End of Project Report, Environmental Health Project, CESH Benin Activity, Gestion Communautaire De Santé Environnementale II
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Activity Report 113 End of Project Report Environmental Health Project CESH Benin Activity Gestion Communautaire de Santé Environnementale II (GESCOME II) by Laurie Krieger Salifou Yallou December 2002 Prepared for the USAID Mission to Benin under EHP Project 26568/CESH.BENIN2.PUB02 Environmental Health Project Contract HRN-I-00-99-00011-00 is sponsored by the Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition Bureau for Global Health U.S. Agency for International Development Washington, DC 20523 Table of Contents Table of Contents......................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements........................................................................................................v Executive Summary.................................................................................................... vii Abbreviations........................................................................................................... xxiii 1. Background and History ..........................................................................................1 1.1. Country Background....................................................................................1 1.2. Gestion Communautaire de la Santé Environnementale I (GESCOME I)..4 1.3. Inception of GESCOME II ..........................................................................8 2. The Place of GESCOME II in the Strategic Plan of USAID/Benin and CESH....13 2.1. The Place of GESCOME in the Program of USAID.................................13 2.2. Community-based Environmental Sanitation and Hygiene (CESH).........17 3. GESCOME II Activities........................................................................................19 3.1. Focus and Activity Categories...................................................................19 3.2. Training......................................................................................................20 3.3. Participatory Rapid Appraisal and Community Meetings.........................24 3.4. Community Implementation of Micro-projects.........................................26 3.5. Round Tables.............................................................................................58 4. GESCOME II Results............................................................................................63 4.1. Results and Indicators................................................................................63 4.2. Tasks Requested in Scope of Work ...........................................................69 4.3. Results Not Covered by Indicators ............................................................72 4.4. Problems Encountered...............................................................................75 5. Lessons Learned and Next Steps ...........................................................................81 5.1. Lessons Learned.........................................................................................81 5.2. Next Steps..................................................................................................84 References....................................................................................................................87 Annex 1........................................................................................................................89 Annex 2........................................................................................................................95 Annex 3......................................................................................................................109 Annex 4......................................................................................................................117 iii Annex 5......................................................................................................................123 Annex 6......................................................................................................................124 Annex 7......................................................................................................................127 iv Acknowledgements A number of people deserve recognition for their invaluable support and assistance. The staff of EHP II, Benin Activity would like to express its deep gratitude to Toungou Zourkaneyni, the Préfet of Borgou Department, Benin, for his inestimable support and guidance, without which this activity could never have succeeded or, indeed, even been undertaken. As Chair of the Departmental Environmental Health Committee (CDSE), he was not only a wise leader, but also provided guidance and political support to the project well beyond what was required of him. His enthusiasm for this effort and his recognition of its importance served as an inspiration for all those associated with the project. In addition, the members of the CDSE (see Annex 6) helped to guide the activity, made thoughtful policy recommendations to the Préfet, and provided tremendous support to the Équipe Municipale Élargie (Expanded Municipal Team or EMEs). We appreciate their enthusiasm, sagacity and help. The members of the EMEs worked with the community to implement this project. They are listed in Annex 5. As volunteers, without any compensation, they nevertheless gave generously of their time for the well-being of their communities. We hope that the skills and information acquired through GESCOME II (Gestion Communautaire de la Santé Environnementale or Community Management of Environmental Health) will serve as some small compensation for their selflessness, and that they will continue in community work after GESCOME II is forgotten. We are grateful to have had the opportunity and privilege to participate in GESCOME II alongside such public spirited men and women. The members of the Comité de Gestion des Microprojets (Micro-project Management Committees or CGMP) deserve our thanks, for their tireless efforts and hard work, again done without any compensation, to help their neighborhoods build the latrines and water sources that communities desired. While many of the committee members had never had a bank account before, they learned to collect community contributions, manage money—including a bank account—contract with workers, and ensure the quality and timeliness of the work. These community members were on-call 24 hours a day. The success of the micro-projects described later depends, to a large extent, on their dedication to the construction task. We are most grateful for their hard work. The Environmental Health Project II would like to thank the members of the Family Health Team (FHT) of USAID/Cotonou for their guidance, technical input, and responsiveness. We are especially grateful to Pascal Zinzindohoue, who was largely responsible for the design of GESCOME II and who served as its Chief Technical Officer (CTO) for much of the project, and to Alicia Dinerstein, head of the FHT, who also served as GESCOME II CTO. Both CTOs exhibited the flexibility required by a participatory community project. We appreciate the support received by Salifou v Yallou, EHP II Benin Country Director, from Ms. Dinerstein and the FHT. We would also like to thank the Mission Director for his support and enthusiasm throughout GESCOME II. Dr. John Borrazzo, the EHP CTO and lead USAID Population, Health and Nutrition Center backstop for Benin, was both supportive and helpful, serving as the activity’s liaison to the Mission. His trips to Benin early in GESCOME II and again near its conclusion remained valuable contributions. The project described in this report was based on GESCOME I, which was the brainchild of Dr. May Yacoob, the EHP GESCOME I Activity Manager. Without her vision, creativity, anthropological insight, and knowledge of and experience in environmental health, GESCOME II would not have come to be. Margo Kelly, Assistant Activity Manager for GESCOME I, was extremely helpful, especially during the earlier phases of GESCOME II, in briefing the GESCOME II Activity Manager and Assistant Activity Manager. We are grateful for her kind willingness to share her considerable knowledge. We would like to acknowledge the support of the entire staff of the Environmental Health Project (EHP), especially Cheri Brown-Alexander, GESCOME II Assistant Activity Manager, and Dr. Christopher McGahey, CESH Coordinator. Ms. Brown- Alexander’s diligence, intelligence, and efficiency facilitated the administration of the project at every step. Dr. McGahey provided feedback, support, and ably served as liaison to the rest of EHP. Ana Maria Dillon, EHP Assistant Activity Manager, provided much needed help with budget preparation. Her efforts are truly appreciated. Finally, the Activity Manager would like to acknowledge the tremendous debt that GESCOME II owes to Salifou Yallou, EHP Benin Country Director and local Director of the CESH Benin Activity. Mr. Yallou was responsible for managing the Activity in Benin. He also acted as curriculum translator, when necessary, and lead trainer for all the considerable amount of training in GESCOME II. He patiently answered innumerable questions and worked many late nights and weekends to accomplish the project’s goals. Mr. Yallou encouraged and advised all the municipal teams and aided the CDSE in countless ways. It was a pleasure to work with such a committed, intelligent and inquiring colleague. vi Executive Summary The Environmental Health Project (EHP) Community-based Environmental Sanitation and Hygiene