When Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) engineer Kevin Andrezejewski arrived at Likangala Health Center in Malawi, he heard stories about how the clinic would often go days without any water.
“It is incomprehensible that the nurses, midwives and other medical professionals at these centers do not have access to clean water,” Kevin said. “Without clean water, providing sterile life-saving services is nearly impossible.”
The Need for WASH
The World Health Organization (WHO) cites the absence of water, toilets, soap and waste management in health care facilities among the most urgent global health challenges in the coming decade.
EWB-USA was the first organization to commit to the UN Secretary General’s call to action to provide Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in all health care facilities, because we know that clean water can be the difference between life and death.
Since 2017, EWB-USA has partnered with the Malawi-focused NGO Freshwater Project International (FPI) in assessing and repairing water systems at seven rural health centers, collectively serving 230,000 community members.
Inconsistent and Contaminated Water
“While the clinics we are working with in Malawi had functioning water systems at one time, they have broken down or are in need of repair,” Kevin said. He is the program manager for the FPI and EWB-USA projects. “Breaks or leakage can cause inconsistency of water supply or contamination. Corroded pipes are often blocked, preventing access to clean running water in some cases for many years.”
The current infectious outbreak of COVID-19 provides a real-time example of the importance of clean water at Health Care Facilities and its role in providing an essential first line of defense against disease.
“When healthcare facilities do not have access to adequate water and sanitation services, they risk becoming places for infection as opposed to places for healing, jeopardizing the health of both the medical staff and patients,” said Cathy Leslie, EWB-USA’s chief executive officer.
At Likangala Health Center in Malawi, Kevin helped install a new solar water pump and repiped the entire water system. Thanks to the partnership between EWB-USA and FPI, there are now tap stands and functioning sinks throughout the main clinic and maternity ward.
Success and More Work Ahead
Together with FPI, EWB-USA also completed a comprehensive technical water system upgrade. It included replacing the aging galvanized water distribution systems with reliable, easy to repair HDPE pipes and switching out broken pumps, storage tanks, sinks and taps. We’re also installing control valves at each connection in order to provide better maintenance solutions.
To ensure the clinics have a clean and dependable water supply, we assessed over 25 health care sites, worked on designs at 12 clinics, and are in the process of completing retrofits at 7 clinics. We also trained system operator to maintain these sites for years to come. With each of these clinics serving a population of 30,000-40,000 people, we’re having a considerable impact.
Our future project plans include continuing to support the clinics we’ve assisted and assessing and retrofitting an additional six to ten sites. Through this work, we’re equipping WASH professionals with the power of clean water.
Read more about our work supporting midwives and nurses in Sub-Saharan Africa here: https://www.ewb-usa.org/reliable-water-safer-births-advancing-maternal-health-in-east-africa/