What is a Circuit Rider?
Technical Expertise for Rural Communities
The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) created the Circuit Rider program to provide technical assistance and training on clean water treatment and monitoring to communities throughout rural America. The NRWA saw that it was easy to build water systems but not as easy to keep them functional without an intensive effort of operator training and technical assistance.
Local Empowerment through International Training
The International Rural Water Association (IRWA) now uses the same successful program in rural communities in Central America and the Caribbean. Beginning in Honduras in 1988, IRWA began training a core group of Circuit Riders that has expanded to El Salvador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Experienced U.S. based circuit riders and water industry professionals work with and train individuals in Central America and the Caribbean to build the human capital necessary to assist rural communities in developing nations. Circuit Riders are trained in subjects such as chlorination, ceramic filters, flocculation and sedimentation, water sampling techniques, bacteriological analysis, and general community water assessments.
The Assurance of Continuous Clean Water
The IRWA Circuit Riders are full-time on the ground professionals who travel to community after community providing technical assistance and education. They are essential to providing cash-strapped rural villages in developing nations with professional, up-to-date, and technologically savvy water and sanitation management.
The IRWA Circuit Rider works with communities to:
- Build community commitment to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
- Select and help to install appropriate clean water and sanitation technologies.
- Empower communities by helping them create community boards to oversee water and sanitation programs.
- Create financial self-sufficiency through setting up sustainable monthly water rates.
- Increase understanding about waterborne illness.
- Educate about disinfection, monitoring and water treatment.
Above all, Circuit Riders teach and mentor the community members and the operators of their water and sanitation systems.
The circuit rider keeps knowledge and clean water flowing to the communities.
Mission
To improve the quality of water for residents of developing nations through the establishment of partnerships with organizations to provide resources for implementation of training, technical assistance and sustainable technology applicable to the needs of developing nations.
