Controlling diarrhea through point of use (POU) water purification practices and devices: The use of micro-credit and collaboration with community self-help groups in India

Childhood diarrhea is a leading cause of death in India, claiming 500,000 lives a year. USAID's Point-Of-Use Water Disinfection and Zinc Treatment (POUZN) Project was created to promote the use of point-of-use (POU) water disinfection and zinc to control diarrhea in India and other countries. One component of the program engaged community-based self-help groups (SHGs) to become both consumers of POU devices, as well as distributors through the use of micro-credit schemes. This presentation will describe the process of increasing awareness and use of water purification practices through training communities to demonstrate POU devices to others and to test village water sources; and using behavior change materials and interactive games. The presentation will also address the use of micro-loans and installment schemes for those who wanted to purchase POU devices. Results from participatory research surveys, video documentation and in-depth interviews used to monitor progress will be shared. Overall, the program increased awareness and use of POU methods and devices through over 1,000 SHGs and 12,000 families; created scalable demonstration models to improve POU penetration; and created sustainable partnerships among manufacturers, SHGs and NGOs. Finally, the presentation will discuss how this approach can be applied in other environments.