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303609
Water and Sanitation in Rural Haiti – a Community Health Perspective
Monday, November 17, 2014
: 3:10 PM - 3:30 PM
Peter Wampler, Ph.D. Geology
,
Geology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Richard Rediske, Ph.D. Environmental Health Sciences
,
Annis Water Research Institute, Grand Valley State University, Muskegon, MI
In this paper we explore water use, protection, and pollution in rural Haiti. In 2012, an interdisciplinary team of GVSU researchers collaborated with Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) and conducted an intensive 10 day program of community based surveys and water quality evaluations in rural Haiti near Deschapelles. As part of this research, we visited 8 rural communities and conducted a total of 60 individual ethnographic interviews and 6 focus groups. Open Defecation was practiced by most of the households surveyed leading to widespread contamination of shallow aquifers. 63% of households reported using a open nature while remaining using pit toilet. Water samples were analyzed for
Escherichia coli (
E. Coli) and coliform bacteria from the households sources and storage containers. Numerous examples were noted where clean source water was contaminated to unsafe levels by sanitation practices and hygiene within the household. Water samples from the source were safe to drink, however water samples from the plastic cooler were contaminated. Cultural practices related to water in rural Haiti are like a complex quilt, pieced together from the fabric of religious, social, and scientific traditions. Those seeking to implement water and sanitation solutions in rural Haiti will need to acknowledge this complex social framework in order to develop socially suitable educational and health interventions. Future plans are to work with local communities. Community-based Resources for Empowering Water Sustainability (CREWS) in Haiti is a collaborative effort between Grand Valley State University (GVSU; USA), Hôpital Albert Schweitzer
(HAS; Deschapelles, Haiti) and Université Quisqueya (Port-au-Prince, Haiti).
Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Environmental health sciences
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Other professions or practice related to public health
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Describe water use, protection, and pollution in rural Haiti.
Demonstrate the link between cultural practice and household water quality.
Identify key cultural practices that may lead to household water contamination.
Keyword(s): Community Health Programs, Water & Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am working as an Associate Professor position in the Department of Public Health, College of Health Professions at Grand Valley State University. My area of interest includes social & behavioral health, community health, environmental health, health education and promotion, and health communication and advocacy, including research methods. I have ten years of college and university level experience in teaching and doing research on public health issues in Bangladesh, in the U.S. and in Haiti.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
