LESSONS LEARNED FROM NGO EXPERIENCES IN THE WATER AND SANITATION SECTOR Edited by Ian Smout and Sarah Parry-Jones WATER AND NGOs WORKSHOP, 21 JANUARY 1998 LESSONS LEARNED FROM NGO EXPERIENCES IN THE WATER AND SANITATION SECTOR Contents Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................1 Chapter 2 Key lessons learned by NGOs in the Water and Sanitation Sector ............................................................5 Chapter 3 Summary papers ..................................................................11 Paper 1: Water and Group Enterprise Project (WAGE), Kenya .............................. 13 Patrick Goss, Africa Now Paper 2: Bangladesh: The Sanitation and Family Education (SAFE) Project ......... 15 Scott Tobias Paper 3: Honduras: Local Management of Community Water Systems ................. 21 Raquiba Jahan and others, CARE Paper 4: Namarroi Water Supply, Zambezia, Mozambique .................................... 27 Gillian Peace, Christian Aid Paper 5: Kolinghuesse Dam.................................................................................... 29 Hannah Williams, Christian Aid Paper 6: ABCD Programme, Treadle Pumps, Cambodia ....................................... 32 Bernard Crenn, Christian Outreach Paper 7: Mecanhelas Water Programme, Mozambique.......................................... 34 Steve Hucklesbury, Christian Outreach Paper 8: Introduction of Low-cost Drilling to Malawi................................................ 37 David Hillyard and Masauko Mthunzi, Concern Universal Paper 9: Bangladesh Cyclone Shelter Preparatory Project..................................... 41 James Lewis, Datum International Paper 10: Urban Slum Water Supply, Bangladesh ................................................. 43 Bruce Herzer and others, Dushtha Shasthya Kendra Paper 11: Community Oriented Rural Development Project ................................... 46 Vincent Gainey, Farm Africa Paper 12: West Myagdi Commmunity Health Programme...................................... 48 Chris Ruddall, International Nepal Fellowship Paper 13: Gunjur (The Gambia) Community Water Project .................................... 50 Nick Maurice, The Marlborough Brandt Group iii Paper 14: Antitar Water Supply and Sanitation Project, Nepal ............................... 53 Dinesh Bajracharya, Newah Paper 15: Community Involvement in the Development of Participatory Health Education Materials, Ghana..................................................................................... 55 Silas Quaye, ProNet Paper 16: Development of Participatory Health Education Materials for Community Volunteers and Project Supervisors and Trainers, Ghana ................... 57 Silas Quaye, ProNet Paper 17: Emergency Water Supplies for Rwandan Refugees............................... 60 Paul Larcher, REDR/Oxfam Paper 18: Muchinji Water Project, Malawi............................................................... 63 Alan Nicol, SCF Paper 19: Environmental Health Project Tibet Autonomous Region ...................... 68 P.R. China, SCF (UK)/Jigme EHL Tibet Paper 20: Morrumbala Water and Sanitation Pilot Project...................................... 68 Geert Kroon, SCF (UK)/Mozambique Paper 21: Kale Heywet Church Water Programme, Ethiopia.................................. 71 Richard Carter, Silsoe College Paper 22: Mafefe Water Supply, South Africa......................................................... 74 Mike Webster, Tsogang Water and Sanitation Paper 23: Water and Sewerage Engineering for the Maldives................................ 77 Roger Kløvtveit, VSO Paper 24: Hittosa Water Supply, Sanitation and Health Education Management Schemes, Ethiopia, ................................................................................................. 80 Adana Kassa, Water Action Ethiopia Paper 25: Bwera Water Supply and Muyembe Tubewell Project ............................ 83 John Pinfold, WaterAid Paper 26: Hitosa Gravity Flow Water Supply Scheme, Ethiopia ............................. 86 Julie Jarman, WaterAid Paper 27: Shantipura Muddanahalli Parish Society, India ...................................... 89 Shanmuga Paramavisan, WaterAid Paper 28: Using Advisers. The WaterAid Experience............................................. 93 Roy Oakley, WaterAid Paper 29: Senegal Potable Water Project............................................................... 95 Sue Birchmore, World Vision UK Paper 30: Kwekwe Water Project, Zimbabwe ......................................................... 97 Sarah Allen, Plan International Paper 31: Kidogozero Village Water Supply Scheme, Tanzania ............................ 99 Peter Park, Britain-Tanzania Society iv Chapter 4 wPresented papers ...............................................................103 Presentation 1: Overview Report on 1996-1997 JFS Submissions...................... 104 Michael Smith, WEDC Presentation 2: Findings of the Water and Livelihoods Workshop in Harare....... 112 Alan Nicol, SCF Presentation 3: Sources of Information and Networking for WSS Professionals . 119 Darren Saywell, WEDC Appendix 1 The workshop.....................................................................127 A1.1 Programme ....................................................................... 127 A1.2 Summary of morning discussion groups ........................... 128 A1.3 Summary of afternoon discussion groups......................... 129 A1.4 DFID panel........................................................................ 130 A1.5 Plenary discussion............................................................ 131 A1.6 Committee for the future ................................................... 132 A1.7 Comments from the chair.................................................. 132 Appendix 2 Reports from discussion groups ......................................133 Appendix 3 Summary tables of lessons learned..................................147 Table A3.1 Community management ........................................... 147 Table A3.2 Access to water supply and sanitation....................... 150 Table A3.3 Environment............................................................... 150 Table A3.4 Finance and funding .................................................. 151 Table A3.5 Gender ....................................................................... 152 Table A3.6 Health and hygiene education ................................... 153 Table A3.7 Project management and partnerships ...................... 155 Table A3.8 Monitoring, evaluating, and training ........................... 156 Table A3.9 Political issues ........................................................... 156 Table A3.10 Technical issues ........................................................ 157 Appendix 4 List of participants .............................................................159 v Chapter 1 Introduction ___________________________________________________________________ Background This book comprises 31 summaries of NGO projects in the water and sanitation sector, and the lessons learnt from them, together with the proceedings of a workshop held in London on 21 January 1998. The purpose of the workshop was to: • enable information sharing on water-related technical, management and social issues between UK-based development organisations • disseminate that information to project practitioners through existing channels of communication. The project summaries were prepared by NGOs before the workshop and circulated to participants. They cover a wide geographical range, with a variety of lessons identified from the projects. The lessons are distilled in Chapter 2 and the summaries themselves can be found in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 comprises the three overview papers which were presented at the workshop: • An overview report on the technical appraisal 1996-97 Joint Funding Scheme submissions • The findings of the Water and Livelihoods Workshop in Harare, 1997 • Sources of information and networking for water supply and sanitation professionals. A total of 65 participants from British NGOs, universities and the UK Department for International Development attended the workshop, which was held at British Overseas NGOs for Development (BOND) in London. The participants considered lessons to be learnt from the project summaries and overview papers. Discussion groups focused on water supply and sanitation in rural projects, in urban projects and in emergencies, and identified specific themes which they discussed later in more detail. The following emerged as the main issues of concern: • sustainability and long-term benefits • community approach • poverty focus – livelihoods and reaching the poor • going to scale and replication • timing and phasing of projects • inter-relations with major players (utilities, local government etc.). DFID gave a panel presentation on the role of NGOs in improving water supply and sanitation for the poor, following the White Paper on International Development. The Workshop proceedings are outlined in Appendix 1 and the reports from discussion groups are given in Appendix 2. Appendix 3 contains ten tables, which summarise the lessons learnt thematically. 1 The WELL resource centre was commissioned by DFID to organise the Workshop and disseminate the Project Summaries, working with a Steering Committee from Africa Now, WaterAid, BOND, Bradford University and DFID and staff from Christian Aid, SCF and WaterAid who prepared the standard formats and sample summaries. The