Harvesting Rainwater to Improve Water Access for Maternal Health in Malawi: Protocol and Preliminary Findings

Christabel Yollanda Kambala, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences
Chiara Pittalis, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Kevin McGuigan, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Jakub Gajewiski, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

BACKGROUND: Malawi is one of those countries where access to water for healthcare services remains a challenge and hurts both patients and providers. The SURG-Water project aims to address the poor access to water in health clinics in rural Malawi by testing a new, low-cost technology to treat harvested rainwater using renewable solar UV. METHODS: A pre-post, mixed-methods study will be used to evaluate the feasibility, adoption and effectiveness of the SURG-Water technology for improving the reliability of clean water supply at district health facilities. CONCLUSIONS: Low-cost solutions such as SODIS can help clinicians and patients use the solar-disinfected harvested rainwater to meet their daily water needs related to personal hygiene, infection prevention measures and provision of essential health care. The full results of the evaluation will be available end of 2024.