Introduction

Yaoundé is the capital of Cameroon (Central Africa), with a moist tropical climate and abundant rainfall (1500-2000 mm annually). According to Sogreah (1993), more than 70 % of quarters of Yaounde are slum areas. The population is estimated to 1.5 million inhabitants (DSCN, 2001). Only 34% of the households have individual tap connections for domestic water while 47% use communal water points.
Water supply in Yaoundé is assumed by a Para-public company (CAMWATER). The volume of water actually supplied by this company is extremely low due to the great amount of losses through the network (35 %), a low coverage of the city (less than 50 %). Because the water supply is unreliable with frequent water shortage, much people resorted to unsafe water for drinking like wells, springs and rivers (Nola et al., 1998; 1999; Tanawa et al., 2001). A great amount of water supply comes from wells and springs. Results of the analyses of the latter showed that more than 87 % having concentration of faecal coliforms higher than those recommended by the WHO (Dumoutier, 2003). According to Ebonji Seth (2003) about 70% of patient recorded in different Yaoundé Hospital suffer from waterborne diseases (cholera, typhoid, amoebiasis…).
Despite the creation of a division of Water and Sanitation in the Public Health Ministry to improve the access of populations to safe drinking water and frequent campaigns of sensitization by mass media to raise the awareness of the populations for waterborne diseases and the disinfection techniques (chlorination and boiling essentially), these methods are neglected due to time pressure and the price of firewood. It is therefore important to introduce a simple low-cost method for drinking water treatment as common practices at household level. SODIS method, though fulfilling these conditions, remains unknown. It uses solar energy to destroy pathogenic microorganisms causing waterborne diseases. Water to disinfect is introduced into PET bottles and expose to sunlight for at least 6 hours. These PET bottles are luckily available in Cameroon where they are used by some brewery industries. Those PET bottles are thereafter collected and resell in the markets.
AQUACARE and its three partners association (Tam-Tam Mobile, Sarkan Zoumountsi and Groupe PESSAF) are planning to implement a Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) through a project in slums areas of Yaoundé-Cameroon.

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to improve the access of poor populations of Yaoundé to safe drinking water by using the method of Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) in their daily practices.

Objectives

The objectives of the project are :
a) to vulgarise of the SODIS water disinfection method in some slums area of Yaoundé;
b) to monitor the incidence of diarrhoea among the children under 5 years old of the target populations and compare the reduction between SODIS users and non-user children

Project Zone

The targets communities are the populations of Briqueterie, Melen, Ntaba Nlongkak and Carriere, four neighborhoods of the Yaoundé area. 2,100 households having at least one child less than five (05) years old will be selected and follow up during this project. Sarkan Zoumountsi is already carrying out a door and door sanitation project aiming at collecting household waste in Briqueterie, Tam-Tam Mobile is engaged in waste collection at Melen while Groupe PESSAF is implicated in Water supply in Ntaba Nlonkak.

Implementation Strategy

The implementation strategy includes intensive mobilization of the community through formal channels (local leaders, women and youth associations), mass media communication, appropriate formation of SODIS trainers, SODIS Promoters and SODIS Users. SODIS Promoters will conduct intensive door to door campaigns to reach more people within an adequate shorter time. Hygiene education and promotion will be taught to the community to enhance the results project. The expected results are the improvement of health status of the population as well as the adoption of SODIS method as a daily practices.
Using lectures, working in groups, role playing, video and story tapes, technical staff, supervisors (SODIS trainers), SODIS promoters (from the community) will be trained during a participatory workshop and seminar period of one week followed by 3 further training sessions each of 2 days duration over the following 3 weeks in a series of sessions. During the first training in the community, the promoters will be accompanied by a SODIS trainer.
The community will be approached by SODIS promoter through the following channels
- contact with religious and local leaders (local chief, head of blocs)
- meeting with different groups or associations (women, youth…)
- general community gatherings [explanation (using posters, story tapes, sketches, video if necessary) and demonstration of SODIS method, distribution of PET bottles (4 by households)]. A maximum of 25 people per group will be formed.
- household visits for follow-up (once a week after training during 4 weeks).

Project Partner Organisation

- Sarkan Zoumountsi, a non profit association, legalized in September 1994 dealing with the hygiene and sanitation (pre-collection of domestic waste, valorization of solid waste, ditch clearing, re-calibration of gutters and rivers). They closely worked with the population and have good relationships with local religious leaders (Christian and Moslem). Using Participatory approach this association fights against flood in the slum area (Briqueterie) and educate population about general hygiene. Sarkam Zoumountsi is involved in Yaoundé Urban council activities.
- Tam-Tam Mobile a non profit association, created in 1997 and legalized in 2000. This association is dealing in hygiene and sanitation (Pre-collection of domestic waste, valorization of solid waste; proximity communication and environmental education). Their main partner is population (represented in their structures relay by the heads of districts, blocks and the leaders of youth and women associations). In addition Tam-Tam mobile worked with Yaoundé Urban council, Yaoundé VI district council, Biyem - Assi district of health, Polytechnic school (University of Yaoundé I), the national committee to fight against malaria via CAS of NKOL – NDONGO and project J.E V.A.I.S and the Ministry for youth. They received students at the national and international level for their research.
- Groupe PESSAF (« Groupe de Promotion d’Eau Potable et Soins de Santé sans Frontières »), a non profit association, created in 1996. This association deals with water supply and sanitation in slums areas of Yaounde. The association has tight links with the National Red Cross and the National Program for participative development implemented by the Ministry of Planning, Development Programming and Regional Development.

Expected results/Achievements

• Drinking water quality improvement (SODIS is a simple, inexpensive and attractive household method to improve the microbiological quality of drinking water) ;
• Population health status improvement as regard of water-borne diseases (Access to untreated raw water leads to high risk of water-borne diseases [diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, amoebiasis …]. Consumption of SODIS treated water will be consequently improve health status as they are already showed by other studies)
• Regular application of personal hygiene (before knowing water treatment methods, it is important to have a basic knowledge on the various transmissions routes of pathogens causing water-borne diseases, the awareness on the importance of treating water before consumption and how to block the diseases transmission routes. This knowledge will be transmitted to the targets population during SODIS training and implementation. We hope that well using SODIS method will be accompanied by regular of personal hygiene);
• Acceptability of SODIS method (Basing on the multiple advantage of SODIS method, targets population will adopt and use it as daily method for drinking water treatment).

Lessons learnt

will be here as soon as they have been made

Good and bad Application of Sodis