NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

Highlights • 2015 z

About WSSCC

WSSCC is at the heart of the global movement to improve and , so that all people can enjoy healthy and productive lives. Established in 1990, WSSCC is the only United Nations body devoted solely to the sanitation needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized people. In collaboration with our members in 150 countries, WSSCC advocates for the bil- lions of people worldwide who lack access to good sanitation, shares solutions that empow- er communities, and operates the GSF, which since 2008 has committed over $109 million to transform lives in developing countries.

Acknowledgements

WSSCC expresses its deep appreciation to the 16 National Coordinators who inspired this publication. Not only are they proud represen- tatives of WSSCC in their home countries, they are an integral part of WSSCC’s global commu- nity. The publication’s key contributors were:

Primary writing/compilation Elizabeth Wamera

Content development and review WSSCC National Coordinators Saskia Castelein Ceridwen Johnson David Matthews David Trouba Chris Williams

Production, design and printing Stéphanie Gomez de la Torre Eileen Palmer Imprimerie Nouvelle GONNET

Global Handwashing day commemoration 2015 in . ©WSSCC/Tobias Omufwoko.

Front cover: Elected district mayors in Atsimo atsinanana region of Madagascar raise their hands to declare their commitment to ending after participating in a group training. ©WSSCC/Dera Akitramiranty

Back cover: Celebrating 2015 in Kenya. ©WSSCC/Tobias Omukwoko. TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD 02

SUMMARY ANALYSIS 03

NATIONAL COORDINATORS 05

BANGLADESH 06 BENIN 07 CAMBODIA 08 09 10 KENYA 11 MADAGASCAR 12 MALAWI 13 NEPAL 14 NIGER 15 NIGERIA 16 PAKISTAN 17 TANZANIA 18 TOGO 19 20 ZIMBABWE 21

COUNTRY ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOPS 22

CONCLUSION 24 2 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

FOREWORD

Chris Williams PhD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WSSCC

It gives me great pleasure to launch a publica- Johannesburg, South Africa. The Johannesburg tion dedicated to WSSCC National Coordinators, meeting was a high stakes and ultimately successful now active in 16 countries throughout Southeast lobbying effort to ensure sanitation and hygiene were Asia, West Africa, South Asia, East and Southern included as targets of the Millennium Development Africa. National Coordinators, or “NCs” as they are Goals (MDGs). Having helped facilitate change at the referred to, have a special place in the history of global level, the Council then sought to replicate the the Council. They have helped define the unique process at country level by mobilizing local actors. approach of WSSCC and will enable us to plan and WASH coalitions sprouted throughout more than a sharpen our focus in future. dozen countries with NCs playing a pivotal role in their development. In 2002, the Council made a conscious decision about how it should contribute to efforts by governments The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and various non-State actors to promote water, (SDGs) in September 2015 has seen NCs continue to sanitation and hygiene. At a time when many orga- contribute to the sector – and with greater precision nizations were building up big country offices and on scale and equity, as the targets demand. NCs are establishing large teams of external advisors, WSSCC channeling the efforts of WASH coalitions and gov- opted instead to maintain a lighter, collaborative and ernments to end the practice of open defecation and more targeted approach. It recognized that the solu- ensure that improvements in sanitation are suitable tions to the challenges of poor sanitation and hygiene for vulnerable and socially marginalized groups. The lay primarily within Africa and Asia. The Council NCs’ focus on scale and equity is about drawing on the reached out to key nationals who agreed to serve as results and experiences of the 13 national sanitation champions, and supported them to mobilize local and hygiene improvement programmes supported professionals within and outside government to ad- by the Global Sanitation Fund and WSSCC’s work on vance a WASH agenda in their respective countries. equality and non-discrimination.

In the early years, advancing the agenda meant As the country Strategic Engagement Plans described supporting the formation of WASH coalitions. in this report illustrate, NCs have been successful in NCs worked actively to build a network of profes- leveraging the GSF’s experience and WSSCC’s equity sionals, policy-makers and activists committed to programming. They are helping to engage stakehold- improving sanitation and hygiene. This process ers to exchange knowledge and advocate for practical began in Madagascar following the World Summit approaches that contribute meaningfully to the im- on Sustainable Development, which was held in plementation of the SDGs. • ©WSSCC/Alma Felic ©WSSCC/Alma 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 3

SUMMARY ANALYSIS

Given the scope of the national Strategic Engagement a series of regular WASH meetings and is the first Plans (SEPs), outlined in this report, all 16 NCs were person in Cambodia to promote rural sanitation able to facilitate and undertake a diverse range of ac- to policy-makers. In Nigeria, NC Priscilla Achakpa tivities, which demonstrated local and global WASH reported an improvement in accountability and activism, and the dynamism of WSSCC’s collabo- political will as a result of her capacity build- rative approach. ing efforts, while neighbouring Niger, despite its poor record on WASH, through its SEP mobilized While the likes of Ethiopia’s Hygiene and Sanitation a strong group of 15 legislators to form the WASH Festival, India’s Swachh Bharat Mission and parliamentarians’ forum aimed at influencing key Madagascar’s “Diorano Tour” demonstrated a high decision makers. degree of regional or cultural specificity regarding WASH awareness raising, NCs in these countries and NCs continue to make good use of communications beyond also capitalized on international commem- media, achieving ground-breaking results with their orative WASH “brands” such as Menstrual Hygiene work. In India, Vinod Mishra helped create the first Management Day and , either as media campaign in the Northeast states with cele- stand alone campaigning opportunities or as in- brated human rights activist Urmila Chanam, to the tegrated elements of existing national campaigns. military and minority groups. In Malawi, Ngabaghila Bangladesh serves as a good example of how its SEP Chatata through the WES Network brought together helped to join the dots between Global Handwashing senior government officials and water utilities rep- Day and the government’s “Sanitation Month,” thus resentatives for the first time ever on live radio to generating greater WASH sector activity. discuss WASH issues as part of World Water Day and Global Handwashing Day. Given the opportunities presented by commemora- tive events, and fora such as January 2016’s regional Understandably, given technological issues, access sanitation and hygiene conference (i.e. SACOSAN) in limitations and costs, NCs reported little in the way Dhaka, Bangladesh, NCs were particularly active on of networking. With the exception of the networking front, whether in face-to-face meet- Ethiopia’s and Madagascar’s Facebook pages, SEPs ings and initiating networks or enhancing existing have overwhelmingly supported “old media” mes- knowledge exchanges. The SEP in Benin, for instance, saging products, such as Kenya’s SSHIT quarterly facilitated a gathering of over 100 media represen- publication that has seen great input by National tatives and key stakeholders for World Toilet Day. Coordinator Tobias Omufwoko and a series of televi- Given the challenging conditions in Benin’s WASH sual and arts-based messages in Nepal co-developed sector, such a meeting would have been a difficult with National Coordinator Guna Raj. task to accomplish without WSSCC’s support. Overall, the NCs’ SEP activities detailed in this report With sanitation often lacking adequate national demonstrate the value of WSSCC’s support. Much of and local level prioritization, SEPs across the 16 fo- the work carried out of the past 12-18 months has cus countries allowed NCs to influence the political filled yawning gaps in terms of funding, thinking and landscape on an individual basis or by facilitating wherewithal. SEPs have given a disparate group of meetings with key stakeholders and policy-mak- highly motivated NCs – all experts in their areas – not ers. At one end of the spectrum, for example, as only the practical capacity to make things happen Cambodia’s NC and a government official, Chea but also an opportunity to showcase their leadership Samnang has been able to lobby colleagues though skills going forward. • 4 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

National Coordinators and WSSCC secretariat staff in action during their annual meeting in Dakar, Senegal, May 2015. ©WSSCC/Alma Felic 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 5 NATIONAL COORDINATORS

THE WIND BENEATH THE EAGLE’S WINGS

The WSSCC global community is a diverse group of ing and implementing Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) professionals working on behalf of the 2.4 billion programme activities. Thanks to their dedication, people who lack access to safe sanitation and hy- NCs have helped increase WSSCC’s footprint in their giene – a billion of whom practice open defecation. respective countries. As a membership organization with country-owned programmes, collaboration is central to WSSCC’s NCs have annual national action plans, referred work. For more than two decades, WSSCC has har- to as Strategic Engagement Plans (SEPs), which nessed the energy and expertise of a global coalition help to trigger sector-wide national dialogues that of communities, NGOs, governments, international improve the quality and sustainability of WASH organizations and the private sector. In addition to activities and resources. NCs undertake national its members and partners in 150 countries and many advocacy to influence people, policies, structures, partner organizations, the WSSCC community in- systems and practices to bring about lasting cludes staff based in Geneva and volunteer National changes to unreached communities. Working Coordinators (NCs) around the world. with partners and networks, they aim to position sanitation and hygiene onto the national agenda Sixteen NCs work within WASH coalitions in their and prioritize specific investments for sanitation home countries, leading WSSCC’s work, serving as and hygiene. coalition heads and spokespersons, and advocat- ing on WASH issues. Most of the current National As WSSCC’s national presence depends on the very ex- Coordinators joined the WSSCC community between istence of NCs and their work, they are referred to as 2012 and 2015, carrying out national and local level the organization’s eyes, ears and voice. Consequently, networking, knowledge management, advocacy and their major contribution to WSSCC’s success makes communications activities, and working on facilitat- them the wind beneath the eagle’s wings! • 6 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

UST exhibition at SACOSAN, Bangladesh, January 2016. ©WSSCC/Anwar Kamal BANGLADESH Anwar Kamal has been a National Coordinator since 2015 and is Executive Director for Unnayan Shahojogy Team (UST).

WSSCC’s presence in Bangladesh comes from its A sector coordination meeting was held in December WSSCC–B membership – a multi-stakeholder group 2015 to discuss the SEP 2015-16, which was attended that meets frequently to determine the WASH sec- by key sector partners, including former National tor’s agenda and direction. The SEP has enabled Coordinator Dibalok Singha. One of the meeting’s ma- Kamal and his host agency to increase WSSCC–B’s jor talking points was how to strengthen grassroots contribution to the WASH sector by engaging in a va- organizations and local government to ensure sus- riety of activities. tainable and improved sanitation and safe hygiene behaviour. Going forward, WSSCC will work on this WSSCC-B helped launch a national campaign dubbed, area in collaboration with Freshwater Action Network “Journey to ZERO,” which celebrates Bangladesh’s South Asia (FANSA), End Water Poverty, Bangladesh mission to become open defecation free (ODF). As WASH Alliance (BWA) and Gender Water Alliance. part of the campaign, a conference was held to identify Bangladesh’s second generation sanitation Working with UST, WSSCC–B organized and co-hosted challenges and share knowledge, ideas and sugges- a number of events for the 6th South Asian Con- tions from national and international policy-makers, ference on Sanitation (SACOSAN VI) in Dhaka in practitioners and academics. January 2016. This included a Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) learning workshop and a conclave Last year, the Bangladesh government declared on how to fast track ODF in South Asia. Kamal also October as “Sanitation Month” and marked it with hosted WSSCC’s Executive Director Chris Williams at various activities, including Global Handwashing various sessions throughout the conference. Kamal’s Day (October 15). UST co-organized Sanitation Month outstanding coordination role was noticeable by the in collaboration with the government, at the national, kind of contribution he made at SACOSAN IV, namely district and sub-district levels, mobilizing grassroots getting a variety of groups to participate in various organizations in the process. WSSCC–B activities during the conference. • 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 7

WASH Media Cafe celebrating World Toilet Day, November 2015. ©WSSCC/Félix Adégnika BENIN Félix Adégnika has served as National Coordinator for Benin since 2012 and is Chargé de Programme for Partenariat pour le Développement Municipal (PDM).

Benin’s WASH challenges are huge: government fi- has become more recognized and supported by the nancing for sanitation and hygiene is paltry, and dis- government. The coalition is now working together advantaged and vulnerable groups are excluded from to better understand WASH national budgets and is national policy. Adégnika describes the lack of politi- ready to start developing the 2017 budget. The SEP’s cal will to address this situation as “beyond words.” political impact has facilitated a network of parlia- mentarians who work on WASH, which is helping to Consequently, the Benin WASH coalition’s SEP aims raise politicians’ awareness of WASH, and ultimately, to help accelerate and improve the population’s ac- increase political prioritization. cess to WASH services, and is designed to align with Benin’s national strategy on WASH. With support from the SEP, the coalition produces and disseminates information on national and in- The aim is to support the Government of Benin ternational commitments across a range of media, and institutional actors in the sector to implement from booklets to broadcasting. On World Toilet Day national strategies, support the development and (November 19), Adégnika organized a WASH media evaluation of Benin’s national and international café, which saw Benin’s journalist network join forc- WASH sector commitments (such as eThekwini and es with a civil society organization (CSO) network, Sanitation and Water for All), ensure policies, include CANEA, and gather over 100 representatives from services for the poor and vulnerable, and strengthen the media, NGOs and central and local government the coalition’s capacity. to raise awareness.

The coalition is working towards a unified framework Adégnika was part of the committee that set up that monitors WASH sector interventions for univer- the GSF/PAPHyR programme in Benin (aligned sal and sustainable access to hygiene, sanitation and with the SEP), which targets improved sanitation water. It aims to be inclusive, independent and rep- and hygiene in around 9,000 communities. He is resentative, and made up of all sector stakeholders. also a member of the Programme Coordination Mechanism (PCM) for the Global Sanitation Fund Following the SEP’s launch in May 2015, Adégnika in the country and is the CSO focal point for the has been able to deepen his work. As such, WASH SWA partnership. • 8 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

Chea Samnang chairing a TWG-RWSSH meeting. ©WSSCC/Chea Samnang CAMBODIA Chea Samnang has served as National Coordinator since 2009. He works for the Cambodian government as Director of Cabinet and Chairman of Council for Agricultural and Rural Development in the Office of the Council of Ministers.

Samnang’s work focuses on advocacy, information of Terms of Reference of the WASH and Nutrition sharing and coordinating the WASH and nutrition Sub-working Group). WASH and nutrition stakehold- sectors’ stakeholders. During the inaugural National ers support his leadership on sector integration, and Sanitation Forum in 2008 (presided over by the Prime share their experiences of WASH and nutrition inte- Minister), he became the first person in Cambodia to gration with him. promote rural sanitation to policy-makers. He provided technical input to the development of the Aside from being vice-chair of monthly Rural Water National Action Plan (NAP) 2014-2018 on Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (WATSAN) coordination meet- Supply and Sanitation and Hygiene, and has raised ings, Samnang sits on quarterly meetings of the public and political awareness through numerous Technical Working Group for Rural Water Supply, media campaigns, fora and public awareness cam- Sanitation and Hygiene (TWG-RWSSH), is assistant paigns, such as Global Handwashing Day, National chair of TWG for Food Security, Nutrition and Social Sanitation Day and National Nutrition Day. He is adept Protection (TWG-FSN, SP), and chair of the WASH and at using his high level position to involve and influence Nutrition Sub-working Group. policy-makers, politicians and leading development partners, and reach a variety of communities. Given his eagerness to improve the policy and pro- grammatic linkages between WASH, food security Samnang is a formal advisor to the GSF Programme and nutrition, Samnang has organized discussions in Cambodia (CR-SHIP), a role that involves improv- with the Ministry of Rural Development, other line ing the existing knowledge sharing and coordination ministries and development stakeholders from the mechanism, and sharing programme and learning WASH and nutrition sectors (this led to the creation results with Cambodia’s sector stakeholders. • 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 9

Media exposure visit to Konso. ©WSSCC/Michael Negash ETHIOPIA Michael Negash has served as National Coordinator since 2008. Formerly WASH Ethiopia Movement’s coordinator, he is now a Sector Wide Coordinator with WaterAid.

In collaboration with WSSCC and WaterAid, the ministries for endorsement and establishment of WASH Ethiopia Movement (WEM) works closely with a KM core group. The initiative aims to establish a the government and other WASH sector stakeholders KM secretariat, which will merge and revitalize ex- on the ONE WASH project. WEM received SEP financ- isting knowledge centres by integrating them into a ing in 2014 and since then has completed a number sector point of reference. The ultimate objective is to of activities that have helped to improve WASH sec- develop an effective knowledge creation, storage and tor implementation in Ethiopia. sharing system for Ethiopia’s WASH sector.

Several sector events such as Global Handwashing Two learning forums were organized: one on Day, World Toilet Day and the Ethiopian Hygiene and WASH and food security; the other on WASH and Sanitation Festival have been co-organized with sector education. The aim of the former was to enhance ministries to enhance decision makers’ prioritization the prioritization and importance of WASH in the for WASH, and also raise awareness among the public. agriculture and education sectors, while the aim of the latter was to encourage members to share their A capacity assessment on knowledge management research and best practices. (KM) was carried out in collaboration with the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP), WEM published four quarterly editions of the WASH which was commissioned by the Ministry of Water, Bulletin (2000 copies per edition), which were distrib- Irrigation and Energy. This was carried out to iden- uted to the WASH sector. Documented experiences tify existing gaps, strategies and potential supporting from Konso, south-western Ethiopia, were also high- partners with an existing interest in documentation lighted during a media visit and posted on the WASH for sharing and learning. Following the capacity as- Media Forum Facebook page 1. sessment, a workshop was organized in February 2016, which generated a sector learning agenda in The SEP facilitated technical and financial support Ethiopia. Consequently, four thematic-based sector for development and government endorsement of sharing and learning forums are being planned for the National Behaviour Change Communication an uptake and scale-up of best practices. guidelines (to be launched in 2016). Technical and financial support allowed WEM to strengthen its A short-term action plan has been developed that capacity, enabling the government to endorse it as prioritizes the development of a concept note to a legal entity. This process also helped facilitate four advance the KM agenda for the sector. This will be WEM steering committee meetings, which ensured presented to decision makers at the three sector proper strategy rollout. •

1 See https://www.facebook.com/WASH-Media-Forum-743543705703021/?ref=hl 10 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

Vinod Mishra lights a candle to mark the RALU launch, August 2015. ©WSSCC/Vinod Mishra INDIA Vinod Mishra has been National Coordinator since 2013. Formerly with the Indian government, he was seconded in 2015 to become the Coordinator for the WSSCC India Office, which is a Rapid Action Learning Unit (RALU), and support the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Spanning several states in India, the SEP activities led policy change under the Swachh Bharat Mission has by Mishra have been part of a wide range of national been considerable. equality and non-discrimination work. In December 2015, a training of trainers workshop A three-day national workshop on equity, inclusion on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) for South and sustainability, as part of the rural Swachh Bharat and Northeast states was held, which included par- Mission, gave the Indian government a platform to ticipants from Bangladesh and Kenya and involved provide clear definitions of ODF and sustainability, field testing new government MHM guidelines. The and guide the monitoring of achievements. training also provided mentoring for previously trained MHM trainers and facilitators. The first national RALU workshop was convened through the NC and the Institute of Development Mishra worked with Sailas Nyareza, WSSCC’s Studies at the University of Sussex in association Learning Systems Officer to develop a vibrant MHM with the Government of India in August 2015. The Community of Practice (CoP) platform for trainers, event hosted 93 participants, including: natural researchers and policy-makers. He also helped MHM leaders, champion district collectors, magistrates, ZP champion and renowned human rights activist, CEOs, UNICEF, WSP, World Bank, Plan International, Urmila Chanam with a WASH sector first: conduct- WASH United, WaterAid, Water for People, Save ing a media campaign in the Northeast states with the Children, FANSA, GSF-NRMC, CLTS Foundation, retired military personnel and minority groups. PRIA, Arghyam, Knowledge Links, Feedback Foundation, WASH Advocates, and federal and state Vinod has been instrumental in setting up the RALU government officers. with the Indian government’s approval and support at national and state level. He has led RALU meetings Key factors identified at the workshop for achieving with WASH partners and WSSCC members on coordi- ODF included: sustainable behaviour change, trig- nation, knowledge sharing and advocacy strategies, gering stakeholders with cultural sensitization and all of which have contributed to the rollout of the working with governments. WSSCC’s contribution to Swachh Bharat Mission. • 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 11

Training a pool of community Natural Leaders. ©WSSCC/Tobias Omufwoko KENYA Tobias Omufwoko has served as National Coordinator since 2010. He is Country Director of WASH Alliance Kenya.

WSSCC’s activities in Kenya operate through the Technical and financial support was provided for Inter-agency Coordinating Committee (ICC), which training a pool of volunteers, is chaired by the Ministry of Health (Department known as Natural Leaders, to inspire and build a of ) and has a vibrant mem- sanitation movement in Kenya. In addition, this ini- bership of around 150 agency stakeholders and tiative will provide essential technical support to government departments. In Kenya, SEP financing counties on ODF attainment and sustainability, as has produced several positive outcomes. well as third party verification and certification.

Coverage of WASH issues in the media has increased The SEP facilitated inter-sectoral coordination com- following targeted training and engagement with the mittee meetings at the national and regional levels. media via Kenya’s journalist network, while policy di- The aim was to provide a platform for discussing alogue on MHM has also led to increased awareness. counties’ WASH progress on resource allocation, strat- egies for achieving ODF and the GSF model. Support Advocacy by partners has resulted in an increase has included: financing knowledge management at in resource allocation from health and education the CLTS hub in the Ministry of Health; publication ministries, and MHM partners. MHM practitioners’ of the nationwide SSHIT quarterly, which provides capacity has also increased by having master county progress updates; and increasing awareness trainers on MHM trained in India. In turn, these of the importance of safe sanitation and hygiene trainers will provide technical support for training practices in Kenya via global commemorative days, others in English speaking regions across sub- such as Global Handwashing Day, World Toilet Day Saharan Africa. and Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Day. • 12 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

Elected district mayors declare their commitment to ending open defecation in the Atsimo atsinanana region. ©WSSCC/Dera Akitramiranty MADAGASCAR Jean Herivelo Rakotondrainibe has served as National Coordinator since 2002 and is Country Coordinator for Diorano WASH, Madagascar.

The Madagascar SEP was developed in consul- the WASH sector, which aims to end open defeca- tation with the Madagascar WASH coalition, tion in Madagascar by 2018. Diorano WASH – the country’s primary WASH sector coordinating body. Diorano WASH is a plat- Diorano WASH mobilizes Madagascar’s 22 regional form for exchange and coordination among WASH WASH committees to deliver key messages to com- sector actors, which brings together a multitude mittees in districts, communes and villages. It works of stakeholders, including government depart- with NGOs, technical departments of ministries con- ments, technical and financial partner agencies, cerned with WASH, local authorities, the public, national and international NGOs, decentralized schools, primary healthcare centres and the media regional and local institutions and community- to promote positive behaviour change. Central to based organizations. its work is inspiring natural leaders, community consultants, champions, administrative, technical, Diorano WASH has been the only stable force for religious and political representatives and creating the sector throughout a long-lasting political crisis a network of triggered communities. and the main driver of sector coordination and im- provement. Its overarching aim is to reduce poverty Since the SEP’s launch in May 2015, WASH Partout by bringing together all relevant stakeholders, thus has been rolled out in many of the 22 regions thanks addressing WASH’s technical, political and social to the NC’s “Diorano Tour.” The tour has travelled issues. Diorano WASH focuses on three key mes- around Madagascar spreading the campaign’s key sages: the importance of washing hands with soap; messages and organizing meetings and campaigns effective use of latrines; and safeguarding the water connected to Global Handwashing Day and World supply between source and point of use. Toilet Day. One such tour date took place in the region of Farafangana, where all elected district The SEP supports Diorano WASH’s ambition to mayors declared their commitment to ending open create a national WASH movement and focuses on defecation after participating in a group training on influencing government to prioritize the WASH WASH Partout’s key messages. sector. Through its WASH Everywhere (WASH Partout) programme it also mobilizes communi- Diorano WASH also hosts a Facebook page to help ties at all levels to leverage the GSF programme’s improve social media networking and communica- impact and implement the National Road Map for tions across the country. 2 •

2 See https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010500005794&fref=ts 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 13

District workshop to strengthen the Southern Chapter of WESNetwork. ©WSSCC/Ngabaghila Chatata MALAWI Ngabaghila Chatata has served as National Coordinator since 2008. She is a former coordinator for the Water and Environmental Sanitation Network (WES Network) and since 2015 has been CEO of The Research Institute (TRI).

WSSCC operates in Malawi in collaboration with the nancial allocation report to the WES Network Annual nationwide CSO coalition WES Network. Most of its General Meeting, which indicated the contribution activities are implemented through the Network’s CSOs make towards WASH work in Malawi. membership or its secretariat. Based on this relation- ship, the SEP initiated several processes in Malawi, Using Kasungu district as a pilot area for other all of which have had a significant impact on the districts, the Network initiated the signing of a mem- WASH sector. orandum of understanding (MOU) between WASH CSOs working at the district level and the district Technical and financial support was provided for council on governing their relationship, accountabil- six district workshops to revamp their District ity and work in the districts. The MOU has helped Coordination Teams (DCTs) and introduce the WASH increased efficiency and coordination in Kasungu, pillar to the districts’ CSOs networks. This move prompting the other district councils to seek the led to district WASH CSO networks holding review Network’s assistance in order to achieve similar gains. meetings on accountability, and also reporting to the DCTs, district council and WES Network secretariat In an historic first, WES Network engaged senior on their quarterly performance. This accountability Ministry of Water officials and water utilities repre- process was the first of its kind in Malawi. Previously, sentatives in a live radio broadcast to discuss WASH the relationship between the CSOs and the district stakeholder relationships, dynamics and tariff set- teams was non-existent, making it difficult to deter- ting issues as part of World Water Day and Global mine the level of WASH resource allocation at the Handwashing Day. district level. Following the successful introduction of district The Network helped CSO members to develop a CSO networks, WES Network inaugurated two re- WASH NGO reporting framework, CSO mapping and gional chapters, namely the Southern and Northern a CSO annual report. This enabled CSOs to participate Chapters in 2015. The Network also serves as the technically and financially in performance reporting secretariat for the ODF National Task Force, which at the WASH Joint Sector Review for the first time, provides guidance on sanitation implementation in 2015. The CSO reporting framework produced a fi- in Malawi. • 14 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

National Sanitation Ambassador Sita Ram Kattel supporting a video to raise awareness of WASH issues. ©WSSCC/Guna Raj Shresta NEPAL Guna Raj Shresta has served as National Coordinator since 2012 and is currently a WASH specialist consultant at World Bank Group in Nepal.

Shresta has worked in collaboration with the The NC also works with sanitation champions in National WASH training centre to consolidate a ros- Nepal to promote sanitation through theatre and ter of sanitation experts, facilitators and trainers at the arts, including Miss Nepal and well-known TV the national, regional and district levels. This roster comedian and National Sanitation Ambassador will be published and made available on the train- Sita Ram Kattel, who has produced a 45-minute ing centre’s website by June 2016. video film containing three key messages: how to use a toilet, menstrual hygiene and handwash- The SEP has provided an opportunity to initiate ing with soap. The film will air on national TV several processes in the WASH sector that the gov- and play on long distance bus journeys to gen- ernment has been able to take forward. These erate awareness among passengers. Other short include the development, upgrading, publication audio-visual and graphic animated works on and dissemination of WASH strategic ODF and post- handwashing with soap and menstrual hygiene ODF action plans with respective District WASH have been produced for broadcast on national TV Coordination Committees, which allows district and screening in cinemas. level stakeholders to harmonize their work after determining their WASH problems. This facilitated A joint working group with partners was created to resource gap identification, proper allocation and encourage the media to promote thematic issues, target setting for universal coverage for 2017, which such as menstrual hygiene, eradication of is in line with Nepal’s national plans. (“untouchable”) superstitions, ODF campaigning and handwashing with soap. Consequently, commu- To generate knowledge on MHM, WSSCC–Nepal nity radio stations now runs regular programmes collaborated with Tribhuwan University, providing on menstrual hygiene. grants to support its graduate students to research menstrual hygiene. Research findings will be pre- Shresta has facilitated government officials’ sented at a national workshop on MHM work in attendance at the Pakistan Conference on Nepal in June 2016. Sanitation, the Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meetings, sector ministers’ meetings and Shresta accompanied former Prime Minister Shusil the South Asian Conference on Sanitation to help Koirala and senior government officials to the them develop their understanding of WASH pro- Global Citizen Festival in New York in 2015. A vid- motion in South Asia, report on its progress and eo message by the late prime minister, which was replicate learnings with a view to enhancing the produced with Shresta’s help, was screened before quality of WASH work in Nepal. • 60,000 people at the event and online. 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 15

Aï Abarchi with Nigerian partners during the WSSCC Country Engagement Workshop in Togo, October 2015. ©WSSCC/Aï Abarchi NIGER Aï Abarchi has served as National Coordinator since 2014 and is Country Representative for SNV Niger.

Lack of sanitation and hygiene in Niger is a major clusive advocacy for policy-makers at central and problem. While the overall sector budget to opera- decentralized level. The network was established tionalize the National Operational Strategy for the through a resolution by the Niger National Assembly Promotion of Hygiene and Basic Sanitation (SOPHAB in November 2015. Despite the numerous national 2014-2018) is US$ 77.3 million, Niger’s government and international commitments on allocation of in- provided only US$ 136,700 for the financial year creased financing for WASH, such as the eThekwini 2014-2015, or just 0.18% of SOPHAB’s budget. declaration to devote 0.5% of GDP to sanitation, the results are poor. However, the 15 elected members The Niger SEP was developed in consultation with the of parliament making up the network have the po- Niger WASH coalition. It aims to achieve set midterm tential power to influence key decision makers to targets for the SOPHAB, and the Country Economic change this. and Social Development Strategic Document (PDES 2011-2015), through the promotion of Positive The aim is to be able to identify, update and dissem- Behaviour Change (PBC) in hygiene and sanitation. It inate legislation on hygiene and sanitation issues; also aims to improve multi-stakeholder cooperation advocate for increased and more efficient budget and support the population’s access to health and allocation; raise awareness of the links between dis- sanitation infrastructure while ensuring equity with- ease and poor hygiene and sanitation; and create in and across regions. exchanges with similar networks.

Since of the launch of the SEP in May 2015, the NC has Despite being just a few months old, the network’s ac- organized two successful joint advocacy campaigns tion plan is already underway with a mix of training, with governmental partners and civil society. The special parliamentary days, awareness raising cam- first was for Global Handwashing Day in the capital, paigns, field visits and networking events and fora Niamey; and more recently, for World Toilet Day at a participation planned. rural commune 360 kilometres away from Niamey. Abarchi continues to moderate coordination meet- The key activity for 2015 has been establishing a ings for the WASH coalition and participates in joint network of WASH parliamentarians to promote sector reviews between government and develop- sector rights-based, gender sensitive and poor in- ment partners. • 16 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

WASH Ambassador Eng. Ebele Okeke (center) with Priscilla Achakpa visit with the Governor of Benue State Chief. Mr. Samuel Ortom (left), 2015. ©WSSCC/ Priscilla Achakpa NIGERIA Priscilla Achakpa has served as National Coordinator since 2012 and is Executive Director of the Women Environmental Programme (WEP) in Nigeria.

WSSCC presence in Nigeria is based on a partnership CSOs have successfully lobbied against a presi- with the nationwide CSO coalition, the Network for dential decision to merge the Ministry of Water Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN). Most of WSSCC’s Resources with any other ministry. CSOs also activities are implemented through NEWSAN’s mem- facilitated the tabling of the Disability bill, which bership or secretariat. was passed by the National Assembly but still awaits presidential ascent. This may take time as Achakpa set out to develop a comprehensive data- the bill was passed during the previous political base of WSSCC and NEWSAN members based on regime. expertise, thematic areas of focus and geographi- cal location. This led to a two-day strategy meeting A training held in Makurdi attracted 80 participants and training for NEWSAN and WSSCC members, from six local government authorities, CSOs, the which revitalized their commitment to WASH and Federal Ministry of Water Resources, BERWASA, resulted in an engagement strategy for the member- PCM, WaterAid, GSF and its Executing Agency – ship. As a result, NEWSAN relocated to the Women Concern Universal – as well as the WASH ambassador Environmental Program (WEP) secretariat to get and WSSCC members. The inauguration of the Benue direct support. State WASH ambassador prompted an advocacy vis- it to the Governor of Benue State and his Executive Capacity building training was carried out for Council, which saw an agreement reached on match- NEWSAN members on advocacy and budgetary ing funding for sanitation and hygiene work with allocation in October 2015, in close collaboration the GSF. with the Sanitation and Water for All secretariat. Consequently, an exact number of active CSOs and Due to the groundswell of activities and media their capacities became known, which also prompt- coverage, the Commissioner for Women’s Affairs ed the call for CSOs at various levels to become for Benue State has included MHM into her work involved in the decision-making processes of the plan following the results of a study, which in- State Task Group on Sanitation. Accountability and dicates that serious taboos against women exist political will related to WASH has thus improved. in Nigeria. • 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 17

Celebrating Global Handwashing Day, October 2015. ©WSSCC/Tanya Khan PAKISTAN Tanya Khan has served as National Coordinator since 2012 and is an independent consultant on social development.

Khan uses her position as a WSSCC NC to coordinate Following PACOSAN, Khan co-facilitated a region- and influence the sector from district to global level. al technical meeting for Sanitation and Water for Over the course of 2015, she has been instrumental All (SWA) attended by regional experts from South in the formation of well-represented sector coordi- Asia and global development experts. She has con- nation mechanisms at both provincial and district tinued to play a key role in SWA, leading technical levels. Now that they are functioning, she is working and strategic bilateral meetings with ministers with other sector players to strengthen their capacity. during SACOSAN IV, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in January 2016. She also participated in the SWA Khan provides ongoing technical support to the gov- Sector Ministers Meeting held in March 2016 in ernment of Punjab on their ODF universal coverage Ethiopia, as the civil society representative for programme (which aims to achieve universal cover- South Asia. age by 2018) and has coordinated a series of planning and coordination meetings to achieve a cross-sec- Khan was close to the participatory process of toral approach. In February 2015, she coordinated tracking progress of the SACOSAN V commitments. and managed the Pakistan Conference on Sanitation She then went on to support the Government of (PACOSAN) hosted by the Ministry of Climate Change. Bangladesh to organize SACOSAN VI. Six hundred Inaugurated by the President of Pakistan and attend- high level delegates from across South Asia at- ed by policy-makers, parliamentarians, government tended the conference. Three days of deliberations officials, donors, unilateral/bilateral organizations, by policy-makers and practitioners resulted in the national and international organizations, academ- SACOSAN VI Declaration. Khan facilitated the work- ic institutions, the private sector and the media, the ing group of experts to deliberate the contents of the conference was a critical opportunity to discuss the declaration, which was signed by the ministers of the current state of sanitation and hygiene. participating countries. • 18 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

Media training workshop, led by Wilhelmina Malima, discussing the Sustainable Development Goals, February 2016. ©WSSCC/Wilhelmina Malima TANZANIA Wilhelmina Malima has been a National Coordinator since 2012. She is a WASH specialist for Sanitation and Water Action (SAWA) and has served as the chairperson of the Tanzania Water and Sanitation Network of CSOs (TAWASANET) since 2014.

WSSCC’s presence in Tanzania is represented through facilitated knowledge sharing and learning to the nationwide CSO network, TAWASANET. Most of support accountability for CSOs. Launch meetings its activities are implemented with support from the were also used as zonal WASH learning forums. network’s membership or the secretariat. The Lake Forum was held in Mwanza in November 2014; the Central Forum was held in Dodoma in Malima initiated discussions on Tanzania’s stalled March 2015. Both meetings involved close working sanitation and hygiene policy by writing to the per- with other regional partners, thus strengthening manent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and collaboration on a zonal level. Social Welfare, and mobilizing the Donor Partners’ Group to follow up on the policy-making process. As WSSCC is seen as the thought leader on MHM, This approach revealed that progress would be slow WASH partners mobilized themselves and asked until the new government was sworn in. Malima thus the NC to lead the effort on MHM in Tanzania. The harnessed the interest generated among partners by NC has thus led extensive advocacy, mobilization the policy issue and initiated a performance assess- and awareness creation towards the government. ment of the eThekwini declaration to map the way This effort culminated in the celebration of MHM forward on the SDGs (in relation to the nationwide Day and launch of a joint MHM study (including government-led sanitation campaign). vocational training) by partners and the Ministry of Education, the findings of which are influenc- The launch of zonal chapters of TAWASANET in- ing MHM work in Tanzania. • creased representation at these levels as well as 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 19

“Je m’engage”. Celebrating World Toilet Day, November 2015. ©WSSCC/Achille Lokossou-Dah-Lande TOGO Achille Lokossou-Dah-Lande has been National Coordinator since 2013 and is the Point Focal WASH and Chef Unité Suivi-Evaluation for Croix-Rouge Togolaise.

The main objective of the SEP, launched in May 2015, their ODF campaign, Fin de la défécation à l’air libre is to create a movement to end open defecation in au Togo, “Je m’engage”. Togo. The challenges are huge: human resource gaps have affected the implementation of hygiene and Three major activities marked the event: a meeting sanitation programmes for the poorest; and there with education and sanitation stakeholders to reflect is weak sector coordination and a lack of dedicated on problems around school latrine management; an funds for basic sanitation and hygiene. institutional triggering workshop for local authorities and decision makers at the base of the region; and a The Togo SEP lays out strategies for the WASH gathering of over 700 actors and participants from coalition to support the Togo government’s imple- government, NGOs, the media, traditional leaders, lo- mentation of various WASH strategies, namely the cal governments and technical and financial partners. Plan National de l’hygiène et l’Assainissement de Base (PNHAB) and the Plan d’Actions National du The impact of the campaign is already being wit- Secteur de l’Eau et de l’Assainissement (PANSEA). The nessed. Policy-makers in Plateaux, one of Togo’s five added value of the SEP is its focus on the behaviour regions, have made a joint commitment to be the change aspects of improved sanitation and hygiene first region in the country to end open defecation; a services, and strengthening the WASH coalition to document outlining solutions for the management of support more coordinated and effective participa- school latrines has been developed; and WASH sec- tion of sector actors. tor stakeholders have agreed to develop a voluntary movement to end open defecation in Togo by 2020. The first step of the SEP was to reinvigorate the WASH Coalition in Togo, reinstate regular meetings and The WASH coalition is involved in implement- develop a shared action plan and regular communi- ing the GSF programme at different levels: at a cation. A campaign on ODF has since been launched national level it is part of the PCM; the regional and members have started to develop messages and committees of the WASH coalition are involved reinforce their media platform. in providing monitoring of the implementing agen- cies’ activities; and the GSF Executing Agency’s In relation to awareness raising and behaviour technical manager has been central to the devel- change, the WASH coalition, with support from the opment of this strategy, with the GSF programme SEP, used World Toilet Day as a springboard to launch playing a supporting role. • 20 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

Lotome primary school pupils receiving sanitary products from a faith-based organization in Karamoja. ©WSSCCz Jane Nabunnya Mulumba UGANDA Jane Nabunnya Mulumba has been a National Coordinator since November 2014 and is Country Director of IRC in Uganda.

WSSCC presence in Uganda is represented through The SEP supports the Menstrual Hygiene Management the National Sanitation Working Group (NSWG). Coalition to increase awareness on MHM issues by or- NSWG is a multi-stakeholder forum aimed at rais- ganizing every May 28, and ing the profile of sanitation in Uganda through followed up on commitments made by the Speaker improved co-ordination of all stakeholders in the of the Uganda Parliament after the MHM charter was implementation of the Improved Sanitation and endorsed. The SEP has financially and technically Hygiene (ISH) strategy. It lobbies for increased re- supported the Uganda Parliamentarians Forum on source allocation and dedicated budget lines for WASH (UPF-WASH) to implement the provisions in sanitation and hygiene, ensuring a platform for the MHM motion, and lobby stakeholders to meet discussing sanitation and hygiene challenges and their MHM responsibilities and government to pro- identifying solutions. vide funding for MHM in schools. These efforts led to the issuing of a circular on MHM by the Ministry The SEP recognizes the key sanitation and hygiene of Education, Science, Technology and Sports to challenges in Uganda and provides the NSWG with all schools, which instructed head teachers to pay a framework for identifying, implementing and more attention to MHM and provide the necessary sustaining sanitation and hygiene service delivery facilities and information to girls. Working with the interventions, The SEP also outlines key focus ar- UPF-WASH has ensured wider information dissemi- eas and strategic actions for the provision of safe nation to policy-makers about WASH, the SDGs, SWA/ sanitation services and promotion of proper hy- HLM and the Ngor Declaration. giene practices. In addition, the SEP has facilitated stronger collabora- Through the SEP, the NSWG is able to map sanita- tion with the media. Capacity building for WEMNET tion and hygiene stakeholders and sanitation tools members, which was carried out in December 2015, and approaches in Uganda. This ensures that the has increased reporting of WASH issues in the media. NSWG is aware of who is involved in sanitation This has also enabled the Uganda GSF programme to and hygiene, where they operate, what they do, the engage more with the media and use various media approaches, technologies and tools they use, and avenues to share evidence of ODF communities (gen- the initiatives and innovations they promote and erated from the 30 districts that comprise the Uganda scale up. Sanitation Fund programme). • 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 21

Latrines provided by CARE - Zimbabwe via the Rural WASH programme. ©WSSCC/Lovemore Mujuru ZIMBABWE Lovemore Mujuru has served as a National Coordinator since 2013. A former Executive Director of the Institute of Water, Sanitation and Development (IWSD), in 2014 he became Project Manager for CARE International, Zimbabwe.

WSSCC’s presence in Zimbabwe is via its relation- A data harmonization process has produced a doc- ship with the Institute of Water, Sanitation and ument that standardizes the definition of most key Development (IWSD), a CSO platform for WASH terms in the WASH sector and provides various practitioners to share, learn and advocate for in- ways of ensuring proper data is collected at various creased access to WASH services in Zimbabwe. levels in the country. This process also highlighted IWSD is well known in Zimbabwe for capacity several gaps, which led to the government revising building on WASH issues (for practitioners through its sanitation and hygiene policy. Now at its final partnerships with academic institutions). draft stage, it is due to be presented to parliament for discussion by mid-2016. The SEP provides much needed financial support to radically change Zimbabwe’s WASH sector and has The SEP also led to the development of three doc- facilitated the development of the Sanitation and uments that would improve coordination and Hygiene Strategy, whose main goal is the elimina- facilitate extensive learning and communication tion of open defecation. Despite extensive capacity in the WASH sector. This process brought together building being provided by IWSD, the WASH sector all the WASH sector stakeholders, coordinated by faces many gaps in programme implementation. Hasios Ronald Mashingaidze of the government’s Consequently, the SEP has helped Mujuru mobilize National Coordinator Unit for Water, Sanitation the sector to discuss the critical issues. and Hygiene in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate. The documents, which are due to be Due to the economic challenges facing the country, launched in April 2016, are: the sector has experienced a major brain drain; most of the trained and experienced WASH profes- ◊ WASH Monitoring and Evaluation Framework sionals have left the country to work abroad, mainly for Zimbabwe in South Africa. The SEP thus set out to ensure that ◊ WASH Advocacy and Communication Strategy systems have an institutional memory and a frame- for Zimbabwe work for ensuring that generated knowledge is not ◊ WASH Knowledge Management Strategy lost, but captured and disseminated in a systematic for Zimbabwe. • way, whenever experts leave the sector. 22 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT COUNTRY ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOPS

WSSCC hosted two Country Engagement Workshops troducing a process that involves NCs in developing in 2015 in Togo (October) and Uganda (November), WSSCC’s next strategic plan. which brought together partners from eleven coun- tries in Africa. The two workshops were designed The workshops reflected the WSSCC secretariat’s to build capacity and facilitate learning between commitment to NCs’ implementation of SEPs and rec- country teams and, with WSSCC’s Geneva-based sec- ognition of face-to-face time as an important means retariat, allow all country teams to enhance their of enhancing country engagement, coordination and strategic WASH sector engagement in their home membership. countries. Similarly, a third meeting was held in Nepal in February 2016, which covered the Southeast Asia Participants left the workshops with a sense that and South Asian countries where WSSCC operates. the events had been open spaces for rich discussion, where everyone could share their experiences. In ad- The workshops consisted of NCs, GSF programme dition, the workshops allowed for reflection on how representatives and government representatives to refine advocacy strategies and link them to both and were designed to improve learning on WSSCC’s national and global advocacy issues. current priorities and long-term vision. Other objec- tives included: enhancing participants’ skills, tools Following the workshops, the WSSCC secretariat and techniques to undertake strategic advocacy and is now working to identify the key strengths and media work in line with their SEPs; sharing ideas challenges in each country programme, and are fa- and clear guidance on how to streamline national cilitating additional learning activities that focus on GSF programmes for high level advocacy; and in- hands-on, tangible engagement. •

The Togo workshop took place from 19-23 October 2015 at the Hôtel Novela Star, Lomé, Togo with participants from Benin, Niger, Madagascar and Togo. ©WSSCC 2015 • HIGHLIGHTS 23

The Uganda workshop took place at the Speke Resort in Kampala, Uganda from 9-13 November 2015 with participants from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. ©WSSCC/Elizabeth Wamera

The Nepal workshop took place at the Yak and Yeti hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal from 22-26 February 2016 with participants from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Cambodia and Laos. ©WSSCC 24 NATIONAL COORDINATORS REPORT

CONCLUSION

A core principle of WSSCC is to facilitate demand-driv- en sanitation by creating an environment where rights holders can demand what is rightfully theirs from duty bearers. Occasionally, this may mean chal- lenging the system or specific individuals, which may seem like going against the grain if one has no capaci- ty or knowledge. However, NCs have played a critical role in providing a platform for capacity building and knowledge sharing on how to ensure that the unreached, the unserved, the voiceless and margin- alized are heard, seen and considered when it comes to their sanitation and hygiene needs.

Equality, non-discrimination and scale on sanitation and hygiene are the driving forces for WSSCC; and as this document shows, each NC is an integral part of this mission. NCs have increased the visibility of WSSCC in their respective countries through the strength of their personalities, their high profiles and their coordination of WASH stakeholders’ forums to discuss traditionally unspoken issues. The collec- tive commitment of NCs has contributed to greater commitments from rights holders, duty bearers, the private sector and partners, which has helped in- crease millions of people’s access to decent sanitation and hygiene.

As we enter the SDGs era, our NCs will coordinate more activities, ensuring that national WASH targets are reached. Our ambition is that everyone, regard- less of situation or status, has access to sanitation and hygiene so that no one is left behind. But for this to succeed, NCs will need to start thinking and working beyond WASH stakeholders and reach out to other sectors. This approach would be the surest way to contribute towards the attainment of every SDG and increase access to sanitation and hygiene for all, everywhere. •

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