is a menstrual hygiene management radio novella that has been airing since May and will end in August 2024. This series aims to educate, engage, and empower communities through compelling storytelling centered around critical themes on menstruation, including “Teaching and Learning About Puberty in Schools,” “Male Involvement in Menstruation,” and “Demystification of Menstruation-Related Taboos.” Tune in to the radio channels listed below in the morning (8 AM to 10 AM GMT+0) and evening (3 PM to 6 PM) to participate in meaningful conversations and positive change. • Filla FM • Somuah FM • Bederen FM • Nobya FM • Pad FM • Yagbon Radio • Radio Waa • Radio Progress • Quality FM • Dreams Fm • KE FM • Oti Radio 🎧 The first episode of this series. USAID | USAID Global Waters | Global Communities | Be Girl | Global Communities - Ghana

As of 2020, only 13% of households in rural sub-Saharan Africa had access to safely managed water, accessible on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination. Ensuring water safety requires regular monitoring to identify health risks, such as fecal pathogens that cause diarrheal disease. Despite the potential for better water quality monitoring in #rural African water systems, the question of determining the most cost-efficient method for microbial testing remains unanswered. Aquaya compared four approaches to water quality monitoring that represent different levels of centralization. Each diagram (below) illustrates what sample collection might look like on a given day, as shown by the arrows and changing locations of the mobile laboratory. Learn more: https://ow.ly/spHU50Szmcl USAID | USAID Global Waters | Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

🇺🇬 How Do We Enhance Water Safety in Uganda? Progress: The #AssuranceFund’s successful implementation in Ghana prompted the #REALWater team to extend research assessments of its viability to Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. The challenge: Finding qualified labs for water testing in rural areas. Ideally, labs should be within a 2-hour drive to ensure same-day sample delivery. However, in Eastern Uganda, the closest options are either the National lab in Kampala (6-7 hours away) or government labs in Mbale (still 5-6 hours). These long distances make testing costly and could compromise water sample quality. The solution: The REAL-Water team partnered with the National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Uganda’s urban water utility, and visited the proposed project area to understand better what would be required to offer testing from a nearby lab. Learn how: https://ow.ly/93Mr50Sye9e 📷 A team from REAL-Water and the National Water & Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) conduct a field visit to the Eastern Districts of Luuka, Iganga, and Buikwe in Uganda to ascertain their distance and accessibility for the testing. One of the water systems demonstrates how it currently test chlorine levels onsite. USAID Global Waters | Conrad N. Hilton Foundation | The Helmsley Charitable Trust | Water Mission

Aquaya's work delivers critical insights, data, and tools to support informed policy, program, and financing decisions. #PolloftheWeek: #AquayaAsks:

The USAID Global Water Strategy Action Research Initiative is leveraging evidence and learning from #Ghana to identify high-impact opportunities to enhance water quality in #Uganda. With Aquaya and Hilton Grand Vacations Foundation, USAID is researching the Water Quality Assurance Fund’s feasibility in Uganda after encouraging uptake in Ghana. The Fund offers a financial mechanism whereby dispersed rural water systems can receive reliable, professional water quality testing services on a regular basis. A few lessons learned: - While outsourcing water quality testing to professional laboratories is preferred for rural water systems that do not have the technical capacity to conduct monitoring onsite, the costs of sample collection and transportation by a central lab may be prohibitive for water systems located very far away. Remote locations may require a mobile laboratory instead. - Expanding water safety innovations from one country to another can reveal new bottlenecks and require context-specific adaptations. For example, moving forward with the Assurance Fund model will require adaptations to the sampling protocol or providing the water systems with subsidies that reduce costs. https://lnkd.in/eb6kv9JQ

🇰🇪 In Kenya, REAL-Water’s activities focus on water safety management. The team is evaluating a financial mechanism to promote water quality testing in rural areas− the Water Quality Assurance Fund. 🥼 This approach allows rural water supply systems to outsource water quality testing to professional #urban laboratories. Rural water operators also receive guidance on interpreting test results and taking corrective measures to protect water safety. 📷 Water operators from Kericho Water & Sanitation Company Ltd(KEWASCO) discuss test results at a debrief meeting in Kericho County. These results are from water samples collected and tested from different water points in the country. #REALWater | USAID Global Waters | Conrad N. Hilton Foundation | The Helmsley Charitable Trust | Water Mission

A baseline study in Ghana revealed that most healthcare facilities lack sufficient WASH infrastructure, such as inadequate water supply on premises, inefficient or poorly kept latrines for clients and staff, and insufficient hand hygiene stations. Some interventions have been introduced under the WASH for Healthcare Facilities program, including providing personal protective equipment, distributing WASH-IPC posters to over 450 healthcare facilities, and constructing water systems in hospitals and Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) healthcare facilities. ⏰ On 10th July, at 3 PM GMT/10 AM EST, a sixth session of the Enhancing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (EN-WASH) webinar series will be held. In this session, Global Communities will present on 'WASH IPC in health care facilities: the realities in Northern Ghana.' This webinar will highlight the program's achievements, discuss the challenges encountered, and share some valuable lessons learned. 🗓️ Don't miss out! Register now to secure your spot: https://ow.ly/j5BX50SvyPz #EnWASH | USAID | USAID Global Waters | Safe Water Network | Water4 | Deloitte | WaterAid | Total Family Health Organisation | Global Communities - Ghana

Aquaya surveyed 234 households and tested water quality at 203 water points (137 in Communities, 46 in schools, and 20 in healthcare facilities) in Wassa East District, Ghana. ✅ Water samples from improved sources were less likely to have microbial contamination compared to those from unimproved sources. ✅ Most piped water samples did not have adequate chlorine levels. ✅ Wealthier households had safer drinking water because they were more likely to consume packaged water. Learn more: https://ow.ly/Qg6u50SuoKt Conrad N. Hilton Foundation | #WaterTRACS | #WaterQuality | #Testing | #Research

Water quality testing is critical for ensuring public health. However, in many cases, water suppliers do not test as often as rules require. Efforts to improve local monitoring usually focus on only one or a few parts of complex systems, such as developing technology, upgrading laboratories, training personnel, using new applications, or reforming regulations. Aquaya tested incentives to improve monitoring and created the Water Capacity Rating Diagnostic (WaterCaRD) tool for a more holistic capacity-building approach. #WaterCaRD was designed to evaluate institutional strengths and weaknesses. It provides a framework for scoring the five critical components of monitoring programs: ✍️ Accountability 👥 Staffing 📊 Program Structure 🏦 Financial 🗜️ Equipment/Infrastructure. Learn more: https://ow.ly/oeUs50SumoQ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | World Health Organization | International Water Association | African Water and Sanitation Association _ Association Africaine de l'Eau et de l'Assainissement