Water Mission is committed to ongoing learning and improvement to ensure the integrity of our promise to deliver lasting benefits for the people and communities we serve. Our product innovation and program evaluation initiatives – both in the laboratory and in the field – continuously enhance our water treatment and pumping technologies, technical design and community development approach. Additionally, we share our knowledge and best practices for the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
Solar Water Pumping
Water Mission’s extensive experience in designing, constructing and supporting solar-powered pumping solutions demonstrates the technology’s viability’s and cost effectiveness for delivering safe water to people, particularly in rural areas.
With over 1,400 solar-powered systems installed, Water Mission has experienced a very low failure rate. We have also seen a reduction of overall lifecycle costs when compared to drilled boreholes fitted with hand pumps that are designed for equivalent service areas and lifespans. LEARN MORE
Papers, Articles, and Presentations:
Sustainable WASH Management
Our approach to sustainability goes beyond solar-pumping technology and encompasses the best community-managed leadership and training available for those operating the systems. We have found that, in addition to broad systemic support, the fundamental building blocks for lasting service delivery at the local level are:
- Community demand and ownership
- Management capacity
- Adequate finance
- Quality technical design and construction
We strive to cultivate, monitor, and evaluate the impact of these factors in the areas where we work.
Papers, Articles, and Presentations
The following research findings and working papers have been published in journals and presented at academic and professional meetings such as the WEDC International Conference, Practicing Anthropology, The Water and Health Conference at UNC Chapel Hill, and the Accord WASH Summit.
Remote Monitoring & Innovative Technology
Since 2009, Water Mission has been engaged in remote monitoring and data collection with mobile devices, prepaid smart water dispensers (SWD), and well sensors transmitted over mobile and satellite networks.
Most recently, the World Bank funded a study in Tanzania to demonstrate the viability and sustainability of solar-powered water pumping and SWDs to address the systemic water service issues across the country. The study will help us better understand what makes a water system both financially and operationally sustainable, as well as help standardize how water solutions are implemented and managed in the future. Learn More
Papers, Articles, and Presentations:
Measuring Holistic Impact
We aim for transformational impact through our work with water, sanitation, and hygiene. Our rigorous program evaluation initiatives generate quantitative and qualitative evidence of improved health and wellbeing in the areas where we are engaged and help to improve our future efforts.
Tracking Pediatric Diarrhea and Mortality after a Large Scale WASH Program
While implementing a large-scale WASH program across the Department of Colón, Honduras, our research team tracked pediatric diarrhea and infant mortality rates over six years. In 2011, Colón experienced a drop in infant mortality rates almost twice as great as the national trend (15.6% vs. 29.6%), supporting local assertions of the impact of such large-scale interventions on childhood health and survival.
Papers, Articles, and Presentations
The following research findings have been published in journals and presented at academic and professional meetings such as the Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, Journal of Anthropology, Practicing Anthropology, The Water and Health Conference at UNC Chapel Hill, and the Society for Applied Anthropology.
