Resumen de Bringing Safe Water to Remote Populations: An Evaluation of a Portable Point-of-Use Intervention in Rural Madagascar

Pavani Kalluri Ram, Elaine Kelsey, Rasoatiana Rasoatiana, Rabeantoandro Rado Miarintsoa, Oliver Rakotomalala, Chris Dunston, Robert E. Quick

• Rural populations disproportionately lack access to improved water supplies. We evaluated a novel scheme that employed community-based sales agents to disseminate the Safe Water System (SWS)?a household-level water chlorination and safe storage intervention?in rural Madagascar.Respondents from 242 households in 4 villages were interviewed; all used surface water for drinking water. Respondents from 239 households (99%) had heard of Sûr?Eau, the SWS disinfectant; 226 (95%) reported having ever used Sûr?Eau, and 166 (73%) reported current use. Current Sûr?Eau use was confirmed in 54% of households. Community sales agents effectively motivated their neighbors to adopt a new health behavior that prevents diarrhea.Future work should focus on strategies for sustaining SWS use, factors that motivate community-based sales agents to promote SWS, and the feasibility of scaling up this approach.