Clean Water Project Stages

JWOC has identified 12 distinct steps that we believe give the villages we work with the best opportunity to have and maintain the resources they need to really benefit from the gift of clean-water. Click on the pictures below to see specific steps or scroll down to read from the start!

Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4
Step 5	Step 6	Step 7	Step 8
Step 9	Step 10	Step 11	Step 12

1) Scouting

Members of the JWOC clean water project team go out into the countryside looking for areas that are both in need of assistance and where the local authorities (village chief, group leaders) and the community demonstrate a desire to work with JWOC to make positive changes.

2) Gathering information / mapping / assessment of need

When a location has been decided on in collaboration with local authorities, JWOC scholarship students gather all the information needed in order that JWOC can provide the appropriate assistance to the village. This includes information about the number of households, the population of the village, the existing water sources and places where access to water is limited or unsafe. GPS mapping of all the existing water sources is also made which is inputted into Google Earth for tracking and future record keeping.

3) Contract signing and money collection

Before beginning work in the village on fixing broken wells and drilling new wells, JWOC enters into an agreement with the village chief on behalf of the village population to guarantee JWOC’s assistance for the village and to make sure that the villagers enter into the process and spirit of helping each other to use the information and resources made available to improve quality of life in the village. A small sum of money ($3 or by mutual agreement with the village chief) is collected from each household in order to invest the villagers in the process of JWOC’s assistance.

4) Baseline health and hygiene surveys

Once an assessment of the needs of the village has been made, a representative sample of people in the village are interviewed to find out baseline information about their health, hygiene practices and knowledge about basic hygiene. This gives JWOC the information it needs to make an impact assessment later during the collaboration with the village.

5) Drilling and fixing / maintenance training

Once the water needs of the village have been assessed, maintenance reports have been made and new locations decided on, JWOC employs a local well expert to begin work. During the course of the drilling and maintenance, the well man takes time with each group of houses to instruct them about the way the well works, how to care for the wells and how to fix basic maintenance problems as they arise (for example, changing filters). All JWOC installed wells are guaranteed for one year and while villagers are encouraged to take responsibility for the long term maintenance of their wells, JWOC’s separate maintenance fund may be called on in the future for any big problems.

6) Specialized training for local leaders

In advance of training sessions for the village population as a whole, JWOC holds a short series of specialized training sessions for the local leaders. These training sessions (well maintenance, hygiene and filter) give them the knowledge to be able to provide an extra layer of support for villagers in the future, if and when they encounter problems.

7) Filter training and distribution

Providing households with access to safe drinking water for everyone is a crucial aspect of ensuring the decline in water borne illnesses causing diarrhea, sickness and in some cases death. JWOC provides each household in the village with a locally produced and sustainably produced ceramic water filter, as produced by Rural Development Initiative Cambodia (for more information on the filters please visit their website). In order to receive their filter, villagers are required to attend JWOC training about preparing and caring for the filters as well as the health benefits of drinking filtered water.

8 ) Hygiene training (hand washing / teeth cleaning)

Over the course of a weekend, villagers are required to attend basic hygiene seminars delivered by JWOC scholarship students. Presenting to adults and children separately, these seminars are designed as interactive and engaging information sessions focusing on hand washing and teeth cleaning. Villagers are encouraged to think about concepts of basic hygiene that they can introduce or develop in their everyday lives to get the maximum impact on their health. After the training, participants are presented with a small hygiene pack (soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste) to encourage them to incorporate these basic things into their lives (if they are not doing so already) straight away.

9) Final GPS mapping and photos of new wells

JWOC records final well data about the villages for all the new locations where wells have been drilled. This also includes taking photos of the new locations that are fed back to the donors who made the well building possible.

10) Final check and follow up hygiene survey

One week after the hygiene training, JWOC students return to the village to check that everything is working well and to answer any questions that may have arisen amongst the villagers. They also carry out a final hygiene follow up survey to measure the difference in knowledge about basic health and hygiene in the village.

11) Water testing

Water is collected by students who have received specific training in how to collect water samples and they are delivered to a local testing laboratory in Siem Reap. The water is tested for dangerous chemicals such as arsenic that naturally occur in some areas of Cambodia. If the water in a particular well is unsafe the well is dismantled and another location is sought to find a solution.

12) Six month impact assessment

Six months after the initial collaboration with the village, JWOC students return to conduct an impact assessment. This is done to measure the success of the project and identify any areas that can be improved or changed in future projects.