Who Are We?
The Healthy Hands Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based out of UNC Chapel Hill with the goal of providing sustainable clean water solutions for underserved families and students around the world. The initiative began with an initial pilot project in the Bokaro district of northeast India in the Fall of 2020 that has since evolved into the installation of Afridev hand pumps in numerous villages in the region. Looking towards the future, Healthy Hands is excited to begin the process of expanding the mission beyond India in order to continue the process of reducing the rate of preventable diseases and promoting social welfare and healthcare internationally.
Our Impact
The Healthy Hands Initiative solution is centered around installing Afridev hand pumps across several Bokaro district villages and monitoring their maintenance over a five-to-ten-year period with the help of our community partner, Jan Chetna Manch Bokaro. Thus far, our pilot project in the village of Lalpur has provided clean water for 60 families (or about 250 individuals ranging from children to adults) for the last two years. Furthermore, the initiative was able to install three additional hand pumps in the villages of Bansghari, Santhai Laghia, and Smulia in the last year that continue to provide clean water for all residents. In the upcoming year, HHI is looking to implement an evaluation system via the Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) Research Coordination Network (RCN), funded by the National Science Foundation, to analyze the efficiency of these pumps and to collect personal accounts from locals to better understand how these pumps have influenced health and quality of life.
Covid-19 and HHI
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, HHI’s mission was adapted to include nutritional support for malnourished children of vulnerable families due to both the collapse of government nutrition programs and worsening economic conditions. The persistent lockdowns in combination with the inefficiency of government programs resulted in a significant increase in malnutrition as unemployment and food shortages continued to skyrocket. In response, HHI has dedicated over $1500 towards providing basic necessities to approximately 150 children in the age group of 6-36 months. As the impacts of the pandemic continue to reverberate through India in terms of food and water insecurity, HHI is planning to continue these nutritional support programs through the upcoming year.
