Elevating the standard: a professionalized approach to community-based rainwater harvesting systems in Uganda

Waterlines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-126
Author(s):  
Tanner J. S. Hoffman ◽  
Alinaitwe Collins ◽  
Joseph Lwere ◽  
James B. Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Water Project ◽  
Community Institutions ◽  
Harvesting Systems ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

Where water resources are limited, rainwater harvesting (RWH) can provide on-site access to improved water sources. Community institutions are uniquely positioned to benefit from RWH; advocates have encouraged the installation of community-based RWH systems as a way to ameliorate water supply insufficiencies in low-income settings. However, poor quality RWH system installations and insufficient attention to management support have resulted in sustainability challenges, necessitating a commitment to higher standards for community-based RWH. Spurred on by an iterative learning cycle and commitment to innovation, the Ugandan Water Project has achieved RWH system design, installation, and management practices that are well adapted to Ugandan institutions. By investing in a professional crew, high-quality materials, and post-installation support, the Ugandan Water Project has achieved 96 per cent functionality two years after installation. The professionalized approach that the Ugandan Water Project employs can be used as a model to guide future RWH system installations in Uganda and elsewhere.

scholarly journals Long-Term Sustainability of Water Cellars in Traditional Chinese Villages: Factors Influencing Continuous Use and Effective Water Management Initiatives

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4394
Author(s):  
Weinan Zhou ◽  
Kunihiko Matsumoto ◽  
Masanori Sawaki
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Piped Water ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Harvesting Systems ◽  
Willingness To Use ◽  
Continuous Use

Traditional rainwater harvesting systems have seen a shift of emphasis in recent years. While recognizing its social, economic and environmental contributions, sustainable use in a modern context can be vulnerable. Through a case study, this study focuses on the long-term sustainability of water cellars in traditional villages if reliable piped water is introduced. The aim is to discern the factors and renovation methods that influence residents’ willingness to continue using these water cellars. The results show that the overall willingness to use them is very low. However, regardless of their continued use or non-use, only a few residents would landfill them. Most residents were interested in their renovation, especially regarding simplifying rainwater harvesting methods. In addition, the management time for rainwater harvesting and heritage identity is positively correlated with the willingness for sustainable use; conversely, the identification of the environmental contribution has no positive correlation. Given these findings, we propose carrying out effective renovation that changes the rainwater catchment surface to roofs and increases residents’ awareness that water cellars can only be heritage if they are in use. By defining the long-term sustainability of a water cellar, this study shows how a quantitative approach focusing on heritage users can offer important insights into a constructive evolution rather than a destructive reconstruction under the influence of modernization. Finally, this study provides planners and water resource managers with effective, sustainable management practices for water cellars as well as similar systems in a historical context.

Assessment of rainwater harvesting for drinking water supply in Bangladesh

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Karim
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Harvesting Systems ◽  
Cooking Water ◽  
Who Guideline

Rainwater harvesting is a potential option of water supply to the coastal and arsenic affected rural communities in Bangladesh and during the last few years, several projects were undertaken to promote and install various types of rainwater harvesting systems by government organizations and NGOs mainly for drinking and cooking water supply. A study was undertaken to assess the currently practiced rainwater harvesting systems located in the south west coastal and arsenic affected areas in the country. A total of 1,000 rainwater-harvesting systems were investigated using structured questionnaires; among them 14.8% were community based and 85.2% were household rainwater harvesting systems. The results of this assessment are presented in this paper. Availability of the harvested rainwater, operation, storage and maintenance of community based rainwater harvesting and ensuring water quality to meet the drinking water standard are the important issues that must be addressed properly. A protocol for the operation and maintenance according to WHO guideline can be adopted for the safe and sustainable rainwater harvesting in the country.

scholarly journals Multilevel Pathways of Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Low-Income Vietnamese Americans: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 107327482110110
Author(s):  
Grace X. Ma ◽  
Lin Zhu ◽  
Timmy R. Lin ◽  
Yin Tan ◽  
Phuong Do
Keyword(s):  
Health Beliefs ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Limited English Proficiency ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Vietnamese Americans ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Crc Screening

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) disproportionately affects Vietnamese Americans, especially those with low income and were born outside of the United States. CRC screening tests are crucial for prevention and early detection. Despite the availability of noninvasive, simple-to-conduct tests, CRC screening rates in Asian Americans, particularly Vietnamese Americans, remain suboptimal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interplay of multilevel factors – individual, interpersonal, and community – on CRC screening behaviors among low-income Vietnamese Americans with limited English proficiency. Methods: This study is based on the Sociocultural Health Behavior Model, a research-based model that incorporates 6 factors associated with decision-making and health-seeking behaviors that result in health care utilization. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we recruited 801 Vietnamese Americans from community-based organizations. We administered a survey to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics, health-related factors, and CRC screening-related factors. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to identify direct and indirect predictors of lifetime CRC screening. Results: Bivariate analysis revealed that a greater number of respondents who never screened for CRC reported limited English proficiency, fewer years of US residency, and lower self-efficacy related to CRC screening. The SEM model identified self-efficacy (coefficient = 0.092, P < .01) as the only direct predictor of lifetime CRC screening. Educational attainment (coefficient = 0.13, P < .01) and health beliefs (coefficient = 0.040, P < .001) had a modest significant positive relationship with self-efficacy. Health beliefs (coefficient = 0.13, P < .001) and educational attainment (coefficient = 0.16, P < .01) had significant positive relationships with CRC knowledge. Conclusions: To increase CRC screening uptake in medically underserved Vietnamese American populations, public health interventions should aim to increase community members’ confidence in their abilities to screen for CRC and to navigate associated processes, including screening preparation, discussions with doctors, and emotional complications.

Community-Based Interventions to Reduce Child Maltreatment

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973152098696
Author(s):  
Camilla Kin-Ming Lo ◽  
Yuet Wing Cho
Keyword(s):  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Institutions ◽  
Core Components ◽  
Further Development

Purpose: This review seeks to summarize selected literature on existing findings on the impacts of community-based interventions on the actual reduction of child maltreatment and to identify the core components of the interventions. Methods: This study systematically searched electronic databases, including PsycInfo, Medline, and Web of Science. The findings of the selected studies were summarized using narrative synthesis. Results: A total of four studies met the inclusion criteria of this study. The studies showed declines in child maltreatment incidences reported by child protective services and hospitals during the study periods. Four major components and approaches were identified among the selected interventions, including (1) the involvement of community members, (2) partnerships with community institutions, (3) multidisciplinary collaboration, and (4) responsiveness to the needs of the communities involved. Conclusions: The results of this review support the need for further development of community-based interventions using a hybrid approach.

“I Want to Advocate for Our Kids”: How Community-Based Organizations Broker College Enrollment for Underrepresented Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 001312452110045
Author(s):  
Irma Y. Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Organizations ◽  
Student College ◽  
Community Based Organization

This exploratory study examines the role community-based organizations have in bridging low-income students of color to postsecondary institutions. Data came from interviews with organization staff, high school students, and college students associated with three distinct community-based organizations located in a mid-size city. The findings suggest that organization staff are well-positioned in youth, academic, and community social networks. Staff become social brokers across these networks through three steps: cultivating authentic and safe relationships, lessons from students, and becoming advocates. Community-based organization staff strategically advocate for underrepresented student college enrollment and admissions by serving as social brokers between students, schools, and their communities.

scholarly journals A community-based system dynamics approach suggests solutions for improving healthy food access in a low-income urban environment

PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. e0216985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeeli Mui ◽  
Ellis Ballard ◽  
Eli Lopatin ◽  
Rachel L. J. Thornton ◽  
Keshia M. Pollack Porter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
System Dynamics ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Food Access ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Healthy Food Access

scholarly journals Creating a community-based comprehensive intervention to improve asthma control in a low-income, low-resourced community

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 820-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyra Bryant-Stephens ◽  
C. Kenyon ◽  
A.J. Apter ◽  
Courtney Wolk ◽  
Yolanda S. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Asthma Control ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Comprehensive Intervention
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