Overview
The jewelry brand 4℃, deployed by F.D.C. PRODUCTS INC.^*, was born with a concept that the brand wants to be like water which does not change essence even though change the appearance. 4℃ AQUA PROGRAM aims to bring beauty and inspire the women of developing countries who face serious water and hygiene problems. 4℃ AQUA PROGRAM established in 2008 is a joint project with YONDOSHI HOLDINGS INC. and Japan Water Forum.

*F.D.C. PRODUCTS INC. is a group company of YONDOSHI HOLDINGS INC. which is a corporate member of the JWF.

4℃ official website “Responsibility to Society”
http://www.yondoshi.co.jp/eng/csr/contribution/

Since AQUA PROGRAM 2016, JWF has carried out the project in Bangladesh. The details are described below.

Details of 4℃ AQUA PROGRAM 2016

１）Title
Sustainable Safe Drinking Water for Climate Change Adaptation in Bangladesh with awareness of Sanitation & Hygiene

２）Project site
Morrelganj Upazila, Khulna Division, Bagerhat District, Bangladesh

Bangladesh	Khulna Division

３）Beneficiaries
30 households, 154 people

４）Project period
July 2016 to April 2017

５）Local partner
People for Rainwater Bangladesh

６）Problems
Project sites are typical underprivileged and marginalize villages.  People living in these village depend on unsafe wells and ponds as water resources for domestic use as well as for drinking water. Although they have small incomes, households must spend cash on medical supplies and attention for water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and for purchasing water from suppliers in order to meet their needs in the dry season. Fetching water is daily burden for women and the cost of buying water is stressing household economy.

７）Outputs
・Baseline survey
・Workshops and meetings with  stakeholders
・Installing rainwater-harvesting tanks in 30 households (2 tanks in each)
・Workshops on usage of rainwater and WASH
・Training on operation and maintenance
・Follow-up visit to each household
・Water quality tests

８）Potential Impacts
・30 households safe able to access safe drinking water throughout the year.
・Women are released from daily burdens of fetching water.
・Beneficiaries are able to operate and maintain the rainwater harvesting tanks.
・The cost for purchasing water and medical cost for water-borne disease can be reduced.

Voice from beneficiary

• Ms.  Fahima Akter
  We are a family of five including my husband, 2 sons and a daughter, and me. Family income is very limited, but we are managing to live. The only thing lacking is safe drinking water. we cannot afford to buy water, therefore, we have to go to a pond 2 kilometers away from home to fetch water. The most traumatic experience about water is when I become sick of  diarrhea at mid-nigh because I drank the water from the pond.  The nearest hospital was 12-kilometer distance from my house and, that time, road condition was very bad with no local transportation. Early in the morning, my husband asked our neighbors to carry me to the hospital. Doctor a took care of me and after 3 days I was cured. I could not forget that night, as I worried if I died what would happen to my children.
  Now, I and my family are very happy to have rainwater harvesting tanks. Thank you very much.

Ms. Fahima Akter with the constructed rainwater harvesting tanks

During the project

Baseline survey	Making a social map of the village

Workshop at the upazila level	Construction of rainwater harvesting tanks

Constructed rainwater harvesting tanks	Training on operation and maintenance

(Reported by Akie Gunji, Assistant Manager)