EVALUATING
THE
EFFECTIVENESS
OF
THE
CHLORINE
BANK
PROGRAM
FOR
SUSTAINABLE
WATER
DISINFECTION
IN
RURAL
HONDURAS
Prepared
for
the
New
Forests
Project
by
Carolina
Fritz,
Michael
Heller,
Jihei
Song
&
Dayna
Wolter
George
Washington
University
International
Development
Studies
Capstone
May
7,
2010
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
I.
OBJECTIVES
&
METHODOLOGY ........................................................................4
I.1.
OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................................................................4
I.2.
METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................................................................4
II.
BACKGROUND ................................................................................................5
II.1.
WATER
SYSTEMS
AND
CHLORINE
USE:
UNDERSTANDING
THE
DIALOGUE............................................................................6
II.2.
WATER
AND
POLITICS:
LEGAL
REFORMS
AND
THE
NEW
FRAMEWORK
LAW .........................................................................7
III.
FINDINGS
AND
DISCUSSION.........................................................................12
IV.
CASE
STUDIES:
COMMUNITY
TYPOLOGY
IN
RURAL
HONDURAS...................16
LAS
TRANQUITAS,
LA
PAZ:
ADEQUATE
RESOURCES
AND
MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................17
PIEDRAS
BLANCAS,
VALLE:
POOR
RESOURCES,
POOR
MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................18
LA
LLAVE,
VALLE:
POOR
RESOURCES,
GOOD
MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................18
V.
CHALLENGES ................................................................................................20
V.1.
COMMUNITY‐LEVEL
ISSUES .....................................................................................................................................20
V.2.
ORGANIZATIONAL
LEVEL
ISSUES
FOR
AHJASA............................................................................................................21
V.3.
NATIONAL‐LEVEL/STRUCTURAL
ISSUES ......................................................................................................................21
VI.
RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................22
VII.
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................25
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................26
APPENDICES .....................................................................................................28
APPENDIX
A—FIELDWORK
SITE
VISITS .............................................................................................................................28
APPENDIX
B—LIST
OF
INTERVIEWEES
AND
COMMUNITIES ...................................................................................................29
APPENDIX
C—INTERVIEW
QUESTIONNAIRES
WITH
TRANSLATIONS .........................................................................................30
APPENDIX
D—SAMPLE
SURVEY ......................................................................................................................................40
APPENDIX
E:
CATEGORIES
OF
WATER
SYSTEMS
IN
HONDURAS ..............................................................................................46
APPENDIX
F.
NON‐CHLORINE‐BASED
DISINFECTION
METHODS
FOR
HOUSEHOLDS ...................................................................46
APPENDIX
F.
WHO'S
CLASSIFIED
WATER
SOURCE
TYPES
AND
DESCRIPTIONS ..........................................................................47
ENDNOTES .......................................................................................................48
2
Main
Water
Actors
and
Acronyms
AHJASA
APP
ASCH
CONASA
CRS
ERSAPS
FHIS
IRWA
MOH
NFP
NGO
NRWA
RAS‐HON
SANAA
SIAR
USAID
W&S
Honduran
Association
of
Water
Boards
Agua
Para
el
Pueblo
Save
the
Children
Honduras
National
Water
and
Sanitation
Council
Catholic
Relief
Services
Potable
Water
and
Sanitation
Regulatory
Agency
Honduran
Social
Fund
International
Rural
Water
Association
Ministry
of
Health
New
Forests
Project
Non‐governmental
organization
National
Rural
Water
Association
National
Network
of
W&S
National
Autonomous
W&S
Service
Sistema
de
Informacion
de
Agua
Rural
United
States
Agency
for
International
Development
Water
and
Sanitation
3
I.
Objectives
&
Methodology
I.1.
Objectives
The
aim
of
this
study
was
to
evaluate
the
effectiveness
of
Chlorine
Bank
programs
managed
by
the
Association
for
Honduran
Water
Boards
(AHJASA)
in
creating
a
sustainable
market
for
the
provision
of
low‐cost
water
disinfection
products
and
services
to
rural
Honduran
communities,
and
to
offer
recommendations
for
how
AHJASA’s
work
can
be
improved.
In
order
to
accomplish
this,
it
is
necessary
to
understand
both
the
micro‐level
operations
as
well
as
the
macro
structural
issues
at
play,
including:
1)
local
demand
for
water
treatment
products;
2)
the
capacity
of
local
water
boards
to
effectively
manage
their
water
systems
and
provide
quality
water
to
their
beneficiaries;
3)
the
capacity
of
AHJASA
to
foster
and
meet
the
demand
for
quality
water
and
disinfection
products
and
services;
and
4)
the
overall
sociopolitical
and
economic
context
of
rural
water
systems
in
Honduras
and
the
identified
barriers
to
water
treatment.
The
study
outlines
key
factors
required
for
water
disinfection
to
be
sustainable,
examines
AHJASA’s
overall
success
in
creating
these
conditions,
and
analyzes
some
of
the
core
barriers
and
challenges
the
organization
and,
more
specifically,
its
chlorine
bank
program
face
in
meeting
their
objectives.
The
overarching
goal
is
to
enable
the
New
Forests
Project
(NFP)
to
identify
the
best
ways
to
invest
in
the
development
of
a
sustainable
market
for
disinfection
products
in
rural
Honduras.
I.2.
Methodology
A
team
of
four
graduate
students
conducted
this
study
using
interviews,
field
observation,
and
a
review
of
relevant
literature
and
institutional
documents.
Research
in
the
field
took
place
over
a
ten‐day
period
in
March
2010
in
both
Tegucigalpa
and
nine
different
communities
in
the
departments
of
La
Paz,
Valle,
El
Paraíso,
and
Francisco
Morazán
(see
map,
Appendix
A).
The
team
conducted
over
twenty
formal,
semi‐structured,
and
informal
interviews
with
various
key
stakeholders.
While
in
Tegucigalpa,
the
team
performed
in‐depth
interviews
with
staff
at
the
AHJASA
headquarters,
government
officials
from
water
agencies
CONASA
and
SANAA,
and
civil
society
groups
and
international
development
entities
including
Agua
Para
el
Pueblo,
Center
for
Affordable
Water
and
Sanitation
Technology,
PureWater,
USAID,
Save
the
Children,
and
CARE.
During
the
guided
tour
of
local
communities,
the
team
organized
semi‐structured
interviews
with
local
and
regional
water
board
members,
AHJASA
staff
in
the
Marcala
and
Nacaome
branches,
city
mayors,
and
local
NGOs.
(See
Appendix
B
for
a
list
of
all
interviews
and
communities).
More
informal,
but
relevant,
conversations
were
held
with
a
number
of
community
members
encountered
throughout
the
trip,
which
offered
a
more
robust
understanding
of
the
different
problems
faced.
The
communities
visited
were
selected
by
AHJASA
and
represented
a
mix
of
members,
non‐
members,
successful,
and
struggling
communities
in
diverse
environmental
settings
with
unique
resource
management
challenges.
The
communities
in
La
Paz
and
El
Paraíso,
for
example,
are
in
more
mountainous,
coffee‐producing
zones
and
have
sufficient
water
4
resources,
but
watershed
pollution
resulting
from
coffee
processing
requires
attention.
By
contrast,
the
department
of
Valle
in
the
southernmost
part
of
Honduras
is
relatively
flat,
arid
and
regularly
suffers
severe
drought
during
the
summer
(December
to
June).
Many
of
these
communities
rely
on
more
expensive
pump
systems
for
their
water
and
are
continually
pressed
to
find
new,
increasingly
scarce
groundwater
sources.
Nora
Hernandez,
the
chlorine
bank
administrator,
planned
the
visits
in
advance
and
accompanied
the
team
during
the
guided
tour.
While
this
at
times
may
have
inhibited
some
actors
from
fully
disclosing
problems
or
complaints
and
allowed
them
to
prepare
stock
answers,
she
was
a
necessary
link
for
access
to
the
water
boards
and
other
key
players.
Moreover,
the
team
also
benefited
from
traveling
during
the
summer
months,
after
the
harvest
season,
which
facilitated
good
participation
from
the
water
boards
and
community
actors.
Upon
arriving
to
a
community,
the
team
began
with
semi‐structured
small
group
interviews
with
water
board
members
(usually
including
the
president
and
treasurer),
followed
by
site
visits
to
their
water
systems,
and
on
occasion,
visits
to
the
water
source
and
surrounding
watershed.
Often,
the
community
plumber
would
accompany
the
group
to
explain
the
technical
operation
of
the
system
and
its
chlorinator
and
give
his
perspective
on
any
accomplishments
and
problems
at
hand.
Field
sites
allowed
direct
observation
of
how
well
the
water
systems
were
being
maintained
(e.g.
if
they
were
painted,
if
the
fencing
was
sound)
and
an
opportunity
to
verify
the
training
received
and
commitment
to
providing
quality
water
services.
The
site
visits
also
provided
an
opportunity
to
engage
in
side
conversations
with
water
board
members.
This
was
beneficial
in
overcoming
any
bias
introduced
by
Nora’s
presence
and
to
gain
valuable
insights.
Interviews
were
conducted
in
Spanish,
except
for
a
few
instances
where
NGO
representatives
spoke
fluent
English
(see
Appendix
C
for
the
interview
questions).
Interviews
were
supplemented
with
a
review
of
AHJASA’s
relevant
programmatic
and
financial
documents
as
well
as
extensive
research
in
water,
sanitation,
decentralization,
and
related
literature.
Although
the
team
prepared
a
survey
for
community
members
in
order
to
gather
more
quantitative
data,
the
limited
time
spent
in
each
community
and
available
resources
prevented
its
completion.
However,
the
survey
is
included
in
this
report
and
will
be
provided
to
AHJASA
in
guiding
community
analysis
and
departmental
evaluations
(see
Appendix
D).
II.
Background
Honduras
is
a
vibrant
and
ecologically
diverse
Central
American
country
that
faces
many
challenges
as
it
seeks
to
improve
its
economic
performance
and
the
wellbeing
of
its
population.
The
country
is
home
to
almost
8
million
inhabitants,
over
half
of
which
are
concentrated
in
rural
areas.i
Nearly
60
percent
of
Hondurans
live
below
the
poverty
line,
and
the
country
is
extremely
dependent
on
its
agricultural
exports
and
heavily
exposed
to
the
vagaries
of
the
world
market.
Honduras’
human
development
indicator
of
0.73
currently
gives
it
an
unenviable
ranking
of
112th
in
the
world.ii
Pervasive
income
inequality
and
high
rates
of
un‐
and
under‐
employment
fuel
migration,
especially
to
the
US,
and
remittances
have
become
an
important
source
of
income
for
many
Honduran
families.
The
June
2009
military
coup
d’état
and
ouster
5
of
then‐President
Zelaya
led
to
violent
protests,
international
condemnation,
and
a
severe
contraction
of
the
economy
from
which
the
country
has
yet
to
recover.
Of
particular
concern
is
the
country’s
water
system
as
contaminated
water
sources
are
one
of
the
leading
global
burdens
of
disease.
Water‐borne
diseases
constitute
the
major
cause
of
morbidity
and
mortality
in
Honduras.iii
In
rural
Honduras,
the
child
mortality
rate
under
the
age
of
five
is
over
40
percent,
a
rate
that
is
1.5
times
higher
than
that
of
urban
areas
(30
percent).iv
Of
the
6,000
children
under
five
who
die
annually,
it
is
estimated
that
12.2
percent
are
due
to
diarrheal
diseases.v
In
a
country
that
has
recently
been
ravaged
by
drought,
a
political
coup
d’état,
and
consistently
faces
harsh
economic
conditions,
diarrhea
and
other
water‐borne
illnesses
put
further
stress
on
the
population.
Rural
communities
in
general
have
lower
incomes,
more
emigration,
and
less
consistent
water
resources
than
urban
areas
in
Honduras.
Rural
and
urban
systems
alike
were
hard
hit
in
1998,
when
Hurricane
Mitch
caused
the
destruction
of
1,683
rural
water
systems
leaving
75
percent
of
the
population
without
potable
water.vi
In
the
aftermath
of
Mitch,
the
international
development
community
dispersed
aid
to
Honduras
at
a
rapid
pace
and
many
new
programs
were
quickly
implemented.
Yet
even
now
much
of
Honduras
lacks
adequate
water
and
sanitation
coverage,
especially
in
rural
areas
(70
percent
coverage
for
water
and
49.5
percent
for
sanitation).vii
Only
one‐third
of
rural
communities
with
access
to
water
systems
have
continuous
coverage
and
only
14
percent
regularly
chlorinate.viii
II.1.
Water
Systems
and
Chlorine
Use:
Understanding
the
Dialogue
In
general,
there
are
three
main
ways
of
capturing
ground
or
surface
water
to
distribute
to
communities
via
pipes:
gravity‐fed
systems,
electric
or
manual
pump
systems,
or
a
combined
pumped/gravity‐fed
system.
These
piped
water
systems
can
be
connected
to
individual
households,
or
centrally
located
in
the
form
of
a
public
tap.
Collected
rainwater
can
provide
the
main
or
supplemental
water
supply
to
a
rural
area,
as
water
is
captured
from
tin
roofs
into
tanks
or
in
plastic
bottles
carefully
positioned
among
trees.
Although
only
14
percent
of
rural
water
systems
currently
chlorinate,
there
is
much
documented
evidence
and
many
successful
development
projects
supporting
the
use
of
chlorine
as
a
cheap
and
efficient
disinfectant.
Communities
with
highly
turbid
(cloudy)
water
are
much
more
likely
to
recognize
a
need
for
some
type
of
intervention.
Of
course,
just
because
water
looks
clear
does
not
mean
it
is
disease‐free.
There
are
a
number
of
harmful
organisms
that
thrive
in
water,
including
bacteria
such
as
cholera,
salmonella
and
E.
coli;
viruses
like
Hepatitis
A;
and
the
protozoan
parasites
cryptosporidium
and
giardia.ix
To
help
eliminate
these
contaminants
from
water
supplies,
some
form
of
disinfection
is
necessary.
Moreover,
standing
water,
grey
water
sources
(laundry,
cooking
waste,
human‐influenced
runoff),
garbage,
and
free‐roaming
animals
can
present
possible
sources
of
contamination
for
any
system
and
surface
water,
so
it
is
important
to
maintain
a
clean
surrounding
area
While
the
United
States
uses
a
gaseous
form
of
chlorine
that
is
highly
technical
and
difficult
to
operate,
Honduras
and
other
developing
countries
generally
promote
chlorine
forms
that
are
more
accessible
and
require
less
training
to
use.
However,
regardless
of
the
chosen
product,
6
chlorine
levels
must
always
be
carefully
controlled
so
as
not
to
cause
unwanted
effects
in
odor
or
taste,
or
create
harmful
disinfection
byproducts
produced
when
chlorine
reacts
to
organic
matter,
the
most
common
of
which
are
trihalomethanes
like
chloroform.
Chlorine
is
proven
to
be
a
cheap
and
highly
effective
disinfectant
that
controls
many
viruses
and
bacteria,
but
it
does
not
kill
all
organisms,
such
as
cryptosporidium.
Additionally,
if
chlorine
residual
levels
are
not
maintained
at
effective
levels,
this
treatment
is
of
no
use.x
There
are
two
main
forms
of
chlorine
used
in
water
disinfection
in
Honduras:
calcium
hypochlorite
in
the
form
of
granules
or
tablets
(65
percent
chlorine)
and
sodium
hypochlorite
(also
known
as
liquid
bleach;
consists
of
5‐15
percent
chlorine).
Some
development
organizations
such
as
CARE
are
manufacturing
hypochlorite
onsite
by
breaking
down
salt
water
through
electrolysis.xi
Of
these
types,
calcium
hypochlorite
has
a
longer
shelf
life
and
is
easier
to
store;
however
it
also
leads
to
the
precipitate
effect
mentioned
earlier,
while
liquid
chlorine
does
not.
The
main
benefit
of
manufacturing
chlorine
onsite
is
that
it
costs
25
times
less
than
purchasing
tablets
or
granules,
though
it
has
a
high
initial
cost
and
manufactures
a
weaker
solution
requiring
closer
monitoring
(approximately
0.8
percent).xii
xiii
In
rural
Honduras,
there
are
two
main
types
of
community‐scale
chlorine
disinfection
systems:
drip
chlorinators
and
tablet
chlorinators.
Both
of
these
systems
use
calcium
hypochlorite.
The
main
difference
is
the
drip
system
uses
granules,
which
are
cheaper
to
purchase
than
tablets
and
also
manufactured
domestically.
While
the
drip
system
is
the
most
common
in
rural
Honduras,
the
drawback
is
they
are
prone
to
clogging
and
break
easily,
and
are
difficult
to
repair.
Extra
training
is
usually
needed
for
these
systems
to
avoid
the
precipitate
build‐up
problem.xiv
Tablet
chlorinators,
on
the
other
hand,
are
essentially
long
tubes
that
hold
chlorine
as
it
is
dispensed
automatically
into
a
water
supply.
They
do
not
require
electricity,
and
only
dispense
chlorine
automatically
when
water
is
flowing
from
the
source,
thus
they
are
deemed
optimal
for
many
areas
in
Honduras
where
water
does
not
flow
regularly
(especially
in
the
dry
season
or
in
the
current
drought).
They
have
proven
to
be
effective
in
hand‐pump
systems
as
well
as
gravity‐fed
ones,
and
technicians
only
need
to
check
the
tank
weekly
rather
than
daily,
as
compared
to
the
drip
systems.
The
down
side
is
that
tablet
chlorinator
devices
are
both
more
expensive
to
install
and
refill.xv
Chlorine’s
main
benefit
is
its
functionality
at
the
source
as
well
as
at
the
household
level.
The
long‐term
risk
of
bladder
cancer
associated
with
lifetime
chlorine
use
pales
in
comparison
to
the
risk
of
death
due
to
diarrhea.
Ultimately,
it
is
important
that
AHJASA
and
other
actors
in
the
W&S
sectors
collaborate
closely
with
development
organizations
and
engineers
to
keep
up
with
the
latest
technologies
and
training
methods
to
ensure
safety
standards
are
met
if
chlorine
is
the
chosen
treatment
intervention.
II.2.
Water
and
Politics:
Legal
Reforms
and
the
New
Framework
Law
The
2003
Framework
Law
for
Drinking
Water
and
Sanitation
Sector
(Ley
Marco)
mandated
that
the
national
governmental
water
and
sanitation
bureaucracy
(SANAA)
undergo
a
process
of
decentralization
in
order
to
improve
the
management
of
water
systems.
The
law
placed
responsibility
for
management
with
municipalities,
and
SANAA
was
to
become
a
technical
secretary
to
a
new
governing
body,
CONASA,
and
a
new
regulatory
entity,
ERSAPS.xvi
CONASA
7
was
to
take
on
the
role
of
administrative
management
and
head
planning,
policy‐making,
setting
standards
and
funding
research
in
the
W&S
sector.
This
law
ultimately
sought
to
improve
service
efficiency,
coverage,
operation
and
maintenance
of
the
sector
by
enabling
municipalities
to
make
the
best
decisions
for
communities
within
their
jurisdiction.xvii
While
this
decentralization
process
was
to
be
completed
by
2008,
it
has
yet
to
be
fully
implemented.
One
of
the
main
reasons
for
this
delay
in
service
transfer
is
that
most
municipalities
lack
the
technical,
financial
or
economic
capacity
to
manage
their
own
systems,
and
the
central
government
is
not
providing
funding
or
training
for
this.xviii
In
addition,
there
was
no
direct
governmental
decree
to
transfer
administrative
power
to
alternate
governing
bodies
and
SANAA
has
not
wanted
to
voluntarily
give
up
this
responsibility.
CONASA
only
recently
received
its
own
office
space
in
2010,
and
SANAA
still
holds
substantial
political
and
institutional
power.xix
There
is
also
great
disjunction
between
SANAA,
CONASA,
the
Ministry
of
Health
(MOH)
and
other
governmental
bodies
that
are
in
charge
of
the
W&S
sectors,
creating
serious
problems
in
central
support
for
and
administration
of
services.xx
Responsibilities
are
particularly
unclear
between
MOH
and
SANAA,
making
it
difficult
for
lower‐level
administrations
to
work
in
an
efficient
manner.
In
rural
areas,
the
law
supported
the
formation
of
community
water
boards
(juntas
de
agua)
as
legal
authorities
that
could
independently
manage
their
local
water
systems.
This
law
was
followed
by
the
2006
Regulation
of
Water
Boards,
which
created
norms
and
guidelines
regulating
the
formation
and
duties
of
the
water
boards.
Though
community
water
boards
existed
since
the
1990s,
these
laws
granted
them
the
opportunity
for
legal
recognition,
official
authority,
and
ownership
over
the
water
systems.
Currently,
there
are
over
5,000
rural
water
systems,
but
only
a
fraction
of
which
have
organized
water
boards.
Water
boards
should
consist
of
5
to
7
community
members
who
serve
in
their
elected
positions
for
two‐year
terms.xxi
Water
boards
usually
consist
of
a
president,
vice‐president,
treasurer,
fiscal
officer,
two
speakers,
and/or
alternates.
While
historically
these
positions
have
been
male‐dominated,
women
are
increasingly
taking
leadership
roles,
and
many
NGOs
are
helping
promote
gender
equity.
Women
are
especially
important
as
community
decision‐makers
because
they
are
often
responsible
for
health
decisions
at
the
family
level
and
are
in
charge
of
raising
children.
One
of
the
key
roles
of
the
board
is
in
calculating
community
water
tariffs
and
collecting
these
tariffs
for
system
operation,
maintenance,
and
eventually,
replacement.
II.3.
Honduran
Association
of
Water
Boards
(AHJASA)
The
Honduran
Association
of
Water
Boards
(AHJASA)
is
a
non‐profit
non‐governmental
organization
(NGO)
that
provides
educational
and
technical
support
services
to
local
water
boards
for
the
sustainable
management
of
their
water
systems.
AHJASA
also
provides
low‐cost
legal
and
administrative
assistance
to
water
boards
seeking
to
gain
official
legal
recognition,
which
is
important
for
receiving
funding
support.
The
organization
was
founded
in
1990
as
a
result
of
a
partnership
between
the
International
Rural
Water
Association
(IRWA)
and
Agua
Para
el
Pueblo
(APP),
a
local
Honduran
NGO.
It
was
initially
formed
by
17
communities
who
decided
to
organize
as
an
association,
but
has
since
grown
to
a
membership
of
over
800
communities
in
eleven
of
eighteen
departments
(Atlántida,
Colon,
Francisco
Morazán,
La
Paz,
Olancho,
Yoro,
Santa
Barbara,
El
Paraiso,
Valle,
Choluteca,
and
Intibucá)
in
2009.xxii
8
AHJASA’s
central
mission
is
to
empower
water
board
members
and
communities
to
independently
and
sustainably
manage
their
water
systems
and
provide
efficient
and
quality
water
services.
The
association
guides
itself
by
a
participatory
development
approach
that
emphasizes
the
active
engagement
and
collaboration
of
beneficiaries
in
strengthening
their
administrative,
financial,
and
technical
skills,
finding
solutions
to
their
water
problems,
reducing
their
dependence
on
external
actors,
and
becoming
protagonists
of
their
own
development
process.
As
the
director
of
the
Chlorine
Bank
program
said
to
us,
“In
effect,
if
we
are
successful
at
strengthening
a
community,
then
it
may
choose
to
pursue
its
community
goals
without
embracing
AHJASA;
this
is
a
risk
we
run.”xxiii
Following
these
principles,
AHJASA
is
organized
as
a
democratic,
“bottom‐up,”
membership‐
based
structure.
At
its
base
are
local
water
boards
that
pay
a
symbolic,
three‐lempira
membership
fee
($0.16
USD).
Local
water
boards
are
then
organized
into
sector,
municipal,
and/or
departmental‐level
associations
with
their
own
elected
boards.
Delegates
from
these
participate
in
an
annual
general
assembly
that
elects
a
National
Water
Board
charged
with
determining
the
Association’s
policy
directives
and
sharing
best
practices
and
new
technologies.
Water
boards
from
the
local
to
the
national
level
are
elected
every
two
years.
The
management
of
AHJASA
is
primarily
the
responsibility
of
the
departmental
(and
in
some
cases
municipal)
and
the
national
boards.
AHJASA
serves
its
mission
by
offering
technical
and
capacity‐building
assistance
and
functioning
as
a
distribution
network
for
water
disinfection
products
and
services
through
the
Chlorine
Bank
program.
In
2009,
AHJASA
had
an
annual
budget
of
about
US
$240,000.
Roughly
two‐
thirds
of
funding
for
these
activities
comes
from
international
donors
including
TROCAIRE,
International
Aid,
Alianza
por
el
Agua,
Water
Aid,
PREVDA,
and
the
Swedish
Government,
while
the
remaining
third
is
derived
from
Chlorine
Bank
sales
of
water
disinfection
materials
and
services.
Recently,
the
organization
has
decentralized
its
process
for
soliciting
and
managing
grants,
and
departmental
branches
of
AHJASA
are
now
receiving
grant
funding
directly.
Technical
Assistance
The
cornerstone
of
AHJASA’s
technical
assistance
services
is
its
circuit
rider
program,
which
has
been
in
place
since
the
organization’s
founding.
The
circuit
rider
program
is
modeled
after
the
National
Rural
Water
Association’s
(NRWA)
program
in
the
US.
Circuit
riders
are
trained
and
employed
by
AHJASA
to
provide
technical
support
and
education
in
the
operation
and
maintenance
of
water
systems,
guidance
on
management
issues,
and
motivation
for
the
community
to
participate
in
decision‐making
processes.
In
general,
circuit
riders
work
with
a
cluster
of
about
40
to
50
rural
communities
and
regularly
visit
them
to
inspect
the
functionality
of
systems,
monitor
water
quality
and
distribution,
train
new
water
board
members
and
personnel,
review
financial
records,
track
progress,
and
address
any
problems
presented.
To
date,
the
circuit
rider
program
has
had
success
in
improving
the
administration
of
water
systems
by
local
communities
and
their
water
boards,
increasing
accountability
and
transparency,
and
educating
beneficiaries
about
the
importance
of
quality
and
sustainable
water
services.
9
The
deterioration
of
the
funding
situation
at
the
end
of
2009
and
into
2010
due
to
political
and
economic
turmoil
has
significantly
reduced
the
number
of
circuit
riders
in
operation
to
only
four
at
the
time
of
this
study,
down
from
eleven
the
previous
year.
In
light
of
these
limitations,
AHJASA
has
identified
and
trained
leaders
from
local
communities
to
serve
as
sector
coordinators
that
take
on
the
activities
of
circuit
riders
within
their
districts
and
work
collaboratively
with
them
and
other
local
technicians
to
resolve
any
emerging
problems
and
prioritize
visits.
Sector
coordinators
work
either
as
volunteers
or
are
paid,
usually
part‐time,
by
AHJASA’s
departmental
or
municipal
association
with
funds
provided
directly
by
communities
who
want
the
additional
support.
There
were
about
35
sector
coordinators
in
2009.
Capacity
Building
A
second
core
activity
that
AHJASA
provides
is
organizing
a
number
of
workshops,
seminars,
and
other
training
events
directed
at
users,
water
boards
and
association
members,
and
technicians
(plumbers,
circuit
riders,
and
sector
coordinators).
These
are
tailored
to
the
respective
audience,
but
usually
include
modules
such
as:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Operation,
maintenance,
and
administration
of
water
systems
Legal
requirements,
duties,
and
standards
under
the
Framework
Law
Water
quality,
treatment,
and
monitoring
Financial
management
(e.g.
bookkeeping,
tariff
calculation)
Strategic
planning
and
evaluation
for
financial
and
operational
sustainability
Principles
of
good
governance,
transparency
and
accountability
Basic
sanitation
(e.g.
use
of
latrines,
hygiene)
Environmental
issues,
including
watershed
protection
and
climate
change
Participatory
development
and
leadership
skills
Gender
equity
Technicians
usually
go
through
an
intensive
formal
training
and
certification
process
lasting
between
six
months
to
a
year
that
includes
both
theory
and
practice
in
the
field.
Users
and
water
boards
receive
formal
training
upon
joining
AHJASA
and
can
request
additional
training
when
needed
(e.g.
with
the
election
of
new
board
members).
Training
and
education
is
also
provided
more
informally
to
communities
during
visits
by
circuit
riders,
sector
coordinators,
or
other
AHJASA
staff.
AHJASA
also
organizes
departmental,
national,
and
Central
American
assemblies
for
water
board
representatives
to
exchange
ideas,
share
best
practices,
coordinate
activities
learn
about
new
methods
and
technologies,
and
set
policy
priorities.
These
assemblies
create
a
large
scale
“platform
for
conscientization”
that
extends
the
dissemination
of
knowledge
and
activities,
and
also
includes
the
participation
and
collaboration
of
a
number
of
public
and
private
sector
actors
involved
in
W&S
issues.
An
Integrative
Approach
for
Intensive
Assistance
Recently,
AHJASA
has
launched
a
new
model
for
providing
comprehensive,
intensive
assistance
to
communities
through
the
sale
of
capacity
and
training
services,
which
would
generate
a
source
of
revenue
not
dependent
on
external
funding.
One‐year
integrative
assistance
packets
10
are
promoted
among
departments,
associations
and
groups
of
8
or
so
communities
(a
maximum
of
9,000
users),
who
must
raise
sufficient
funds
to
pay
the
salary
of
a
dedicated
sector
coordinator
and
for
trainings.
The
packages
not
only
provide
the
normal
technical
and
education
support,
but
also
place
more
emphasis
on
community
development
and
target
the
entire
community
to
participate
and
become
increasingly
involved
in
key
issues.
This
is
going
to
be
an
important
new
model
for
AHJASA
to
take
aboard,
as
intensive
training
of
the
entire
community
can
lead
to
increased
interest
not
only
in
water
services
but
in
community
development
and
leadership.
The
ultimate
idea
and
hope
is
for
new
leaders
to
emerge
and
run
water
boards
while
having
added
impacts
on
governance,
accountability,
and
transparency.
Chlorine
Bank
Program
Water
disinfection
is
an
important
component
to
providing
quality
water
services
and
is
required
by
law
in
Honduras.
Lack
of
access
to
actual
supplies,
products,
and
services
for
water
disinfection
is
a
key
problem
in
poor
quality
of
water
services.
Some
communities
must
travel
very
long
distances
and
at
a
high
cost
to
obtain
these
supplies.
While
circuit
riders
and
other
programs
can
teach
water
boards
and
communities
how
to
properly
manage
their
water
systems,
even
the
most
dedicated
efforts
lose
their
value
if
they
cannot
buy
materials
needed
to
treat
the
water.
In
order
to
address
this,
AHJASA
has
established
a
chlorine
bank
program
that
serves
as
a
distribution
network
for
these
goods
and
services
into
rural
areas,
with
the
objective
to
create
a
market‐driven
demand
for
water
disinfection
products.
Following
AHJASA’s
principle
of
reducing
dependency,
the
chlorine
bank
allows
communities
to
realize
there
is
a
cost
to
providing
quality
water
and
assume
the
responsibility
of
those
costs
within
their
tariff.
In
addition
to
selling
products
such
as
chlorine,
chlorinators,
residual
indicators,
accessories,
accounting
supplies,
the
banks
also
provide
technical
assistance
for
installation,
operation
of
equipment
and
monitoring
water
quality.
The
bank
is
the
only
distributor
of
tablet
chlorine,
which
has
to
be
imported,
plus
it
also
sells
sodium
hypochlorite.
The
central
chlorine
bank,
based
in
Tegucigalpa,
is
the
principle
distributor,
and
encourages
the
formation
of
local
chlorine
banks,
mainly
within
local
AHJASA
branches,
to
strengthen
its
reach
into
rural
areas.
Currently
eight
other
regional/municipal
chlorine
banks
are
in
operation,
though
the
number
tends
to
fluctuate
periodically
with
interest
and
funding.
Although
member
communities
are
often
the
most
loyal
customers
as
it
is
their
bank,
anyone
can
make
a
purchase,
and
clients
include
NGOs,
municipal
governments,
and
non‐member
communities.
Moreover,
the
bank
offers
technical
support
to
everyone
who
has
made
a
purchase
and
has
recently
made
this
a
requirement
of
the
sale.
Of
AHJASA’s
total
budget,
the
chlorine
bank
accounted
for
a
third
of
revenue
in
2009,
operating
at
a
profit
while
the
rest
of
the
organization
operated
at
net
loss.
The
chlorine
bank
is
primarily
funded
by
product
donations
and
sales;
very
little
is
allotted
through
international
funding.
The
central
bank
has
one
full
time
staff
member
in
charge
of
all
bank
functions:
making
sales,
administering
inventory,
and
promoting
the
concept,
promoting
products,
and
organizing
tours
to
install
chlorinators.
The
bank
faces
a
lot
of
resource
constraints
that
limit
its
activities,
and
it
is
still
largely
dependent
on
donations
of
products,
though
it
is
now
purchasing
greater
quantities
of
chlorine
than
before.
11
III.
Findings
and
Discussion
According
to
Brandxxiv
and
reinforced
during
the
fieldwork,
three
factors
are
critical
to
ensure
that
rural
Honduran
communities
can
sustainably
adopt
water
treatment
methods:
1. Communities
must
demand
clean
water
and
make
it
a
priority
for
their
wellbeing.
This
entails
not
only
an
awareness
of
current
water
contamination
but
also
an
understanding
of
the
importance
of
consuming
clean
water
and
how
it
affects
the
human
organism.
Education
of
water
boards
and
similar
education
campaigns
for
communities
is
of
vital
importance
for
this
first
component.
2. Capacity
of
community
members
and
water
boards
to
adequately
manage
their
water
systems
is
fundamental.
The
capacity
of
AHJASA
as
an
organization
is
also
critical
as
AHJASA
is
in
a
position
to
greatly
assist
communities
by
stimulating
awareness
to
strengthen
water
boards,
promote
treatment
of
water,
and
provide
trainings
for
community
members
so
they
can
adequately
manage
their
water
systems.
3. There
must
be
a
consistent
and
reliable
supply
chain
capable
of
meeting
the
demand
for
disinfection
products
and
accessories
at
low‐cost
to
local
communities.
When
the
supply
chain
breaks
down,
communities
that
have
been
faithfully
chlorinating
may
look
elsewhere
for
their
products,
stop
chlorinating,
or
consider
other
methods
of
treatment.
Chlorine
banks
are
important
distribution
networks
that
have
enabled
access
to
water
treatment
goods
and
services
to
rural
communities.
As
described
earlier,
AHJASA’s
program
areas
precisely
target
these
three
components
through
education,
technical
support,
capacity
building,
and
resource
provision.
In
this
regard,
the
organization
plays
a
vital
role
as
a
provider
of
information
and
education
and
a
facilitator
to
encourage
community
dialogue
and
action.
Central
to
AHJASA’s
success
is
a
community
participation
model
focused
on
empowering
individuals
to
change
behaviors
and
take
responsibility
for
the
solutions
to
their
problems.
Though
ultimately
each
community
must
decide
whether
clean
water
is
a
priority
it
is
willing
to
pay
for,
AHJASA’s
involvement
greatly
increases
the
chance
its
residents
will
have
improved
access
to
clean
water.
Demand
As
previously
mentioned,
it
is
estimated
that
only
14
percent
of
rural
communities
disinfect
their
water
supplies
and
water‐borne
illnesses
are
the
leading
causes
of
mortality.
This
is
indicative
of
both
the
lack
of
access
to
and
low
demand
for
clean
water.
Low
levels
of
education
regarding
basic
water
sanitation
and
treatment
are
evident
in
many
communities,
including
some
of
the
ones
visited,
as
animals
are
allowed
to
roam
and
defecate
around
water
sources
and
drink
freely
from
them.
Soap
was
not
present
in
many
bathrooms
with
toilets
and
even
less
common
in
latrines.
Contamination
also
happens
during
the
transport
and
storage
of
water,
and
while
many
persons
interviewed
claimed
to
regularly
clean
their
water
storage
recipients,
it
is
not
uncomment
to
see
mosquitoes
near
them.
Moreover,
many
households
did
not
use
point‐of‐use
treatment
methods
(i.e.
boiling,
liquid
chlorine),
especially
when
the
central
systems
were
supposedly
being
disinfected.
12
In
addition
to
a
general
lack
of
education
and
awareness
about
the
importance
of
clean
water
for
disease
prevention,
many
interviews
revealed
significant
misperceptions
about
the
effects
of
chlorine
and
objections
to
its
use.
A
common
complaint
was
the
bad
taste
and
odor
of
chlorine
and
fears
that
it
caused
cancer,
hair
loss,
or
was
otherwise
harmful.
While
many
of
the
water
board
members
interviewed
now
chlorinate
their
water
systems,
all
admitted
that
it
was
a
very
difficult
and
long
process
to
convince
community
members
of
the
importance
of
treating
water
and
to
overcome
their
misperceptions
about
chlorine.
The
reduction
in
the
incidence
of
diseases
and
associated
medical
costs
was
the
primary
motivating
factor
in
many
communities
for
continuing
to
chlorinate
their
systems
and
demand
that
it
be
done
so
regularly
and
within
the
appropriate
standards.
Based
on
the
fieldwork,
it
is
clear
that
only
well‐functioning
and
motivated
communities
and
their
water
boards
consistently
demand
water
disinfection
products,
namely
chlorine.
For
this
reason,
well‐trained
water
boards
and
participatory
communities
are
critical
to
the
long‐term
success
of
the
chlorine
bank
program.
AHJASA’s
training
and
technical
assistance
are
central
components
necessary
to
increase
awareness
of
the
importance
of
clean
water,
the
effectiveness
of
chlorine
and
other
disinfection
methods,
and
can
ultimately
drive
demand.
To
this
effect,
circuit
riders
and
other
technical
staff
are
key
actors
tasked
not
only
with
ensuring
the
functionality
of
water
systems,
but
with
educating
communities
and
bolstering
participation,
self‐sufficiency,
and
demand
for
clean
water.
One
key
deficiency
in
fostering
demand
is
that
the
chlorine
bank
currently
does
not
have
any
marketing
or
promotional
supplies
(i.e.
brochures,
pamphlets,
posters)
or
the
adequate
funding
to
produce
these.
Even
relatively
basic
materials
could
be
passed
along
to
community
treasurers
who
arrive
to
purchase
chlorine
supplies,
who
in
turn
could
pass
the
information
to
certain
community
members.
More
importantly
perhaps,
communities
that
are
not
consistently
chlorinating
could
be
targeted
for
such
information
dissemination.
Marketing
and
educational
campaigns
can
create
demand
for
water
disinfection,
dispel
myths
and
misperceptions
about
chlorine,
and
inform
communities
where
and
how
to
obtain
the
necessary
products.
Capacity
of
Local
Water
Boards
Not
surprisingly,
the
capacity
of
local
water
boards
varies
greatly
throughout
Honduras.
According
to
the
Sistema
de
Informacion
de
Agua
Rural
(SIAR),
a
centralized
database
of
rural
water
systems
and
water
boards
managed
by
SANAA,
but
not
updated
since
2002,
about
35
percent
of
water
systems
and
boards
are
categorized
as
well‐functioning,
21
percent
are
completely
broken
down,
and
the
rest
fall
somewhere
in
between
(see
Appendix
E
for
a
summary
table).
Though
great
improvements
to
the
rural
water
sector
were
made
since
the
1980s,
Hurricane
Mitch
undermined
many
of
these
efforts
and
destroyed
many
water
systems.xxv
Though
interviews
were
primarily
with
communities
that
had
well‐functioning
systems,
it
was
clear
from
touring
neighboring
villages
that
this
is
the
exception
rather
than
the
rule.
Most
water
boards
and
communities
do
not
manage
their
water
resources
in
an
organized
or
sustainable
fashion.
The
calculation
and
collection
of
tariffs
is
a
central
function
of
the
water
board
and
generates
the
revenues
necessary
for
them
to
purchase
chlorine
supplies.
In
many
13
instances,
however,
tariffs
are
set
too
low
to
pay
for
the
operation,
maintenance,
and
chlorination
of
the
system,
or
not
collected
at
all.
Poverty
and
unemployment
are
key
reasons,
as
many
families
cannot
pay
the
fees,
but
poor
management
and
leadership
are
also
factors.
Poor
management
often
leads
to
physical
breakdowns
of
water
systems,
which,
in
turn,
greatly
increase
the
likelihood
of
low
or
non‐existent
tariff
collection.
Even
well
organized
and
conscious
communities
sometimes
face
a
reticence
to
pay
monthly
rates
on
behalf
of
its
members,
particularly
during
the
dry
season
when
water
resources
are
low.
Collection
also
presents
a
problem
and
many
community
members
are
in
debt
(mora)
and
subject
to
being
cut
off
from
the
water
supply.
A
SANAA
director
notes
in
a
recent
report,
“water
boards
are
well
suited
to
operate
rural
systems
but
need
some
form
of
backup
support.”xxvi
AHJASA
provides
this
support
and
through
its
education
and
training
programs
helps
water
boards
to
prepare
an
operating
budget,
calculate
the
appropriate
tariff,
and
support
the
leadership
in
convincing
the
community
of
the
necessity
to
agree
to
pay
the
tariff.
Moreover,
its
programs
emphasize
transparency,
accountability,
and
good
governance
in
sustainably
managing
community
funds.
Many
of
the
communities
that
are
members
of
AHJASA
regularly
review
their
tariffs
and
vote
to
increase
them
in
order
to
properly
operate
their
systems.
In
some
cases,
tariffs
are
high
enough
to
create
a
pool
of
savings
that
the
community
can
use
for
larger
repairs
or
for
the
replacement
of
the
system
when
its
useful
life
is
met
(usually
20
years).
AHJASA
water
boards
are
also
more
likely
to
hold
regular
meetings
and
community
assemblies
to
elect
new
members,
vote
on
tariffs
or
other
pressing
issues,
and
report
on
the
use
of
funds
and
new
projects.
Moreover,
it
was
apparent
that
proper
disinfection
required
significant
training
and
regular
monitoring
and
support
from
AHJASA.
Circuit
riders
often
reported
that
plumbers
would
stop
monitoring
chlorine
levels
if
the
circuit
riders
were
not
checking
their
reports
periodically.
If
water
boards
regularly
chlorinated
their
water,
utilization
and
sales
of
chlorine,
services,
and
accessories
would
rise.
Circuit
riders
and
sector
coordinators
are
critical
actors
that
can
foster
demand
through
education,
increase
the
capacity
of
water
boards
to
afford
and
buy
disinfection
products,
promote
the
Chlorine
Bank,
and
provide
technical
assistance
regarding
the
proper
operation
of
various
disinfection
methods.
This
would
enhance
the
sustainability
of
the
Chlorine
Bank
by
ensuring
that
communities
not
only
install
chlorinators
but
that
they
use
them
correctly
as
well.
Supply
Chain—The
Chlorine
Bank
AHJASA’s
Chlorine
Bank
has
been
in
operation
for
nearly
10
years
and
has
about
eight
local
municipal
and
departmental
branches.
The
central
bank
only
has
one
full‐time
staff,
its
director,
in
charge
of
all
of
its
operations
from
sales
to
administration;
at
the
local
level,
AHJASA
administrators,
circuit
riders,
or
other
staff
sell
products
to
customers
and
maintain
records,
but
no
one
is
in
charge
of
its
promotion,
marketing,
or
strategic
development.
While
the
chlorine
bank
program
has
generated
some
modest
profits
that
allow
it
to
remain
in
operation,
its
limited
human
and
capital
resources
and
dependency
on
the
donation
of
chlorine
products
have
restricted
its
expansion
and
overall
success
in
creating
a
sustainable
market
for
water
disinfection
products.
14
Staffing
&
Management
The
most
recent
independent
audit
of
AHJASA’s
programs
and
financial
position
(November
2009)
found
significant
deficiencies
in
the
management
of
the
chlorine
bank
related
to
the
lack
of
appropriate
administrative
controls.
These
included
poor
record
keeping
of
sales
logs,
high
rates
of
uncollected
debt,
a
lack
of
standard
policies
regarding
sales
and
purchases
on
credit,
and
no
regular
process
for
periodic
inventories,
among
others.
The
chlorine
bank
director,
whose
salary
is
mostly
commission‐based,
is
driven
to
generate
sales,
market
the
products,
and
frequently
travels
throughout
the
country
to
distribute
supplies
and
attract
new
clients.
The
sales
part
of
the
job
has
clearly
taken
priority
over
the
administration
of
the
bank.
The
current
director
has
a
strong
background
in
sales
and
has
cultivated
important
contacts;
administration
of
the
bank’s
activities,
however,
remains
a
weakness
in
the
bank’s
operations
and
it
could
greatly
benefit
from
increased
staffing.
The
decentralized
structure
of
AHJASA
and
the
local
chlorine
banks
also
make
their
management
more
difficult
and
complex.
Currently,
there
is
a
very
loose
and
informal
structure
of
regional
chlorine
banks,
and
they
have
varied
understandings
about
what
the
role
and
function
of
each
bank
should
be
in
relationship
to
the
central
chlorine
bank.
Local
banks
need
to
be
strengthened
as
well
in
terms
of
dedicated
staff,
technology
(i.e.
the
bank
in
Marcala
lacked
a
functioning
computer),
and
marketing.
Related
to
this
is
the
absence
of
a
centralized
database
within
AHJASA
to
collect
all
the
data
regarding
clients
served
and
products
sold.
Some
documents
and
spreadsheets
exist,
but
these
have
limited
information
about
AHJASA
communities
and
there
is
a
lack
of
formal
and
accessible
information
specifically
related
to
chlorine
product
sales,
use,
and
trainings.
Products
&
Distribution
Having
regular,
consistent
access
to
the
right
type
and
a
diversity
of
products
can
strengthen
the
chlorine
bank’s
supply
chain
and
distribution
capabilities.
Currently,
the
chlorine
bank
depends
heavily
on
product
donations
by
foreign
companies,
especially
since
the
tablet
chlorinator
it
distributes
is
not
manufactured
domestically.
However,
these
donations
are
not
always
sufficient,
forcing
customers
to
wait
for
the
chlorine
bank
to
import
additional
supplies
throughout
the
year
at
a
high
cost.
Donations
of
chlorine
will
always
be
useful
due
to
AHJASA’s
small
budget,
but
the
drawback
from
this
source
is
that
the
products
are
not
always
the
most
needed
or
appropriate
for
communities’
water
systems.
For
example,
many
communities
were
buying
small
tablets
for
their
large‐tablet
chlorinator
because
this
was
the
only
product
available
at
the
time.
These
communities
were
unhappy
with
the
purchase,
as
the
chlorine
did
not
last
as
long,
required
more
monitoring,
and
had
higher
residuals,
which
left
a
bad
taste
to
the
water.
It
would
behoove
AHJASA
to
have
dependable
and
appropriate
sources
of
chlorine
and
regular
delivery
schedules—to
the
extent
possible—to
avoid
buying
products
to
satisfy
last
minute
requests
from
regional
chlorine
banks.
While
AHJASA
faces
certain
constraints
to
acquiring
large
quantities
of
chlorine
such
as
lack
of
financial
capital
and
logistical
arrangements
(e.g.
trucks
for
transport,
places
to
store
the
products),
AHJASA
can
still
improve
its
role
and
performance
as
part
of
the
supply
chain
in
getting
products
to
communities.
Some
basic
15
improvements
could
include:
an
organized
book‐keeping
operation,
tightened
finances,
and
calculating
more
reliable
schedules
of
when
various
communities
will
need
products
in
order
to
save
on
transportation
costs.
Moreover,
AHJASA
should
consider
diversifying
its
product
base
in
order
to
expand
its
clientele.
Roughly
20
percent
of
rural
water
systems
are
completely
broken
down
and
about
22,000
other
rural
communities
do
not
have
systems
at
all.
Significant
contamination
occurs
in
the
transport
and
storage
of
water.
In
these
cases,
it
is
necessary
to
provide
communities
with
alternative
and/or
additional
methods
for
water
disinfection
such
as
ceramic
(Filtron)
or
slow
sand
(Biosand)
filters
and
liquid
chlorine
(see
Appendix
F
for
a
list
of
alternative
disinfection
products).
Competition
One
of
the
primary
obstacles
to
sustainability
noted
by
nearly
all
the
AHJASA
staff
interviewed
is
the
competition
from
other
NGOs
or
charitable
missions
that
donate
chlorine
products
instead
of
selling
them
or
from
private
businesses
that
are
able
to
sell
granular
hypochlorite
at
a
lower
cost.
Several
water
boards
interviewed
mentioned
that
they
receive
donated
chlorine
products;
some
mentioned
that
politicians
also
would
get
involved
during
campaigns,
promising
new
systems
or
improved
services.
When
products
are
donated,
there
is
rarely
a
sustained
education
effort
to
complement
the
gifts;
more
importantly,
the
“free”
products
come
with
a
price,
namely
increased
dependency
on
outside
help.
As
some
communities
receive
free
chlorine,
the
members
become
reluctant
to
buy
the
same
products
down
the
line,
even
after
they
have
run
out
and
the
donors
have
left
the
community.
This
phenomenon
undermines
AHJASA’s
and
the
chlorine
banks’
work
significantly.
Communities
that
are
committed
to
AHJASA’s
approach
of
self‐sufficiency
recognize
that
free
products
are
not
part
of
a
sustainable
management
of
water
systems.
Other
communities
with
more
tenuous
links
to
AHJASA,
however,
were
targets
for
donor
NGOs
looking
to
gain
influence
and
(intentionally
or
unintentionally)
undermine
AHJASA’s
work.
Donations
made
to
communities
increase
dependency
on
external
actors,
undermine
the
market
for
chlorine
products,
and
lower
the
value
placed
on
those
products
and
services
by
local
communities.
Under
these
constraints,
the
chlorine
bank
cannot
raise
the
prices
of
its
disinfection
products
to
cover
its
operating
costs
or
expand.
However,
as
AHJASA’s
President,
Omar
Nunez,
suggested,
“in
these
sorts
of
situations
AHJASA
must
simply
let
the
other
actors
spend
their
money
and
give
away
their
products,
because
when
the
resources
run
dry,
AHJASA
will
still
be
there
to
offer
support
and
more
sustainable
alternatives.”
IV.
Case
Studies:
Community
Typology
in
Rural
Honduras
Below
are
four
case
studies
that
highlight
some
of
the
specific
issues
that
communities
are
facing.
The
fieldwork
and
research
revealed
that
communities
could
be
broadly
distinguished
based
on
two
key
factors:
management
(led
by
the
water
board);
and
water
resources.
Examples
of
both
good
and
poor
management
and
adequate
and
poor
resources
are
addressed.
16
Las
Tranquitas,
La
Paz:
Adequate
resources
and
management
The
treasurer
of
this
water‐board,
Manuel
Rodrigo,
helped
explain
about
some
of
the
dynamics
of
the
water‐board
and
the
community
of
Las
Tranquitas.
The
entire
community
meets
every
month
of
the
year
to
discuss
water‐related
issues;
the
water‐board
charges
a
fine
of
50
lempiras
to
any
member
who
does
not
attend
the
monthly
meeting,
encouraging
attendance
and
driving
home
the
message
that
the
water‐board
takes
community
involvement
seriously.
Rarely
do
community
members
fail
to
pay
the
25‐lempira
monthly
fee
to
the
water‐board,
and
if
necessary
the
water‐board
will
threaten
to
cut
the
connection
of
a
household
that
is
not
paying.
The
fact
that
water
is
mostly
abundant
helps
encourage
consistent
payment.
All
houses
have
running
water
in
their
house,
and
the
system
is
well
maintained
and
regularly
chlorinated.
Over
the
years,
this
community
has
become
accustomed
to
chlorine
as
the
treatment
method,
and
Manuel
stated
that
people
might
even
complain
if
they
do
not
sense
a
trace
of
chlorine
in
the
water,
though
this
rarely
happens
as
the
plumber
regularly
checks
the
community
for
adequate
chlorine
levels.
Not
only
did
water‐board
members
receive
training,
but
also
the
whole
community
received
some
sort
of
training
and
education
presentation
from
AHJASA,
and
since
then,
knowledge
and
awareness
have
been
passed
around
the
community,
resulting
in
strong
unity
and
consciousness.
The
water
source
is
two
kilometers
away
from
the
water
tank,
and
the
community
has
made
sure
the
source
and
is
well
protected.
While
the
community
has
maintained
the
water
source
and
system
well
over
the
years,
the
tank
and
pipes
that
supply
the
town
are
reaching
the
end
of
their
life‐span;
a
new
system
will
cost
200,000
lempiras
(~$10,000
US),
and
the
community
has
only
managed
to
save
120,000
lempiras.
“When
the
system
is
ruined,”
Manuel
explained,
“we
will
go
to
the
other
source,”
referring
to
a
smaller
water
source
about
a
kilometer
away
from
the
town.
This
source
would
not
be
connected
in
any
way
to
people’s
homes
and
it
would
be
necessary
to
transport
water
in
containers.
In
one
sense,
Las
Tranquitas
is
fortunate
to
have
plenty
of
water
resources
in
the
nearby
area—other
communities
face
serious
water
shortages.
The
people
of
Las
Tranquitas
have
been
taking
care
of
this
other
source,
anticipating
the
day
that
the
current
infrastructure
gives
way.
A
goal
for
the
future
is
to
double
the
monthly
tariff
to
be
able
to
save
up
for
future
repairs
and
replacements,
but
this
goal
is
by
no
means
certain.
While
Las
Tranquitas
has
a
well
functioning
system,
the
tariff
remains
low
due
to
seasonality
and
uncertainty
of
income.
The
coffee
harvest
supplies
a
large
portion
of
most
residents’
income,
which
in
total
is
a
small
amount;
most
residents
have
less
than
two
acres
of
land
and
many
households
try
to
rent
or
borrow
land
to
grow
maize
or
beans
during
other
parts
of
the
year.
Cash
income
is
scarce
for
most
residents,
and
paying
50
lempiras
per
month
would
be
difficult
for
many.
What
Las
Tranquitas
does
have
is
a
solid
consciousness
of
treating
the
water
and
a
sense
of
its
value;
this
is
perhaps
the
most
important
aspect
for
having
a
successful
water‐management
system.
Manuel
and
other
members
of
the
water‐board
credited
the
training
provided
by
AHJASA
with
instilling
the
community
with
a
consciousness
of
the
importance
of
clean
water
and
maintaining
their
water
systems.
Don
Jose
Irene,
the
circuit
rider
for
Las
Tranquitas,
is
well
known
in
the
community
and
pleased
with
its
self‐sufficiency;
he
no
longer
does
any
direct
training
for
the
community—
the
water
board
and
plumber
train
members
as
needed.
Higher
incomes
and
increased
funds
for
the
water
board
in
order
to
replace
the
aging
infrastructure
are
the
primarily
needs
for
system
improvements.
17
Piedras
Blancas,
Valle:
Poor
resources,
poor
management
This
community
stands
in
stark
contrast
to
the
seemingly
harmonious
Tranquitas.
Perhaps
a
good
deal
of
the
initial
perception
of
contrast
is
due
to
the
tremendous
difference
in
terrain.
Nacaome
is
located
in
the
southwestern
part
of
the
country—already
a
dry
region—and
it
experienced
a
marked
decrease
of
rain
during
the
past
rainy
season
and
is
suffering
from
dire
shortages
of
water.
We
arrived
to
Piedras
Blancas,
in
the
department
of
Valle
and
sat
in
on
a
community
meeting.
Jorge,
one
of
the
circuit
riders
for
the
region,
was
offering
the
community
the
opportunity
to
acquire
filters
for
water
purification
on
the
household
level;
he
encouraged
them
to
consider,
as
a
community,
the
need
for
clean
water
and
the
chance
to
buy
the
quality
filters
at
a
subsidized
rate.
During
informal
discussions
after
the
meeting,
we
found
out
that
this
community
had
been
using
chlorine
years
ago
but
was
not
currently
using
it.
Jorge
explained
to
us
that
he
had
urged
them
to
consider
using
it
again
on
several
occasions,
but
that
he
was
now
focusing
on
other
methods
to
get
them
to
treat
the
water—thus
the
filters.
We
left
the
town
with
a
profound
sense
of
uncertainty.
Why
had
the
town
rejected
chlorine?
Why
was
the
water‐board
so
poorly
organized?
The
answers
to
the
above
questions
have
a
lot
to
do
with
the
community
organization
and
water
system
management.
The
water‐board
has
had
frequent
turn‐over
and
few
regular
meetings;
AHJASA
circuit
riders
had
visited
the
town
regularly
years
ago
but
in
the
past
couple
of
year
circuit
riders
had
not
been
able
to
visit
Piedras
Blancas
consistently,
and
the
town
ceased
using
chlorine—“it
tasted
bad…it
was
difficult
to
get
and
expensive
to
buy.”
Would
consistent
circuit
rider
attention
to
this
village
have
led
to
continued
chlorinating
by
the
community?
Perhaps
not,
but
the
attitude
related
to
water
treatment
certainly
would
not
be
any
worse
than
it
is
now.
This
community
has
a
weak
water‐
board
and
little
community
cohesion;
misinformation
about
chlorine
seems
to
be
rampant
and
consciousness
of
clean
water’s
importance
is
quite
low;
clean
water
does
not
appear
to
be
a
priority
for
this
community.
Improvements
in
their
drinking
water
must
surge
from
within
the
community…but
some
outside
support
may
help
spur
such
change.
La
Llave,
Valle:
Poor
resources,
good
management
This
community
has
an
electric
pump
that
was
built
with
funds
from
the
Texaco
oil
company
and
is
functioning
quite
well.
Over
the
years,
the
42
households
of
this
community
have
agreed
to
raise
the
monthly
rate
in
order
to
increase
savings
for
future
replacement
costs
and
general
maintenance.
In
the
year
2000
the
monthly
fee
was
at
60
lempiras
and
a
couple
of
years
later
the
community
decided
to
raise
it
to
85
per
month;
the
monthly
rate
now
stands
at
120
lempiras.
Currently
the
water‐board
has
47,000
lempiras
saved
up
(approximately
$2,400),
which
is
earmarked
for
costs
to
the
water
system.
The
president
of
this
water‐board,
Don
Benito
has
been
involved
in
the
community’s
water
systems
for
many
years
and
takes
pride
in
having
it
function
well.
The
water‐board
recently
raised
money
separately
from
the
monthly
user
fees
in
order
to
install
eight
trashcans
in
and
around
the
community,
and
the
community
has
additional
plans
for
reforestation
projects.
This
water‐board
and
community
are
working
to
become
truly
self‐sufficient,
with
a
goal
of
being
able
to
afford
a
new
water
system
in
the
years
to
come.
La
Llave
has
a
20‐year
plan
that
includes
environmental
goals
such
as
reforestation
and
extensive
and
detailed
repair
schedules
for
the
water
system’s
different
parts
(pump,
water
tank,
pipes,
etc).
The
20‐year
plan
also
includes
administrative
tasks
and
oversight,
trainings
18
and
meetings,
and
self‐evaluations.
For
the
time
being,
the
community
appears
to
be
committed
to
maintaining
their
water
system.
Benito
credits
AHJASA’s
technical
advisors,
the
circuit
riders,
with
having
provided
important
access
to
trainings
and
information.
He
recalls
that
some
foreigners
came
to
visit
the
town
with
AHJASA
some
years
ago
to
stress
the
importance
of
treating
the
water,
explaining
to
the
community
that
wealthier
countries
such
as
the
United
States
use
chlorine
to
treat
their
water.
This
particular
presentation
and
AHJASA’s
guidance
over
the
years
made
a
difference
in
changing
the
perception
of
the
community
members
and
instilling
a
consciousness
of
the
value
of
clean
water.
AHJASA
consistently
gives
advice
to
La
Llave
water‐board
members
about
how
to
keep
the
system
in
good
shape,
and
most
importantly,
AHJASA
has
offered
community
members
chances
to
receive
trainings.
These
education
opportunities
are
directly
responsible
for
community
initiatives
for
reforestation
and
garbage
cleanup.
Unfortunately
La
Llave
is
forced
to
pay
commercial
rates
for
the
electricity
that
powers
the
pump,
but
they
are
a
dialogue
with
municipal
officials
to
try
to
change
this.
“We
are
paying
as
much
as
three
times
what
non‐commercial
users
pay,
and
we
are
not
commercial,”
Benito
explained
to
us.
But
far
from
distraught,
he
was
more
matter‐of‐fact
about
the
situation
and
confident
that
they
could
arrange
something.
Santa
Ana,
Francisco
Morazan:
Adequate
resources,
poor
management
This
town
of
500
families
has
water
connections
to
most
of
the
houses,
but
the
water
pressure
is
quite
poor,
and
more
significantly,
the
quality
is
terrible.
No
water
board
exists
in
Santa
Ana
and
they
have
no
affiliation
with
AHJASA.
The
water
system
is
gravity‐fed
and
relies
on
two
different
sources
to
reach
all
houses,
though
neither
source
provides
clean
water.
We
visited
one
of
the
sources
up
several
kilometers
away
from
the
town
center.
It
was
a
rather
small
pond
with
a
concrete
bottom;
roughly
10
meters
squared
surface
area
and
merely
29
inches
deep
at
the
time
we
visited.
The
water
was
a
greenish
brown
with
pools
of
grass
and
muck
on
the
surface.
There
were
cows
and
a
few
horses
grazing
on
the
dusty
bits
of
grass
surrounding
the
water
source,
and
there
was
not
even
a
fence
to
keep
the
animals
from
approaching
the
liquid.
Dagoberto,
the
town’s
new
plumber
(fontanero),
said
that
the
first
priority
should
be
to
expand
the
water
source
with
machinery
to
allow
for
a
greater
quantity
of
water,
and
of
course,
he
said
shaking
his
head,
it
must
be
fenced
off
from
the
livestock
and
otherwise
protected.
There
were
few
trees
within
100
meters
of
the
dirty
pool,
and
Dagoberto
also
mentioned
planting
trees
as
a
critical
activity.
We
were
surprised
that
this
water
source
for
nearly
half
of
the
town
was
so
poorly
cared
for.
Dagoberto
explained
that
the
politicians
had
not
seen
water
as
a
priority
and
that
they
claimed
not
to
have
enough
money
to
fix
up
the
system.
Indeed
the
newly
elected
mayor,
with
whom
we
visited
the
water
source,
made
numerous
pleas
to
us
for
outside
funds.
“Surely,”
he
said,
“the
governments
of
the
United
States
and
Korea
can
help
us,
who
are
poor
and
needy,
with
some
funds.
I’m
sure
that
you
must
know
someone
who
can
help
us.”
It
occurred
to
us
(and
of
course
Dagoberto)
that
putting
a
fence
around
the
water
source
to
fend
off
the
surrounding
livestock
would
be
a
good
start,
and
that
should
not
require
foreign
assistance.
Santa
Ana
was
unfortunate
to
have
a
series
of
politicians
who
did
not
invest
in
the
water
system.
Dagoberto
was
in
an
unenviable
situation
of
improving
the
water
system
with
little
funds
or
political
support.
The
current
mayor
appeared
to
be
interested
in
a
short‐term
solution
for
the
water
pressure
problem,
but
had
little
interest
in
larger‐scale
projects
related
to
quality.
“We
don’t
have
any
money,”
he
said,
“there
is
little
that
we
can
do
at
the
moment.”
19
Such
an
attitude
is
anathema
to
AHJASA,
and
it
was
striking
to
visit
small
and
rural
communities
operating
in
dry
areas
that
had
better
quality
water
than
the
town
of
Santa
Ana,
which
faced
no
problems
of
scarcity;
Santa
Ana’s
water
problems
were
more
closely
related
to
ineptitude,
corruption,
and
lack
of
political
will.
V.
Challenges
Substantial
problems
exist
at
the
community
level,
at
an
organizational
level
for
AHJASA,
and
there
are
also
significant
and
large
structural
problems
that
are
at
a
national
level
not
to
mention
at
a
regional
and
global
level.
V.1.
Community‐level
Issues
Several
important
issues
within
communities
that
contribute
to
the
lack
of
water
treatment
and
consequently
the
lack
of
demand
for
chlorine
products
have
already
been
touched
upon
in
this
report.
The
problems
discussed
in
this
section
build
upon
such
core
problems
and
are
widespread
in
rural
Honduras
but
not
necessarily
true
for
every
community.
A
core
community‐level
problem
is
the
general
lack
of
income
in
most
households.
With
low
incomes
to
begin
with,
many
people
are
unwilling
to
pay
a
monthly
fee
for
water
if
they
are
not
convinced
of
the
importance
of
treating
the
water
and
treating
it
specifically
with
chlorine.
If
a
household
truly
believes
that
water
should
be
a
priority
then
it
can
usually
come
up
with
the
monthly
fee
for
the
water‐board,
and
likewise
the
household
would
support
increases
in
the
tariff
if
they
feel
that
such
measures
are
necessary
to
maintain
the
water
system.
AHJASA
(and
other
organizations)
has
compared
water
user
fees
to
the
amount
of
money
that
average
households
spend
on
Coca‐Cola,
emphasizing
that
in
most
cases
the
water
fee
is
not
prohibitively
costly;
rather
by
cutting
back
on
certain
products
like
soft
drinks,
households
can
pay
the
water
fee
without
problem.
However,
the
poverty
of
many
communities
should
not
be
minimized.
Lack
of
stable
jobs
for
community
members
is
a
serious
constraint.
Even
in
coffee
growing
regions,
coffee
producers
are
small
and
have
access
to
only
a
few
acres
of
land,
if
that.
The
revenue
from
the
current
coffee
harvest
mostly
does
not
last
until
the
next
harvest,
and
people
often
turn
to
subsistence
agriculture
or
wage
labor
if
they
are
able
to.
There
is
much
financial
uncertainty
in
communities,
and
while
the
monthly
water‐fees
may
not
be
that
high,
it
is
still
difficult
for
many
households
to
pay
the
fees
on
a
timely
basis.
Due
to
the
difficult
economic
climate
in
communities,
migration
in
search
of
work
is
widespread.
Community
members
go
to
Tegucigalpa
or
other
cities
to
look
for
work,
and
many
are
willing
to
risk
a
difficult
and
costly
journey
north
to
the
United
States.
This
prevalence
of
migration
can
be
a
quite
significant
factor
in
a
community’s
cohesion
and
organization
because
in
many
cases
potential
community
leaders
and
key
household
members
are
simply
not
present.
On
one
hand
remittances
can
play
an
important
role
in
providing
money
to
families,
but
on
the
other
hand
the
absence
of
people
can
lead
to
shortages
of
motivated
and
mobilizing
individuals
and
even
shortages
of
manual
labor.
People
rarely
leave
their
towns
because
they
want
to;
rather
necessity
seems
to
be
the
principle
motivation,
and
unfortunately
there
are
no
guarantees
that
an
emigrant
will
be
successful
in
finding
a
job
once
abroad.
20
V.2.
Organizational
Level
Issues
for
AHJASA
AHJASA
is
substantially
limited
in
its
operations
due
to
a
lack
of
personnel
and
lack
of
financial
resources.
Some
circuit
riders
visit
dozens
of
communities
each
month
and
are
not
able
to
cover
even
the
basic
costs
of
their
motorcycle
with
the
salary
that
they
receive.
Additional
circuit
riders
and
support
to
communities
would
be
significant.
It
is
worth
mentioning
that
AHJASA
does
an
admirable
job
of
staying
in
contact
with
communities
and
providing
technical
support
with
the
resources
they
have.
However,
many
of
the
strongest
programs
that
have
been
or
currently
are
in
place,
such
as
community
participation
programs
in
Nacaome,
rely
on
external
funding,
which
can
lead
to
rapid
closures
or
unfinished
projects.
It
can
be
highly
frustrating
for
both
AHJASA
personnel
and
beneficiary
communities
when
an
interesting
and
successful
project
ceases
to
function
due
to
lack
of
funds.
The
chlorine
bank
used
to
be
treated
as
a
separate
commercial
venture
and
would
sell
chlorine
products
to
a
range
of
actors,
not
focusing
on
communities
in
particular.
In
fact,
for
many
of
the
chlorine
banks
the
most
consistent
customers
were
not
using
the
chlorine
for
the
treatment
of
community
water
systems,
but
rather
for
pools
and
commercial
enterprises.
The
new
strategy
of
the
chlorine
banks
is
to
only
sell
products
along
with
accompanying
services
of
capacity
strengthening,
targeting
needy
communities.
The
previous
business
approach
of
selling
products
to
anyone
did
not
reinforce
the
importance
of
treating
water
consistently;
many
of
previous
clients
went
to
the
chlorine
banks
because
these
were
the
only
suppliers
of
such
products
and
if
the
clients
could
get
it
elsewhere
for
cheaper,
they
certainly
would
do
so.
The
strength
of
the
chlorine
bank
program
is
the
knowledge
and
experience
of
AHJASA
and
the
ability
to
provide
education
and
training
to
communities
so
that
they
can
improve
their
water
quality.
The
new
approach
of
joining
chlorine
products
and
education
and
capacity
services
is
a
promising
one.
AHJASA
has
largely
refrained
from
cooperating
with
and
reaching
out
to
other
actors
in
the
field.
This
can
lead
to
missed
opportunities
and
increased
inefficiencies
in
their
work.
Even
while
AHJASA’s
methods
and
those
of
other
NGOs
are
slightly
different,
the
rhetoric
of
all
involved
is
strikingly
similar;
reflecting
commonly
agreed
upon
best
practices
that
stress
community
development,
sustainability,
and
transparency.
AHJASA
prides
itself
on
demanding
self‐sufficiency,
and
this
is
no
doubt
a
worthy
goal,
yet
AHJASA
itself
is
a
far
cry
from
self‐
sufficient
and
relies
on
outside
donations
for
some
of
their
key
programs
even
as
AHJASA
criticizes
other
organizations
for
being
overly
dependent
on
outside
donors.
Increased
communication
among
the
actors
would
certainly
lead
to
some
heated
discussions,
but
it
could
also
result
in
better
coordination,
action,
and
increased
efficiency.
V.3.
National‐level/Structural
Issues
Some
of
the
problems
at
the
community
and
organizational
level
are
also
related
to
larger
problems
that
affect
the
entire
nation
and
region.
A
community
cannot
exclusively
resolve
its
economic
woes.
As
much
as
the
central
government
would
like
to
create
jobs
throughout
the
country,
it
is
not
a
simple
task.
The
Honduran
government
is
also
substantially
constrained
by
its
debt
and
lack
of
financial
resources.
While
some
are
optimistic
about
the
new
government’s
21
plan
for
water
and
sanitation,
it
remains
to
be
seen
how
effectively
the
Lobo
administration
will
address
water
issues
and
how
high
a
priority
water
will
be.
In
addition
to
macro‐economic
problems,
there
are
environmental
processes
that
affect
water.
The
coffee
process
can
lead
to
contamination
of
water
in
the
washing
of
the
coffee.
The
community
of
Hipericon
is
quite
worried
about
the
pastureland
near
their
water
source,
and
in
Santa
Ana
the
cattle
literally
drink
from
the
water
source.
To
a
certain
extent
these
problems
can
be
mitigated
at
the
local
level
with
negotiations
to
acquire
the
land
surrounding
a
water
source,
but
such
negotiations
can
be
costly,
and
the
reality
is
that
many
watersheds
lack
ideal
protection
due
to
deforestation.
The
government
could
step
in
to
resolve
some
of
these
issues
but
it
would
seem
highly
unlikely
that
the
current
government
attempts
to
address
unequal
land
tenure
issues,
current
unsustainable
agricultural
practices,
and
certain
other
man‐made
sources
of
land
degradation
any
time
soon.
Climate
change
is
also
human‐produced,
but
it
is
much
more
difficult
to
address
the
main
sources
of
this
phenomenon,
particularly
with
only
lukewarm
responses
from
the
highest
polluting
countries
in
the
world.
Honduras,
like
many
developing
countries,
is
vulnerable
to
the
negative
effects
of
changes
in
the
world’s
climate
and
neither
the
government
nor
individual
communities
have
the
power
to
stop
these
changes.
They
do
have
the
power
to
plan
ahead
for
adaptation
and
mitigation
strategies,
however,
and
communities
such
as
La
Llave
are
already
in
the
process
of
acting,
even
if
it
is
in
small
steps.
Whether
or
not
the
current
dry
conditions
in
southern
Honduras
(and
much
of
Central
America)
are
a
direct
result
of
climate
change
is
debatable,
but
assessing
blame
for
drought
conditions
is
not
as
important
as
responding
effectively
to
such
adverse
conditions
and
preparing
for
similar
conditions
in
the
future.
The
rains
cannot
be
brought
by
force,
and
one
can
only
hope
for
more
precipitation
in
the
coming
years.
VI.
Recommendations
Based
on
in‐depth
conversations
and
community‐level
observations,
the
research
team’s
recommendations
are
below.
The
recommendations
are
aimed
at
both
the
Chlorine
Bank
and
AHJASA
more
broadly.
They
are
listed
in
order
of
importance,
leading
with
what
we
consider
to
be
the
most
potentially
effective
and
feasible
actions.
We
do
not
claim
that
all
of
these
recommendations
are
original
or
have
not
been
considered
by
AHJASA
already,
but
we
see
the
below
options
as
feasible
and
important
steps
that
must
be
considered
in
order
to
increase
the
effectiveness
of
the
chlorine
bank
program
and
AHJASA’s
operations
in
general.
1) Invest
in
building
the
Chlorine
Bank’s
capacity
to
meet
its
objectives.
This
is
a
multifaceted
effort
that
will
require
sustained,
long‐term
investments.
Specific
actions
to
take
include
a. Increase
staff
at
the
central
AHJASA
offices
dedicated
to
the
Chlorine
Bank.
It
is
clear
that
one
person
cannot
handle
all
the
functions
required
to
make
this
a
sustainable
effort:
sales,
marketing,
administration,
and
technical
assistance.
In
this
case,
a
full
time,
administrator
could
monitor
the
financial
progress
of
local
banks,
reduce
defaults
and
22
uncollected
debts,
assist
with
the
preparation
of
marketing
and
promotional
materials,
and
would
allow
the
director
to
focus
on
expanding
the
client
base
and
making
sure
that
technical
assistance
was
provided
to
all
customers.
b. Raise
funds
to
support
the
operation
and
expansion
of
the
Chlorine
Bank.
Currently
the
program
relies
on
product
sales
and
product
donations
to
generate
revenue
and
very
few
grant
funds
are
allocated
to
support
its
general
operation
(i.e.
to
purchase
a
vehicle
or
computer).
c. Conduct
a
series
of
studies
in
each
department
and/or
municipality
that
has
a
local
chlorine
bank
to
assess
demand
for
disinfection
products,
the
capacity
of
local
water
boards
to
meet
that
demand,
and
the
types
of
disinfection
products
most
adequate
for
that
region.
Based
on
these
studies,
create
business,
marketing,
and
education
plans
to
guide
the
strategic
expansion
of
Chlorine
Bank
customers,
products,
and
services.
These
studies
would
allow
the
Chlorine
Bank
to
better
target
its
products
and
tailor
its
marketing
campaigns
to
specific
communities
as
well
as
enable
long‐term
planning
of
the
different
types
and
quantities
of
products
needed.
This
would
require
significant
human
and
capital
resources,
and
it
could
also
be
a
good
project
for
university
students,
Peace
Corps
volunteers,
or
other
similar
groups.
AHJASA
would
benefit
from
the
additional
support
provided
by
a
Peace
Corps
volunteer
and
the
team
is
making
efforts
to
link
both
groups
to
that
end.
2) Create
and
implement
more
formal
policies
and
structures
to
enable
good
supervision
and
oversight
of
local
Chlorine
Banks.
AHJASA
should
develop
an
operational
manual
with
specific
guidelines
and
requirements
for
both
the
central
and
local
chlorine
banks.
3) Integrate
the
chlorine
bank
program
and
its
objectives
more
fully
in
all
AHJASA
projects.
Water
disinfection
and
chlorination
should
be
made
a
priority
in
all
assistance
and
education
activities.
4) Stimulate
demand
for
clean
water
by
marketing
Chlorine
Bank
products
and
services
as
well
as
educating
communities
about
the
importance
of
clean
water.
AHJASA
could
work
in
partnership
with
municipalities
and
NGOs
to
launch
local
campaigns,
as
well
as
use
its
position
and
network
in
the
water
&
sanitation
sector
to
advocate
the
current
government
to
launch
a
national
campaign.
5) Promote
the
technical
assistance
services
offered
by
the
Chlorine
Bank
and
AHJASA
as
a
competitive
advantage
against
competition
faced
by
donated
or
lower‐cost
products.
6) Diversify
the
Chlorine
Bank’s
product
base.
Chlorination
remains
the
most
effective
disinfection
method
for
centralized
water
systems
and
should
continue
to
be
prioritized.
However,
communities
should
be
educated
about
the
costs
and
benefits
of
each
method
and
given
the
option
to
choose
which
method,
if
any,
they
want
to
adopt.
This
will
increase
the
likelihood
that
communities
will
choose
and
maintain
a
method
that
meets
their
needs
and
undermines
the
misperception
that
AHJASA
staff
members
are
“chlorine
salesmen.”
Increasing
the
variety
of
products
sold
by
the
Chlorine
Bank
will
not
only
increase
sales,
but
23
also
expand
its
customer
base
and
ability
to
reach
out
to
communities
that
do
not
have
water
systems.
In
the
long
run,
these
communities
can
be
socialized
to
AHJASA
and
eventually
become
members.
7) Secure
more
regular
access
to
chlorine
and
other
water
disinfection
products
to
improve
its
supply
chain.
The
Chlorine
Bank
should
locate
domestic
suppliers
or
manufacturers
of
disinfection
products
and
negotiate
contracts
with
favorable
terms.
If
a
product
needs
to
be
imported,
as
is
the
case
with
the
tablet‐fed
chlorinators,
the
Chlorine
Bank
should
also
identify
a
preferred
provider
(and
customs
agent)
and
order
bulk
shipments
(possibly
on
credit)
in
order
to
reduce
the
transportation
and
other
costs
associated
with
the
importation
of
goods.
The
following
are
more
general
recommendations
that
are
directed
at
improving
AHJASA’s
capacities
more
broadly:
8) Create
a
central
database
in
which
to
systematically
collect
information
about
the
communities
being
served
(including
AHJASA
members
and
non‐members)
and
develop
a
“report
card”
method
of
evaluating
the
performance
of
water
systems
and
water
boards
using
this
data.
The
database
could
resemble
(but
improve
upon)
the
SIAR
used
by
SANAA,
and
include
data
such
as
the
presence
and
type
of
system,
the
water
board
(i.e.
tariff,
elections,
general
capacity),
trainings
held,
participation
in
other
events,
community
problems,
natural
resource
and
watershed
management,
etc.
The
data
could
be
collected
primarily
by
circuit
riders
and
other
technicians,
but
compiled
in
a
centralized
system
that
can
be
accessed
and
shared
across
all
local
AHJASA
braches.
This
information
can
also
enable
the
creation
of
a
“report
card”
to
grades
the
functioning
of
water
systems
in
local
communities,
both
in
terms
of
the
actual
system
and
the
capacity
of
local
water
boards.
Failing
or
near‐failing
systems
could
be
given
priority
attention
while
those
receiving
an
“A”
can
be
honored
at
departmental
or
national
assemblies
and
used
as
examples
to
share
their
experiences
and
best
practices
with
communities
that
are
not
faring
as
well.
Having
a
standardized
way
to
report
activities
and
monitor
trends
and
progress
can
greatly
facilitate
problem
analysis,
strategic
planning,
and
the
ability
to
target
communities
as
well
as
help
AHJASA
and
the
Chlorine
Bank
in
fundraising.
9) Increase
outreach
to
women
and
youth.
While
AHJASA
has
gender
equity
modules
in
its
training
and
capacity
building
programs
and
has
targeted
women
in
previous
projects,
it
should
continue
to
do
so.
10) Coordinate
and
collaborate
with
NGOs,
government
officials,
municipalities,
and
other
actors
involved
in
water
&
sanitation.
Increased
collaboration
with
organizations
that
are
working
in
the
same
communities
and
municipalities
can
increase
efficiency
of
the
work
done
and
reduce
competition.
AHJASA
has
more
in
common
with
other
actors
than
it
sometimes
believes.
24
VII.
Conclusion
It
is
important
to
recognize
the
excellent
work
that
AHJASA
and
its
Chlorine
Bank
program
have
done
over
the
years.
There
is
room
for
improvement
on
many
levels,
but
AHJASA’s
methodology,
commitment,
and
effort
are
all
strengths
that
contribute
to
the
much‐needed
support
that
it
provides
to
many
rural
communities
in
Honduras.
AHJASA
involvement
in
communities
directly
correlates
with
improved
management
of
community
water
systems.
For
this
reason,
AHJASA
must
be
taken
as
a
serious
actor
in
the
W&S
sector
with
the
potential
to
transform
communities.
Limitations
of
the
Study
This
study
involved
substantial
research
and
preparation,
but
could
have
benefited
from
a
longer
period
in
which
to
conduct
fieldwork.
It
would
have
been
useful
to
visit
a
greater
number
of
communities
and
for
the
research
team
to
independently
identify
villages
to
visit
rather
than
relying
entirely
on
AHJASA
staff
to
plan
these.
The
team
recognizes
the
probable
bias
introduced
by
being
accompanied
by
AHJASA
staff,
especially
in
the
interviews
to
water
board
members.
However,
their
presence
was
necessary
in
order
to
reach
many
of
these
members.
More
time
would
have
also
allowed
the
team
to
conduct
the
community
surveys,
as
initially
intended,
and
gather
quantitative
data
to
support
the
findings
and
recommendations,
as
well
as
to
create
a
baseline
for
future
evaluations
of
program
effectiveness.
Moreover,
developing
rapport
with
a
group
of
communities
would
have
allowed
more
in‐depth
insights
about
AHJASA’s
work
and
the
W&S
more
broadly.
Language
was
another
limitation
as
two
of
the
four
graduate
students
in
the
group
did
not
speak
Spanish.
While
they
performed
interviews
in
English
and
conducted
important
participant
observation
at
field
sites,
having
additional
Spanish‐speakers
could
have
helped
with
the
research,
conducting
interviews,
and
maximizing
the
time
spent
in
the
field.
Next
Steps
In
addition
to
passing
on
the
contacts
made
through
the
interview
process
to
AHJASA
and
the
New
Forests
Project,
the
team
has
contacted
Peace
Corps
to
facilitate
the
process
of
requesting
a
volunteer
for
AHJASA
Central
to
help
offset
staffing
issues
and
provide
better
integration
within
the
development
community.
Ultimately,
the
success
of
the
water
sector
in
Honduras
depends
first
and
foremost
upon
people
prioritizing
clean
water
for
their
communities.
Where
there
is
a
will,
there
can
be
a
way,
as
motivated
communities—even
of
scarce
resources—can
make
a
lot
happen.
AHJASA
has
a
role
to
play
in
this
and
can
greatly
assist
communities
in
prioritizing
clean
water
and
making
access
to
this
precious
resource
a
reality.
25
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2009.
Organizational
document
provided
by
AHJASA
staff.
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del
2009.
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Drinking
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(2004).
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World
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world‐factbook/geos/ho.html.
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American
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Richard
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27
Appendices
Appendix
A—Fieldwork
Site
Visits
Communities
visited:
Las
Tranquitas,
La
Paz
Hipericon,
La
Paz
Juancho,
Valle
Piedras
Blancas,
Valle
Santa
Cruz,
Valle
Las
Aradas,
Valle
El
Guayabo
2,
Valle
la
Llave,
Valle
Santa
Ana,
Francisco
Morazan
Moroceli,
Paraiso
28
Appendix
B—List
of
Interviewees
and
Communities
Interviews
AHJASA‐
Central
Offices
Omar
Nunez,
President
Nora
Hernandez,
Chlorine
Bank
Director
Armando
Lenin
Hernandez,
Project
Facilitator
Wendy
Colindres,
National
Assembly
Coordinator
Henry
Salgado,
Independent
Auditor
AHJASA‐
Marcala,
La
Paz
Jose
Irene
Hernandez,
Circuit
Rider
Dania
Diaz,
Chlorine
Bank
vendor
AHJASA‐
Nacaome,
Valle
Ada
Luz
Ramirez,
Administrator
Melvin
Omar,
Project
Coordinator
Jorge
Alberto
Bonilla,
Circuit
Rider
Government
Officials
Luis
Romero,
Coordinator
for
the
Technical
Secretariat,
CONASA
Javier
Rivera,
Development
Division
Director,
SANAA
Municipal
Officials
Rigoberto
Villatoro,
Mayor,
Marcala
Juan
Carlos
Ponce,
Mayor,
Santa
Ana
NGOs
Jacobo
Nunez,
Agua
Para
el
Pueblo
(APP)
Daniel
Smith,
Agua
Para
el
Pueblo
(APP)
Diana
Calix,
ADEC
Oscar
Armando
Andino,
Water
for
the
World
Paul
Earwaker,
Water
for
the
World
Belkis
Rodriguez,
Save
the
Children
Gerardo
Martinez,
CARE
Mauricio
Cruz
Merino,
USAID
Water
Boards
Various
members
of
the
local
communities
visited
29
Appendix
C—Interview
Questionnaires
with
translations
1.
Water
Boards/Juntas
de
agua
When
was
this
water
board
created?
Cuando
se
estableció
esta
junta
de
agua?
• How
many
members
are
on
the
water
board
and
what
positions
do
they
occupy
(ie
President,
VP,
Secretary,
Treasurer,
other)?
Cuantos
miembros
forman
parte
de
esta
junta
y
que
posiciones
ocupan
(ej.
Presidente,
Vice‐Presidente,
Secretario,
Tesorero,
otros)?
• How
are
the
members
selected
(ie
are
they
elected
by
the
community,
appointed)?
How
often
are
new
members
selected?
When
and
how
was
this
process
completed
last?
Como
se
selecciona
a
los
miembros
(ej.
elegidos
por
la
comunidad,
nombramientos
directos)?
Cada
cuanto
tiempo
se
selecciona
a
nuevos
miembros?
Hace
cuanto
tiempo
y
como
se
completo
la
ultima
selección?
• How
often
do
the
members
hold
meetings?
Do
all
members
attend
these
meetings?
Cada
cuanto
tiempo
se
reúnen
los
miembros
de
la
junta?
Asisten
todos
los
miembros
a
las
reuniones?
• Are
members
of
the
community
included
in
the
meetings
or
does
the
water
board
ever
have
public
meetings?
Se
admite
la
asistencia
de
los
miembros
de
la
comunidad
a
las
reuniones
o
se
conduce
alguna
vez
reuniones
publicas?
• Please
explain
briefly
what
the
main
goals
and
objectives
of
the
water
board
is
and
what
its
principle
tasks
are:
Explique
brevemente
cuales
son
las
metas
y
objetivos
de
la
junta
de
agua
e
identifique
cuales
son
sus
tareas
principales:
• Approximately
what
is
the
annual
budget?
Cual
es
el
presupuesto
anual
aproximado
de
la
junta?
• How
was
water
managed
before
the
water
board
was
created?
Como
se
condujo
el
manejo
del
agua
antes
de
la
creación
de
la
junta?
• When
was
the
water
system
built
in
the
community?
Who
built
it?
Cuando
se
construyo
el
sistema
de
agua
en
la
comunidad?
Quien
la
construyo?
• How
many
years
is
the
water
system
infrastructure
expected
to
last?
Plans
to
replace?
Cuantos
años
de
vida
útil
se
le
asigna
a
la
infraestructura
del
sistema?
Hay
planes
para
reponerlo?
• How
is
the
water
system
maintained?
Who
is
responsible?
What
are
the
supplies
necessary
for
maintenance?
Como
se
mantiene
el
sistema
de
agua?
Cual
es
la
persona
responsable
del
mantenimiento?
Cuales
son
los
productos
necesarios
para
su
mantenimiento?
• How
often
does
the
water
system
need
to
be
repaired?
Who
repairs
it?
Who
pays?
What
are
the
most
frequent
repairs?
Con
que
frecuencia
es
necesario
reparar
el
sistema
de
agua?
Quien
lo
repara?
Quien
es
el
encargado
de
pagar
las
cuentas?
Cuales
son
las
reparaciones
mas
frecuentes?
•
30
Approximately
how
many
households
receive
water/are
connected
to
the
water
system?
(not
connected?)
Aproximadamente
cuantos
hogares
reciben
agua/están
conectados
al
sistema
de
agua?
Cuantos
no
están
conectados?
• Do
community
members
pay
to
use
the
water?
Quien
paga
la
cuenta/
el
costo
de
destribucion
del
agua?
Paga
cada
miembro
de
la
comunidad
por
el
uso
del
agua?
• How
much
is
the
fee
to
use
water?
How
is
the
fee
calculated?
Is
the
fee
sufficient
enough
to
cover
your
expenses?
Cual
es
la
cantidad
fijada
para
el
uso
del
agua?
De
que
manera
se
calcula
esta
cantidad?
Es
esta
cantidad
suficiente
para
cubrir
los
gastos
de
la
junta?
• What
is
the
payment
amount
and
how
is
this
established?
Cual
es
la
cuota
de
pago,
y
como
se
establece
esta
cuota?
• Are
there
any
rules
to
use
water?
What
are
they?
How
are
these
established
and
how
are
they
enforced?
What
are
the
user
regulations?
Existen
normas/regulaciones
establecidas
para
el
uso
del
agua?
Cuales
son?
De
que
manera
se
establecen
y
como
se
las
hace
respetar?
Hay
normativas
para
el
usuario
sobre
como
usar
el
agua?
• Does
the
community
have
adequate
access
to
water
throughout
the
year?
Tiene
la
comunidad
un
fácil
acceso
(acceso
adecuado)
al
agua
durante
todo
el
ano?
Cuentan
con
suficiente
agua
para
proveer
servicio
durante
todo
el
ano?
• In
case
of
drought,
how
does
the
community
obtain
water
(ie‐
private
provider,
how
much
does
this
cost?)
Tienen
suficiente
agua
durante
la
temporada
seca/reporadas
de
sequia,
y
que
hacen
para
resolver
este
problema
y
cual
es
el
costo?
• What
is
the
source
of
water
for
the
community?
(Surface
or
subterranean?)
Is
this
the
only
source?
(ask
for
details)
Cual
es
la
fuente
de
agua
para
esta
comunidad?
(Subterranio
o
de
la
superficie)
Es
la
única,
o
hay
mas?
(detalles
de
cada
fuente)
• Is
there
any
protection
in
place
for
the
water
source?
How
are
contaminants
kept
out
of
the
source?
De
que
forma
se
protegen
la(s)
fuente(s)
de
agua?
Como
se
evita
que
quede
contaminada?
• Is
the
water
being
treated?
How
(what
system
of
chlorination)?
Se
le
da
tratamiento
al
agua?
De
que
manera
(cual
clorinador
se
usa)?
• How/where
do
you
obtain
the
supplies
to
treat
water?
Como/donde
obtiene
Ud.
los
productos
para
tratar
el
agua
(cloro
granulado
o
en
tableta)?
• Is
the
water
being
tested?
How
often?
Se
conduce
exámenes
periódicos
del
agua?
Cada
cuanto
tiempo?
• Is
the
water
safe
to
drink?
How
do
you
know
that
it
is?
Considera
Ud.
apta/segura
el
agua
para
el
consumo?
Como
sabe
que
es
asi?
• What
needs
to
be
done
to
make
the
water
appropriate
for
drinking?
Que
medidas
se
puede
tomar
para
asegurar
la
pureza
del
agua
de
beber?
•
31
Is
safe
drinking
water
a
priority
for
the
water
board?
The
community?
Que
tan
importante/prioritaria
es
la
desinfección
del
agua
para
la
junta?
• Is
the
water
board
a
member
of
AHJASA?
Es
la
junta
de
agua
miembro
de
AHJASA?
• If
so,
what
type
of
support
does
it
receive
from
this
membership?
De
ser
así,
que
tipo
de
apoyo
recibe
por
ser
miembro?
• Are
you
satisfied
with
the
level
of
support?
Esta
Ud.
satisfecho(a)
con
el
nivel
de
apoyo
que
recibe?
• What
other
types
of
services
or
support
would
you
like
to
receive
from
AHJASA?
Que
otro
tipo
de
servicios
o
apoyo/ayuda
desearía
Ud.
recibir
de
AHJASA?
• Do
you
receive
any
support
from
SANAA
or
any
other
agencies?
Recibe
Ud.
ayuda/apoyo
de
o
de
alguna
otra
entidad
gubernamental?
• Do
you
have
a
relationship
with
or
receive
support
from
municipal
or
other
government
leaders?
Mantiene
Ud.
alguna
relacion
con
o
recibe
apoyo/ayuda
de
algun
funcionario
municipal
o
del
gobierno?
• In
the
long
term,
what
changes
would
you
like
to
see
for
the
water
system
in
your
community?
Que
cambios
le
gustaría
presenciar
en
el
sistema
de
agua
en
su
comunidad
a
largo
plazo?
• What
type
of
external
support
do
you
need
to
achieve
this?
Que
tipo
de
apoyo
externo
necesita
Ud.
para
lograrlo?
2.
Chlorine
Bank
Personnel
•
•
•
•
•
•
When
was
the
bank
founded?
Cuanto
hace
que
se
establecio
este
banco?
How
long
have
you
worked
here?
Desde
cuando
ha
estado
Ud.
trabajando
aquí?
Who
pays
your
salary?
Quien
paga
su
salario?
How
many
other
people
work
here,
and
what
are
their
positions?
Who
pays
their
salaries?
Cuantas
otras
personas
trabajan
aqui
y
cuales
son
sus
posiciones?
Quien
paga
sus
salarios?
Are
there
other
chlorine
banks
in
this
area?
Existen
otros
bancos
en
esta
zona?
o Where
are
they
located?
o Donde
estan
ubicados?
o Who
manages
them?
o Quien
los
maneja?
o Are
they
regional
banks?
Municipal?
District?
o Son
bancos
regionales?
Municipals?
del
Distrito?
32
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Are
there
any
private
providers
who
sell
these
products
nearby?
Hay
algun
proveedor
privado
que
venda
estos
productos
en
la
zona?
Does
the
bank
offer
any
other
services
aside
from
selling
these
products?
(Give
example:
repairs,
assistance,
training?)
Ofrece
el
banco
algun
otro
servicio
ademas
de
vender
estos
productos?
(Ayudan
reparar,
entrenar,
ofrecer
ayuda
de
otra
forma?)
Have
you
received
any
training
for
managing
the
bank
and/or
selling
products?
What
kind?
Ha
recibido
algun
tipo
de
capacitacion
para
manejar
el
banco
y/o
vender
los
productos?
o En
que
consistio
la
capacitacion?
How
many
products
do
you
have
in
your
inventory
at
the
moment?
Con
cuantos
productos
cuenta
en
su
inventario
al
momento?
How
do
you
restock
and
get
new
shipments
of
products?
How
frequently?
How
long
does
it
take
to
restock?
What
are
the
transport
costs
etc.?
De
que
manera
repone
u
obtiene
una
nueva
remesa
de
productos?
(Banco
Central;
proveedores
privados)
o Con
que
frequencia
lo
hace?
o Que
tiempo
le
toma
entre
un
pedido
y
la
entrega
de
los
productos?
o Cuales
son
sus
gastos
de
transporte
y/u
otros
costos
relacionados
(vinculados)
?
What
kinds
of
products
do
you
sell
and
what
quantity
of
them?
What
products
sell
the
best
and
how
much?
Do
different
climatic
seasons
have
any
influence
on
product
sales?
Que
tipo
de
productos
vende
y
en
que
cantidad?
o Que
productos
son
los
de
mayor
venta/mas
populares?
o Existen
variaciones
de
temporada
(climaticas)
que
ejerzan
alguna
influencia
en
la
compra
de
los
productos?
o En
que
temporada
se
venden
mas
productos?
Menos?
Who
are
your
principle
clients?
Quienes
son
sus
principales
clients?
(ej.
que
municipalidades,
juntas,
organizaciones
no
gubernamentales)
Do
receive
any
complaints
about
the
products
or
prices?
Explain?
En
algunos
casos
presentan
quejas
los
clientes
por
los
productos
o
los
precios?
Explique.
What
is
the
process
for
obtaining
and
providing
these
products?
(Need
permits
etc.)?
Cual
es
el
proceso
para
abastecerse
de
mercaderia/mercancia?
(ej.
hay
necesidad
de
tener
credenciales,
llenar
formularios,
etc.)
Do
you
undertake
the
delivery
of
products
to
the
communities
or
do
the
communities
need
to
transport
them
from
the
bank?
Realiza
Ud.
la
entrega
de
mercancia
a
las
comunidades
o
necesitan
transportarlos
ellas
mismas
desde
el
banco?
Do
you
think
that
the
bank
offers
all
of
the
products
needed
by
the
community
or
are
there
other
important/necessary
products
not
currently
offered
by
the
bank?
Cree
usted
que
el
banco
ofrece
todos
los
productos
necesitados
en
la
comunidad
o
será
33
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
que
hay
algunos
productos
importantes/necesarios
que
no
el
banco
no
ofrece
actualmente?
Are
you
aware
of
community
members
who
treat
their
water
at
the
house‐hold
level
in
addition
to
the
community
system?
How
do
they
treat
it?
Sabe
usted
si
algunas
personas
le
aplican
un
tratamiento
adicional
al
agua
que
consumen
en
su
hogar?
De
que
forma
se
trata
el
agua?
What
products
do
households
use
(if
any)
to
further
purify
their
water?
Cuales
products
se
usan
en
hogares
para
adicionalmente
purificar
el
agua
que
ocupan?
Where
do
they
get
these
products?
Is
there
a
demand
for
more
such
products?
De
donde
consiguen
estos
productos?
Hay
una
demanda
por
mas
productos
asi?
Would
the
chlorine
bank
consider
providing
these
products?
(Or
in
greater
quantity?)
Consideraria
el
banco
de
cloro
de
ofrecer
semejantes
productos?
(Mas
de
ellos…)
Does
the
bank
offer
credit
for
any
products?
Are
loans
repaid
on
time?
Ofrece
el
banco
productos
a
credito
(al
fio)?
Le
pagan
a
tiempo
los
prestamos?
How
many
clients
have
not
paid
their
debts?
Cuantos
clientes
están
atrasados
en
el
pago
de
sus
cuentas?
What
is
the
net
profit
for
the
bank?
Are
the
earnings
enough
to
cover
the
costs
of
running
the
bank?
Cual
es
la
ganancia
neta
del
banco?
o Cual
es
el
desglose
entre
ganancias
y
gastos?
o Es
la
ganancia
suficiente
como
para
cubrir
todos
los
gastos
del
manejo
del
banco?
In
your
opinion,
what
is
the
future
of
the
bank?
What
changes
are
needed?
Cual
cree
que
es
el
futuro
del
banco?
Exitoso,
incierto,
fracaso?
o Que
cambios
recomendaría
usted.
Que
es
necesario
para
mejorar
el
banco?
What
is
the
bank’s
publicity
strategy?
Is
it
effective?
How
can
it
improve?
What
needs
to
be
done
to
attract
new
customers?
Cuentan
con
alguna
estrategia
de
mercadeo?
o Es
esta
manera
efectiva?
Como
se
podria
mejorarla?
o Como
hacen
para
atraer
a
nuevos
clientes?
Do
you
have
close
relationships
with
the
Water
Boards,
municipalities,
village
leaders,
etc?
Mantiane
Ud.
relaciones
con
las
juntas
de
agua,
municipalidades
,
lideres
del
pueblo,
etc.?
What
percentage
of
communities
purify
their
water
on
a
community
level,
in
your
estimate?
All
of
them?
En
su
criterio,
cual
es
el
porcentaje
de
comunidades
que
purifican
su
agua
en
el
nivel
de
la
comunidad?
Todas?
In
your
opinion,
what
are
the
most
important
factors
that
influence
the
decision
to
buy
chlorine
products?
What
are
obstacles
that
potential
clients
face?
En
su
opinion,
cuales
son
los
factores
mas
importantes
que
influyen
en
la
decision
de
comprar
el
cloro?
o Cuales
son
los
obstaculos
que
experimentan
sus
clientes?
34
What
are
the
main
challenges
to
the
bank’s
economic
success?
Cuales
son
los
principales
desafios
que
enfrentan
al
banco?
• What
can
be
done
to
improve
the
community
water
system?
Que
medidas
se
puede
tomar
para
mejorar
el
sistema
de
agua
de
la
comunidad?
• In
your
view,
what
should
the
principle
function
of
AHJASA
be
(relating
to
CBs)?
En
su
criterio,
cual
deberia
ser
la
funcion
de
AHJASA
con
respecto
al
banco
de
cloro?
• In
your
view,
what
should
the
main
function
of
the
government
be
(relating
to
CBs)?
En
su
criterio,
cual
deberia
ser
la
function
del
gobierno
con
respecto
al
banco
de
cloro?
•
3.
Government
Officials
–
SANNA/CONASA
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How
well
has
the
Ley
de
Municipalidades
(decentralization)
worked
since
its
implementation?
¿Cómo
evaluaría
usted
la
ley
de
municipalidades
desde
que
se
promulgó,
y
qué
resultados
ha
tenido?
What
needs
to
happen
for
this
process
to
succeed?
¿Qué
hace
falta
para
que
esta
ley
y
este
proceso
se
lleve
a
cabo?
Are
water
systems
in
rural
Honduras
on
the
right
track?
¿Diría
usted
que
los
sistemas
de
agua
en
comunidades
rurales
van
por
buen
camino?
Are
the
municipalities
adequately
managing
community
water
systems?
¿Considera
que
las
municipalidades
están
administrando
los
sistemas
de
agua
de
una
forma
apropriada?
How
well
are
water
boards
functioning?
Should
they
exist?
¿Qué
tan
bien
funcionan
las
juntas
de
agua?
¿Funciona
bien
el
sistema
y
debe
existir?
What
would
happen
if
water
boards
did
not
exist?
What
alternative
system
might
work
for
small
communities?
Medium
sized
ones?
Que
pasaría
si
no
existieran
estas
juntas?
¿Qué
alternativas
podrían
ser
factibles
para
comunidades
pequeñas?
¿Y
las
medianas?
What
is
your
opinión
about
how
water
boards
work
in
medium
sized
communities?
Do
they
work
better,
as
well,
worse,
or
much
worse?
Cual
es
su
opinión
sobre
la
funcionalidad
de
las
juntas
en
comuniadades
medianas?
Indique
si:
funcionan
mejor
que
el
las
pequeñas,
funcionan
igual,
funcionan
peor,
apenas
funcionan,
no
funcionan
prácticamente
nada.
What
support
does
SANAA
provide
to
municipalities
or
water
boards
on
a
regular
basis?
¿Qué
apoyo
brinda
SANAA
a
las
municipalidades
o
las
juntas
de
agua
y
con
qué
frecuencia?
How
well
does
the
TOM
system
work?
How
can
it
be
improved?
¿Cómo
calificaría
el
sistema
TOM,
y
cómo
puede
mejorarse
este
servicio?
What
is
your
opinion
of
AHJASA
and
its
work?
Is
it
effective?
¿Cómo
calificaría
la
efectividad
del
trabajo
de
AHJASA?
Seria
beneficioso
mas
colaboracion?
Y
qué
hace
falta
para
mejor
la
colaboración
entre
ambos?
(How
can
AHJASA’s
operations
be
improved?)
En
su
opinion,
como
se
podría
mejorar
el
funcionamiento
de
AHJASA?
Is
water
quality
a
serious
issue
for
rural
communities?
35
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
¿Es
la
calidad
de
agua
un
problema
seria
para
comunidades
rurales?
Is
chlorine
the
best
way
to
treat
water
in
the
communities?
¿Es
el
uso
de
cloro
la
mejor
forma
de
tratar
el
agua
en
comunidades?
What
can
be
done
to
improve
the
water
quality
in
addition
to
the
treatment
that
the
water
currently
receives?
¿Aparte
del
tratamiento
que
se
le
está
dando
actualmente
al
agua,
que
mas
puede
hacerse
para
mejorar
la
calidad
del
agua
en
la
comunidades?
Is
it
possible
to
replace
the
necessary
water
infrastructure
in
communities
that
need
such
work
done?
¿Qué
tan
factible
es
reemplazar
la
infraestructura
necesaria
del
agua
en
las
comunidades
con
deficiencias?
What
are
the
most
important
actors
in
keeping
community
water
systems
functioning?
And
who
is
best
prepared
to
resolve
serious
problems
that
the
community
faces?
¿Quiénes
son
los
actores
más
importantes
para
mantener
el
sistema
de
agua
comunitaria?
¿Y
cuáles
actores
están
en
una
mejor
posición
para
resolver
problemas
graves?
What
changes
need
to
happen
in
the
next
10
years
for
increased
functionality
of
water
systems
in
rural
areas?
Is
this
likely?
¿Qué
cambios
se
necesitan
en
los
próximos
10
años
para
que
habitantes
rurales
tengan
mejores
sistemas
de
agua
en
sus
comunidades?
¿Es
posible
lograr
tales
cambios?
4.
Municipalities:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How
has
the
Ley
de
Municipalidades
worked
since
its
inception?
¿Cómo
evaluaría
usted
la
ley
de
municipalidades
desde
su
incepción
y
qué
resultados
ha
tenido?
What
kind
of
support
do
you
receive
from
SANAA?
¿Qué
tipo
de
apoyo
prove
el
SANAA
a
su
municipalidad?
What
are
the
municipality’s
principle
goals
relating
to
water
systems?
Have
you
met
these
goals,
why
or
why
not?
¿Qué
tan
prioritarios
son
los
sistemas
de
agua
rurales
para
las
municipalidades?
¿Han
cumplido
las
metas
para
dichos
sistemas?
¿Por
qué
(no)?
What
activities
do
you
do
on
a
regular
basis
to
support
community
water
systems?
Water
boards?
De
que
forma
apoyan
las
juntas
de
agua
y
que
papel
tienen
las
municipalidades
en
mejorar
los
sistemas
de
agua
comunitarios?
What
do
the
communities
do
to
improve
their
water
systems?
¿Cuáles
son
las
actividades
principales
de
las
comuniades
encaminadas
a
apoyar
el
manejo
de
sistemas
rurales
de
agua?
Would
you
like
to
provide
more
support?
In
what
way?
How
would
it
be
possible?
¿A
ustedes
les
gustaría
brindarles
más
apoyo
a
las
juntas
de
agua?
¿De
qué
forma?
¿Cómo
sería
posible?
How
well
are
the
water
boards
working?
Are
some
better
than
others?
36
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
¿Cómo
calificaría
usted
el
nivel
de
funcionamiento
de
las
juntas
de
agua?
¿Hay
unas
que
funcionan
mejores
que
otras?
¿Por
qué?
How
would
you
characterize
the
quality
of
water
in
most
communities?
Drinkable?
¿Cómo
calificaría
la
calidad
del
agua
en
la
mayoría
de
las
comunidades
rurales?
¿Es
apta
para
beber?
If
the
water
is
not
clean
enough
to
drink,
what
is
lacking,
how
can
this
be
accomplished?
¿Si
el
agua
no
esta
bien
tratada,
que
hace
falta
para
lograr
una
aedcuada
purificación
de
la
misma?
What
plans
do
the
municipalities
have
to
replace
community
water
infrastructure?
¿Cuáles
son
los
planes
de
las
municipalidades
reponer
la
infraestructura
existente
de
los
sistemas
de
agua?
Considera
necesario
renovar
los
sistemas?
Do
you
foresee
any
changes
to
the
disinfection
system
in
place?
¿Prevé
usted
algunos
cambios
en
el
sistema
de
desinfección
que
actualmente
existe?
If
the
municipalities
had
more
funds,
what
projects
would
you
work
on?
Would
you
provide
greater
support
to
water
boards,
or
focus
on
larger
systems?
¿Que
tipo
de
proyectos
emprenderian
las
municipalidades
en
caso
que
contaran
con
mas
recursos
economicos?
¿Les
brindarían
más
apoyo
a
las
juntas
de
agua
o
implementarían
otros
sistemas?
What
is
your
assessment
of
AHJASA’s
work?
Cual
es
su
opinion
acerca
del
trabajo
que
realiza
AHJASA?
What
communication
do
you
have
with
AHJASA?
¿Están
trabajando
en
coordinacion
con
AHJASA?
Would
closer
collaboration
with
AHJASA
be
beneficial?
¿Qué
tan
beneficioso
seria
trabajar
mas
estrechamente
en
colaboración
con
AHJASA?
What
changes
would
you
like
to
see
happen
in
the
next
10
years
relating
to
community
water
systems?
¿Cuáles
cambios
son
necesarios
en
los
próximos
10
años
para
mejorar
los
sistemas
de
agua
de
las
comunidades
rurales?
5.
NGOs
(various):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What
work
do
you
primarily
do
in
the
community/country?
(focus
on
water
and
sanitation)
¿Qué
trabajo
realiza
su
organización
en
la
comunidad,
el
país?
What
is
your
impression
of
the
communities
you
work
in?
Participation?
Attitudes?
¿Cuál
es
su
impresión
acerca
de
las
comunidades
donde
trabaja?
¿En
términos
de
participación,
interés
por
parte
de
los
beneficiarios?
Have
municipalities,
other
government
actors
been
active
in
rural
communities?
In
what
ways?
Which
actors?
¿De
qué
forma
trabajan
las
municipalidades
y
otros
actores
del
gobierno
en
las
comunidades
rurales?
¿Cuáles
actores
del
gobierno
han
tenido
más
influencia?
What
is
your
assessment/impression
of
water
quality
in
rural
communities?
Drinkable?
¿Cuál
es
su
impresión
de
la
calidad
del
agua
en
las
comunidades
rurales?
¿Es
apta
para
el
consumo?
37
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Do
you
see
a
correlation
between
water
quality
and
health?
¿Cree
usted
que
hay
una
relación
entre
la
calidad
del
agua
y
la
salud?
Explique.
Is
it
necessary
for
households
to
purify
their
water
in
addition
to
the
community
system?
What
ways
exist
to
purify
water
at
the
household
level?
¿Cree
que
es
necesario
tratar
el
agua
a
nivel
de
domicilio
en
sistemas
de
agua
que
tratan
la
misma?
¿Qué
opciones
existen
para
purificar
el
agua
al
nivel
de
la
casa?
Have
you
collaborated
with
any
community
water
boards?
Experience?
¿Ha
colaborado
su
organización
con
alguna
junta
de
agua?
¿Cómo
fue
la
experiencia?
What
is
your
impression
(if
any)
of
water
boards’
and
municipalities’
influence
on
improving
water
systems?
¿Cómo
catalogaría
la
eficacia
de
las
juntas
de
agua
en
la
purificación
del
agua?
¿Cuál
es
su
opinión
acerca
de
la
efectividad
de
las
municipalidades?
(Have
you
heard
of
AHJASA?)
How
would
you
assess
AHJASA’s
work?
What
have
you
heard
about
them?
(Have
you
worked
with
AHJASA?)
What
is
the
nature
of
your
collaboration
with
AHJASA?
How
has
it
worked?
¿Ha
colaborado
de
alguna
forma
con
el
trabajo
de
AHJASA?
¿En
qué
trabajaron
y
cómo
describiría
la
interacción?
(How
could
AHJASA’s
work
be
improved?
What
obstacles
are
present?)
Cual
seria
la
forma
en
que
AHJASA
mejorara
su
trabajo?
Que
obstáculos
hay?
What
is
your
relationship
with
the
government?
How
has
political
turmoil
affected
your
work
and
that
of
other
NGOs?
¿Qué
tipo
de
relación
tienen
(han
tenido)
con
el
gobierno,
y
cómo
les
ha
afectado
su
trabajo
la
situación
política?
Explique.
Is
the
government
cooperative?
Supportive?
Neutral?
Not
very
visible?
Etc.
Como
describiria
al
gobierno
en
relación
a
su
trabajo
en
agua
y
saneamiento?
What
changes
would
you
like
to
see
in
your
relationship
with
the
government?
How
can
the
environment
in
Honduras
improve
in
order
to
benefit
rural
communities?
¿Qué
cambios
serian
necesarios
para
mejorar
su
relación
con
el
gobierno?
¿Qué
le
hace
falta
para
que
mejoren
los
sistemas
de
agua
rurales
y
el
bienestar
general
de
los
habitantes?
6.
Circuit
Riders
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How
long
have
you
worked
as
a
circuit
rider?
Por
cuanto
tiempo
ha
usted
trabajado
como
circuit
rider?
What
is
your
profession/area
of
expertise?
Did
you
need
to
receive
any
training?
What
did
this
consist
of?
Recibio
usted
algun
entrenamiento?
En
que
consistio
este
entranamiento?
What
do
you
do
during
a
normal
visit
to
a
community?
En
que
consiste
una
vista
normal
a
una
comunidad
de
las
que
visita?
What
are
the
most
frequent
problems
you
see
with
the
water
systems?
Cuales
son
los
problemas
mas
comunes
que
usted
ve
con
los
sistemas
de
agua?
What
are
the
most
common
repairs
that
need
to
be
made?
38
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cuales
son
los
reparos
mas
comunes
que
se
necesitan?
Do
you
ever
help
service
those
communities
not
affiliated
with
AHJASA?
Alguna
vez
le
ha
brindado
ayuda
o
servicio
a
una
comunidad
no
afiliada
con
AHJASA
usted?
How
many
towns
to
you
visit
in
an
average
month?
Mas
o
menos,
cuantas
comunidades
vista
usted
durante
un
mes?
How
much
time
do
you
spend
on
average
in
each
town?
En
promedio,
cuanto
tiempo
pasa
usted
en
una
vista
a
una
comunidad?
If
you
had
less
communities
to
visit/monitor,
what
more
would
you
be
able
to
do?
Si
tuviera
menos
comunidades
que
visitar,
como
cambiaria
su
trabajo,
que
mas
haria
en
cada
comunidad?
Are
you
affiliated
in
any
way
with
the
members
of
the
towns
you
visit?
(Do
you
have
personal
ties
with
town
members?)
In
your
opinion,
do
most
communities
have
access
to
potable
water?
En
su
opinion,
tienen
la
mayoria
de
las
comunidades
aceso
a
agua
potable?
De
que
calidad
es
el
agua
en
general?
On
average,
how
many
of
the
communities
you
visit
properly
maintain
their
chlorinators?
Aproximadamente,
cuantas
de
las
comunidades
que
usted
visita
adequatamente
mantienen
el
sistema
de
desinfeccion
comunitario?
What
are
the
biggest
problems
you
see
in
the
maintenance
of
the
chlorinators?
Cuales
son
los
problemas
destacados
que
usted
observa
en
la
forma
de
mantener
el
sistema
existente?
If
there
maintenance
is
needed,
how
do
you
see
the
water
boards
resolve
those
issues?
Si
la
comunidad
necesita
mantenimiento
del
sistema,
como
resuelve
esto?
What
is
your
assessment
of
how
well
the
water
boards
function
in
each
community?
Como
calificaria
usted
el
nivel
de
funcionamiento
de
las
juntas
de
agua
en
cada
comunidad?
What
are
biggest
challenges
facing
the
water
boards?
Cuales
son
los
desafios
que
enfrantan
las
juntas
de
agua?
In
your
visits
to
the
communities,
do
you
provide
technical
training
to
the
water
board
members?
plumbers?
others?
Durante
sus
visitas
a
las
comunidades,
ofrece
usted
entrenamiento
tecnico
a
algunos
actores
comunitarios?
Do
you
promote
the
chlorine
bank?
Any
of
AHJASA's
other
services?
Promueve
usted
el
banco
de
cloro
de
alguna
forma?
Do
you
believe
that
the
Circuit
Rider
program
is
the
most
effective
way
of
providing
support
to
each
town?
Cree
usted
que
el
programa
de
Circuit
Rider
es
la
forma
mas
eficaz
de
apoyar
cada
comunidad?
If
you
had
a
chance,
is
there
anything
you
would
like
to
change
in
the
Circuit
Rider
program?
What
would
you
like
to
change?
Si
pudiera
usted
cambiar
algo
del
programa
de
Circuit
Rider,
que
seria?
39
Appendix
D—Sample
Survey
WATER
&
SANITATION‐
COMMUNITY
SURVEY
A.
GENERAL‐
WATER
SUPPLY
&
SANITATION
1)
Are
you
connected
to
your
community’s
water
system?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
1a)
If
not,
what
is
the
source
of
your
water?
Well
1
–
1b)
Well
has
pump?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
NA‐99
Stream
2
Other
________________________(77)
NA
(99)
1c)
If
not,
how
do
you
transport
your
water?
Metal
bucket
1
Plastic
bucket
2
Clay
bucket
3
Other____________________(77)
2)
Do
you
know
what
your
community’s
source(s)
of
water
is
(are)?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
2a)
What
are
they:
3)
How
far
away
is
your
household
from
the
nearest
water
source?
(or
community
source
if
tap)
_______km
_______meters
DK_____(88)
4)
In
what
ways
do
you
generally
use
water?
[MARK
ALL
THAT
APPLY]
Crop
irrigation
1
Gardening
2
Laundry
3
Cooking
4
Drinking
5
Bathing/washing
6
Toilet/latrine
7
Other____________________(77)
5)
Does
your
community
have
rules
regarding
water
usage?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
9a)
What
are
they?
___________________
6)
Do
you
have
enough
water
throughout
the
year?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
40
6a)
If
not,
for
how
long
are
you
without
enough
water?__________days/weeks/months
7)
How
do
you
store
water?
Metal
bucket,
covered
1
Metal
bucket,
uncovered
2
Plastic
bucket,
covered
3
Plastic
bucket,
uncovered
4
Clay
bucket,
covered
5
Clay
bucket,
uncovered
6
Do
not
store
water
7
Other______________________(77)
8)
Do
you
ever
clean
items
used
to
transport
or
store
your
water?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
8a)
If
yes,
how
do
you
clean
these
items?
Rinse
with
water
only
1
Wash
with
soap
2
Use
chlorine
bleach
3
Other______________________(77)
9)
Do
you
have
to
pay
for
your
water?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
9a)
How
much?
per
month
9b)
Do
you
feel
this
fee
is…
Too
high
1
A
fair
price
2
Too
low
3
DK
88
NR/NA
99
9c)
Are
you
always
able
to
pay
the
fees?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
10)
Is
your
water
being
treated?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
10a)
How
much
do
you
trust
this
treatment
is
effective?
Extremely
1
Somewhat
2
A
little
3
Not
at
all
4
DK
88
NR/NA
99
11)
Do
you
use
any
water
purification
methods
in
your
household?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
11a)
If
so,
which
ones?
[MARK
ALL
THAT
APPLY]
Chlorine
products
1
41
Boiling
Filtration
Solar
No
method
used
2
3
4
5
11b)
If
you
have
to
purchase
supplies
to
treat
your
water,
where
do
you
purchase
them?
11c)
How
much
do
they
cost?
11d)
How
satisfied
are
you
with
this
/
(these)
method(s)?
Completely
1
Satisfied
2
Not
very
satisfied
3
Dissatisfied
4
DK
88
NR/NA
99
12)
How
important
is
having
clean
water
for
your
household?
Extremely
1
Somewhat
2
A
little
3
Not
at
all
4
DK
88
NR
99
13)
Do
you
have
a
toilet/latrine
inside
your
home?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
13a)
If
not,
what
do
you
use?
_______________________(NA‐99)
14)
We
all
know
that
many
people
use
soap
and
many
do
not
while
washing
hands.
How
often
do
you
use
soap
when
you
wash
your
hands?
Would
you
say
you
use
soap…
Always
1
Most
of
the
time
2
Some
of
the
time
3
Rarely
4
Never
5
DK
88
NR
99
15)
When
was
the
last
time
someone
in
your
household
was
ill?
16)
How
often
is
one
or
more
of
your
family
members
ill?
Always
1
Most
of
the
time
2
Some
of
the
time
3
Rarely
4
Never
5
42
DK
88
NR
99
17)
What
is
the
most
common
illness?
_________________________
DK_____(88)
18)
Are
you
interested
in
learning
more
about
water
treatment
in
protecting
your
household
from
illness?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
B.
AHJASA,
WATER
BOARDS
&
CHLORINE
BANKS
19)
Does
your
village
have
a
junta
de
agua?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
19a)
Are
you
a
member?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
(NA‐99)
19b)
Do
you
know
any
members?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
(NA‐99)
19c)
Is
your
junta
a
member
of
AHJASA?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
(NA‐99)
19d)
Does
your
junta
have
open
meetings
for
anyone
to
attend?
YES_____(1)
NO_____(2)
DK_____(88)
(NA‐99)
19e)
How
comfortable
do
you
feel
voicing
your
concerns
to
your
water
board?
Extremely
1
Somewhat
2
A
little
3
Not
at
all
4
DK
88
NR/NA
99
20)
How
well
do
you
feel
water
issues
are
resolved
in
your
neighborhood/community?
Extremely
1
Somewhat
2
A
little
3
Not
at
all
4
DK
88
NR/NA
99
21)
How
do
you
generally
resolve
your
water
issues?
[MARK
ALL
THAT
APPLY]
Ignore
the
issue
/
no
action
1
Talk
with
neighbors
2
Talk
with
water
board
member
3
Talk
with
AHJASA
member
4
Talk
with
other
gov’t
member
5
DK
88
NR/NA
99
Other______________________(77)
43
C)
DEMOGRAPHICS
22)
How
old
are
you?
______years
23)
Gender:
Male1
Female2
Other3
24)
Marital
Status
Single
Married
or
living
with
your
spouse
/
partner
Other
(widower,
divorced,
etc.)
1
2
3
25)
How
many
people
(children,
relatives)
are
in
your
household?
*
definition
of
household
could
be
how
many
people
sleep
in
your
house
Ages:
________________________________________
26)
What
is
the
highest
level
of
education
you
have
completed?
College
degree
1
Some
college
2
Completed
high
school/diploma
3
Some
high
school
4
Elementary
School
5
Did
not
finish
Elementary
School
6
DK
88
NR
99
Other______________________(77)
27)
What
is
your
current
occupation?
10
Profesional
11
Empresario,
trabajo
por
cuenta
propia,
autónomo
12
Vendedor
13
Agricultor
14
Trabajo
de
construcción
15
Maestro
16
Desempleado
17
Jubilado
77
Other
28)
What
is
your
household’s
annual
income?
44
Less
than
1,000
lempiras
(<$50)
1
Between
1,000
and
2,000
lempiras
($50‐100)
2
Between
2,001
and
4,000
lempiras
($100‐200)
3
Between
4,001
and
10,000
lempiras
($200‐500)
4
More
than
10,000
lempiras
(>$500)
More
than
20,000
lempiras
(>$1,000)
DK
NR
5
6
88
99
29)
What
would
you
say
are
the
top
three
priorities
for
your
household’s
wellbeing?
a____________________________
b____________________________
c____________________________
30)
Is
there
anything
else
you
want
to
share
with
us?
[END
OF
SURVEY]
Date_____________________
Time______________________
Location________________________________
Interviewer______________________________
Entered
by_______________________________
45
Appendix
E:
Categories
of
Water
Systems
in
Honduras
CATEGORY
DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLE
OF
MEASURES
TO
TAKE
A
35%
The
system
works
fine,
chlorination
is
in
practice,
the
Praise
the
good
work,
encourage
water
board
meets
regularly
and
is
well
organized.
the
Water
Board
to
care
for
the
There’s
a
tariff
and
bad
debts
are
moderate.
status
of
the
system
B
28%
The
system
is
working
but
it
shows
administrative
deficiencies.
Investments
are
not
needed
to
improve
the
system
category
to
“A”.
C
14%
The
system
works
totally
or
partially
but
it
shows
administrative
and
physical
deficiencies.
Investments
are
required
to
improve
the
system
category
to
“A”.
The
community
can
afford
repairing
costs.
Work
with
the
Water
Board
to
correct
the
administrative
deficiencies
Reorganize
the
Water
Board
Reinforce
training
and
education
Identify
deficiencies
and
corrective
actions
Supervise
reparation
works
D
21%
The
system
is
broken
down
in
physical
and
The
TOM,
will
not
dedicate
much
administrative
terms
that
the
costs
to
correct
such
time
to
this
system
since
little
he
deficiencies
are
beyond
the
capacity
of
the
community.
can
do
to
improve
the
situation
Source:
Javier
Rivera,
SANNA
and
Luis
Romero,
CONASA;
modified
to
include
two
sets
of
data.
Appendix
F.
Non‐Chlorine‐Based
Disinfection
Methods
For
Households
Solar
Disinfection
(SODIS):
Through
heat,
light
and
ultra‐violet
rays,
this
method
kills
over
99.9%
of
microorganisms
using
water‐filled
plastic
bottles
that
are
set
in
the
sun
for
six
hours.
Time
is
a
factor
in
this
process,
and
can
be
an
inhibitor,
but
this
is
both
a
cheap
and
effective
method
for
cleaning
water
at
the
household
level.
One
health
issue
not
commonly
considered
when
using
this
method
is
the
danger
of
reusing
plastic
bottles
containing
Biphenyl
A
(BPA).
These
types
of
plastics
are
meant
to
be
one‐time‐use
and
should
not
be
reused
more
than
a
few
times
to
avoid
health
effects
associated
with
BPA
exposure.
The
US
Food
and
Drug
Administration
expresses
extra
concern
for
infants
and
children.xxvii
Ceramic
Filters:
A
ceramic
filter
device
is
fitted
into
a
container
mainly
consisting
of
a
bucket
or
similar
with
a
spigot.
While
this
method
is
shown
to
reduce
organisms
by
98.99%,
the
filters
require
replacement
over
time
and
are
quite
expensive
as
imported
items.
For
highly
turbid
water,
it
is
possible
to
strain
away
helminth
eggs
(worms)
and
some
larger
organisms
by
using
a
cloth,
folded
multiple
times
and
held
over
a
water
container
spout
after
allowing
the
water
to
settle
for
some
time.
This
is
obviously
not
effective
for
smaller
organisms,
but
can
be
a
first
step
if
there
is
nothing
else.
46
Appendix
F.
WHO's
Classified
Water
Source
Types
and
Descriptions
Improved
Source
Piped
water
into
dwelling,
yard
or
plot
Public
tap
or
standpipe
Tubewell
or
borehole
Protected
dug
well
Protected
spring
Unimproved
Source
Unprotected
dug
well
Unprotected
spring
Cart
with
small
tank
or
drum
Tanker
truck
Surface
water
(river,
dam,
lake,
pond,
stream,
canal,
irrigation
channel)
Bottled
water
Rainwater
collection
• Improved
drinking
water
sources
are
defined
in
terms
of
the
types
of
technology
and
levels
of
services
that
are
more
likely
to
provide
safe
water
than
unimproved
technologies.
• Unimproved
water
sources
are
unprotected
wells,
unprotected
springs,
vendor‐provided
water,
bottled
water
(unless
water
for
other
uses
is
available
from
an
improved
source)
and
tanker
truck‐provided
water.
• Reasonable
access
is
broadly
defined
as
the
availability
of
at
least
20
liters
per
person
per
day
from
a
source
within
one
kilometer
of
the
user's
dwelling.
• Sustainable
access
has
two
components
with
respect
to
water:
one
stands
for
environmental
sustainability,
the
other
for
functional
sustainability.
The
former
insists
on
environmental
protection
through
limiting
extraction
of
water
to
a
capacity
below
what
is
actually
available.
The
latter
reflects
program
sustainability
in
terms
of
supply
and
management.
47
Endnotes
i
CIA
World
Factbook
–
Honduras.
Retrieved
from
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ii
UNDP
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iii
Water
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iv
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Retrieved
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v
UNICEF
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Be
Done
2009,
WHOSIS
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vi
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/monitoring/jmp2000.pdf
vii
Water
for
People.
Water
for
People
‐
Honduras
Country
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2007‐2011.
2006.
viii
(Source
WSP
New
Roles)
ix
Brand,
Anthony.
“Technologies
Applied
for
Drinking
Water
Treatment
in
Rural
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Water
and
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(2004).
x
Drinking
Water
Chlorination
xi
Interview
with
CARE
xii
Ibid.
xiii
Cl
manufacturer
paper,
CARE
interview
xiv
Brand,
Anthony.
“Technologies
Applied
for
Drinking
Water
Treatment
in
Rural
Communities.”
Water
and
Sanitation
Program.
(2004).
xv
Ibid.
xvi
Sano
2009.
xvii
EHP
xviii
Water
for
People.
Water
for
People
‐
Honduras
Country
Strategy
2007‐2011.
2006.
xix
CONASA
interview
xx
EHP
xxi
EHP
report
xxii
AHJASA
Perfil
Institucional
2009
xxiii
Interview
Nora
Hernandez
xxiv
Brand
2004
xxv
Rivera
2010
xxvi
Ibid.
xxvii
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/UCM197778.pdf
48