Intro: EWB-KC was officially formed as a professional chapter in Aug. 2006 by a group of engineers working in the Kansas City area. The Dominican Republic project was initially introduced to the group by fellow member, Marc Schlebusch. Mr. Schlebusch, in conjunction with local engineer, Danny Perez, conducted an initial water quality survey of drinking water in some bateys (rural villages) surrounding the La Romana area in June 2006. Additionally, Bev Timmons, R.N., of the Dominican Republic Medical Partnership (DRMP) has been, and continues to be instrumental in assisting EWB-KC in developing and implementation of this project.

Dominican Republic Site Assessment Trip:  Six engineers traveled to the La Romana area of Dominican Republic in Feb. 27th - Mar. 4th, 2006 to perform a site assessment trip. The purpose of the Spring 2007 assessment trip was to expand on the initial water quality data and gain a better understanding of the health issues facing the residents of the bateys. The trip objectives were summarized in these four broad points: 

• Expanded Water Quality Testing & Engineering field reconnaissance 
• Introduction to local NGO Partners
• Introduction to Central Romana (primary land owner and employer)
• Gain familiarity with people, customs, cultures, etc. 

Batey Lima, Dominican Republic Implementation Trip: A group of nine EWB-KC engineers and volunteers returned to La Romana, Dominican Republic to complete an initial implementation trip from November 3 to November 10, 2007.  The project team focused on four integrated components in this trip:

• Access to Safe Drinking Water: We installed three point-of-use Bio-sand filters to remove dangerous bacteria, including e.Coli from the water source with the end goal of reducing water borne illnesses.  These filters were installed at the homes of community leaders in Batey Lima.  We improved upon the original design and existing resources by developing a community scale in-line filter system.  A pilot system was constructed at our base in La Romana and we hope to install this community filter during our spring implementation trip. 
• Improved Access to Sanitation: We developed a partnership with the community leaders to improve existing sanitation facilities and provided some of the resources & education necessary to maintain the facilities. We cleaned community shower houses with residents and improved drainage from these areas.
• Starting Community Gardens: During the community survey, we met with several residents interested in home-based gardens.  We determined that that the limiting factor to more localized food production was the availability of seeds and plants.  Interested residents were knowledgeable about creating compost and growing vegetables.  We provided three fruit trees to the school (lemon, avocado, and mango) and vegetable seeds to interested gardeners.
• Hygiene Education: We worked with all of the batey residents, specifically children, to educate about the importance of personal hygiene. Where we installed point-of-use filters and provided water collection containers, we used lessons such as, How to Properly Collect, Filter, and Store Drinking Water.  Activities with children, such as picking up trash or cleaning the shower houses, were followed with a lesson in Appropriate Handwashing Methods. This education was especially targeted towards children utilizing fun and engaging teaching methods (songs, games, etc), because children are the most impressionable and the most vulnerable to water borne illnesses.

We are always looking for more volunteers, (of all professions!) to join and help develop our workplan with the goal of ultimately improving the quality of life for our adopted communities. If you have any questions, or would like to be added to our project email distribution list, please email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Please continue for additional information on the bateys of our adopted communities for the  Dominican Republic Project: 

Batey Communities: The batey communities are essentially rural villages located in the countryside to the north and east of La Romana, Dominican Republic. There are approximately 110 bateys, each with a population ranging from 50 to 4,000 people. The bateys are very isolated, located among miles and miles of sugar cane fields. The search for work in sugar cane fields and a better life is what originally drew many of the resident's families from Haiti, although now many are Dominican born.  The males of working age and ability work harvesting sugar cane in the nearby fields, while the women and children typically stay in the batey. 

    The houses to the right exemplify the typical family housing in the batey. The homes are small one or two bedrooms, constructed of wood or cinder blocks, and have no running water or electricity. There is also some appartment style 'row' housing, typically reserved for bachelors in most bateys. The bateys all have community showers, water taps, and latrines in between the rows of houses. 

         Sanitary Latrines: The image to the left is of a typical pit latrine found in all of the bateys. Some of the bateys visited had approximately one latrine per house, while others had many families all sharing one latrine. The latrines are a standard design consisting of a concrete slab and two raised stools positioned over an unlined 7-8-ft deep pit surrounded by a wood-framed enclosure.  When a latrine becomes full or no longer usable, the pit is sealed off, abandoned, and a new latrine is built directly adjacent to the old one. 

     Many of the latrines have inadequate ventilation and are in an unsanitary condition. EWB-KC will be working with the community to develop procedures to better maintain the latrines, in addition to making simple improvements by providing with locks on the doors, and potentially solar powered light sources. 

     Shower Facilities: The image to the right is of a typical shower facility that are found in all of the bateys. Many of the bateys have one or two showers that must be shared by hundreds of residents. Nearly all of the shower facilities have severe erosion due to inadequate drainage. This results in standing water, providing messy and unsanitary conditions as well as a potential source of stagnant water for mosquito and other disease vector breeding.

    EWB-KC plans to parter with adopted communities to rehabilitate these facilities to improve the usability and cleanness of the showers. We are also designing hand-washing stations to promote improved hygiene practices. 

    Water Storage Containers & Practices: The image to the right is a antifreeze container that was being used for drinking water storage in Batey Las Cejas. Throughout the assessment trip, EWB-KC witnessed a wide assortment of unacceptable containers being used for drinking water storage. Proper water storage containers and periodic disinfection and cleaning are a critical component of drinking water projects in developing nations. A treatment system producing completely safe drinking water is ineffective if the water is still transported and stored in contaminated containers. Water storage containers should be able to be capped and periodically disinfected to prevent microbial growth. In discussions with residents of all the bateys, we did not find any residents performing this disinfection regime. 

    EWB-KC is currently researching available technologies and products that would be suitable for drinking water storage, in addition to developing training materials on the appropriate practices for drinking water storage and container disinfection. 

Batey Lima, Dominican Republic Secondary Assessment Trip, March 2009:

EWB-KC returned to Batey Lima this spring, traveling March 13-20 with the intention of focusing on education in the school using science experiments, songs, and stories.   We returned to Lima to find a new mayordomo (Leo Leo) who seems a very kind man and good replacement for Ramon, receptive to our involvement in education but still skeptical of any infrastructure changes.    The community leadership is very concerned about cedulas (identification of citizenship) and decreased work load due to increased use of machines. 

 The schoolteachers and health promotora expressed interest in a handwashing station at the school where children are provided government-issued bread and milk.  On the final two days, the team constructed an outdoor handwashing station with three taps that drains into an existing garden within the school. 

Over the next few months, the team will work toward developing SODIS, solar cooking options, and strategizing the development of an adult school in Lima.  

The team was called upon to take an assessment of a local barrio in La Romana, Kilometer 6.  We mapped out the entire barrio of Kilometer 6,  taking water quality samples and getting basic information from Elza -- a strong community leader.  We're hoping to discuss potential engineering projects with some of the leadership via email over the next few months .