Overview
AQUA PROGRAM is a joint project with a jewelry brand “4℃” and Japan Water Forum.
It aims to bring “beauty” and “inspire” the women of developing countries who face serious water and hygiene problems by supporting water issues.
Since its establishment in 2008, projects has been carried out in the Republic of Kiribati, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

▼4℃ official website “Responsibility to Society”▼
https://www.fdcp.co.jp/4c-jewelry/4c_aquaprogram/

The details of the AQUA PROGRAM 2019 are described below.

Details of the AQUA PROGRAM 2019

1) Project Title
AQUA PROGRAM 2019

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

Bangladesh	Khulna Division

3) Beneficiaries
50 households, 228 people

4) Project period
August 2019 to August 2020

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) Main activities
・Baseline survey
・Installing rainwater-harvesting tanks (2 tanks in each) and pipes in 50 households
・Training on operation and maintenance
・Experience sharing workshop
・Follow-up visit to each household
・Water quality tests

During the project

Baseline survey	Transportation of the constructed rainwater harvesting tank

Installing rainwater harvesting tanks and pipes	Operation and maintenance training for beneficiaries

Experience Sharing Workshop	Beneficiaries with the rainwater harvesting tanks (AMAMIZU developed by Skywater Bangladesh Ltd.)

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

Voice from a beneficiary

Beneficiary with the rainwater harvesting tanks

She is from an extreme poor family consists of total four members including three children. Her husband had died two years ago. She works as a laborer at other house and bear her family expenses. It is very much difficult to bear her family expenses by her low income, though she has a great problem of safe drinking water. She and her children have to collect pond water from 1.2 kilometer distance for drinking, which is not safe for health. So all family members were suffering from water borne diseases in the dry season and have to bear BDT-1000/year as the costs for medicine and doctor. She remembers the death of her husband. Her husband was a day labor. He felt sickness during working for other household. He came back to the house and his diarrhea started when it was evening. They felt it will become well. However, at the late night, it was increasing, they were waiting for the dawn. At the morning, he admitted the Morrelganj health complex, but it didn’t stop, doctors advised him to admit the Khulna district hospital. They had no money; She was thinking what to do. After two hours, doctors announced her husband death. She tears and tears. She never forgets that day. After that incident, she was thinking how to manage safe drinking water. She communicated with PR-Bangladesh to join this project and got two AMAMIZU. Now she has no lack of safe drinking water. She said that safe drinking water was a dream for her; she fulfilled her dream.

(Reported by Shigenori Asai, Director and Miyo Tabata, Assistant manager)