Secretary Clinton Visits Community-Led Program in Indonesia (web article)

Secretary Clinton visits the Air RahMat kiosk in Petojo Utara, central Jakarta. (Courtesy of Environmental Services Program/Indonesia)

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with staff and volunteers of the Aman Tirta (Safe Water) project on February 19 during a recent trip to Jakarta, Indonesia. The Aman Tirta project aims to improve access to safe drinking water quality through the use of Air RahMat, a chlorine-based solution used to purify water. At $0.40 a bottle, Air RahMat treats more than a month's worth of water, and unlike boiling, it leaves behind residual chlorine, which continues to protect the water from recontamination, a big problem in Indonesia.

Over the last two years, community health workers—working with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs—have been promoting the benefits of Air RahMat and safe water to the community. Recently, the community leader, Pak Irwansyah, built an Air RahMat kiosk to increase access and visibility of the product, as well as to provide a place for people to get safe drinking water.

The Aman Tirta project is funded by USAID with the Water for the Poor initiative.