Safe Water Systems: An Evaluation of the Zambia Clorin Program

Clorin is a household water treatment product (a sodium hypochlorite disinfectant) that Society for Family Health launched in Zambia in 1998. This report provides a external assessment of Clorin use in light of the Centers for Disease Control and Pan American Health Organization's overall Safe Water Systems initiative. The intervention took a social marketing approach, targeting low-income households with Clorin at a subsidized price, and sales steadily increased from 1998 to 2004. This involved training for health center staff , neighborhood volunteers, and pharmacists; and promotions through radio, television, newspapers, and posters. The study found that active marketing through community-level personal was very important, while the role of mass media messages was unclear. Collaboration with the government health sector, retailers, and community agents was advised, as was strengthening the water management side of the program