
Clean water and good sanitation are essential to the successful implementation of any health and wellness program. The availability of potable water, promotion of better hygiene, and mobilization of community members to support efforts at creating sanitary conditions produce notable improvements in the quality of water used for drinking and irrigation. MCDI engages in the construction of water supply and sanitation infrastructure (wells, latrines, water pumps, and irrigation systems) in order to reduce morbidity rates that are especially high among children and women of reproductive age. We have also engaged rural communities to establish water and sanitation projects that have the primary aim of improving knowledge and promoting behavioral changes regarding basic sanitation and disease prevention. Our consultants provide support for long-term planning, health education, and community development and hygiene, as well as assistance to short-term internal staff that specialize in the training of personnel, the preparation and implementation of water quality control programs, and the development of sanitation systems. As these programs have evolved and produced results, MCDI has shifted its focus to watershed management, groundwater sustainability, and water management issues.