The program relies on locally-produced and bottled
dilute sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and on culturally-sensitive
behavior change materials describing safe water
storage and improved hygiene practices in the Indonesian
language. In early 2004, soon after the program
began, a typhoon spawned catastrophic flooding in
West Timor which contaminated local drinking water
sources and forced the evacuation of thousands of
families. A CARE/CDC team responded immediately
with 30,000 bottles of water treatment solution,
sufficient to meet the needs of households in the
most affected areas.
A rapid evaluation of 300 households in 14 villages
showed that Safe Water System users experienced
56% fewer episodes of diarrhea than non-users. A
follow-up evaluation 6 months later demonstrated
utilization rates of 60-94% and a greater than 70%
reduction in diarrheal disease risk. This dramatic
success laid the foundation for CARE's vigorous
response to the December 2004 tsunami.
Immediately after the tsunami, CARE mobilized teams
and supplies; within the first week, 20,000 bottles
of water treatment solution were distributed to
affected populations. Because of existing in-country
capacity to scale-up the response, CARE is now on
schedule to provide 200,000 bottles per month to
the affected populations in Aceh, Indonesia.
Project
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