Before
The standpipes were already there and already in use. Payment was the weak point. Shopkeepers and committee members collected cash informally, and there was no reliable way to check what had been collected against what was owed.
What we did
We retrofitted Community Dispensers into the existing standpipes, set in cement using local materials and methods, and re-routed the existing PVC pipework through each dispenser's inlet and outlet. Households and individuals were issued contactless WaterCards. Local resellers top the cards up for cash using any NFC-enabled Android phone, and reselling has become a small income in its own right for shopkeepers, mothers and people living with health impairments in the community.
Since then
The village water committee, working with an NGO representative, manages WaterCard credit and downloads daily and weekly statements for every dispenser. Money is collected before the water is drawn rather than chased afterwards, and it pays for the borehole pump and the rest of the water system directly.
