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WASH Wizards: Breaking the Male Dominated Artisanal Field, Changing the Lives of Women

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WASH Wizards: Breaking the Male Dominated Artisanal Field, Changing the Lives of Women JANUARY 2017 Inside This Issue... Editor’s Note Honourable Minister of Environment, Water and Climate meets UNICEF’s New Country Resident Representative Recognising Sanitation and Hygiene through National Commemorations Zimbabwe Handwashing Campaign Alliance: Saving lives with water and soap WASH Wizards: Breaking the male dominated artisanal field, changing the lives of women Sanitation for success: Bridging the gap between communities and service providers Upgrade design and operation of a Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Diversification contributes to the success of Gwanda North Community Health Clubs SIRDC working with RDCs to create multi-sectoral GIS systems C-WASH Project for Lasting and Inclusive Water and Sanitation Facilities Water: A Human Right or a Lucrative Business? New sustainable, inclusive, zero waste technology to treat gray water, industrial effluent and sewage DISCLAIMER: Any views or opinions presented in this newsletter are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Zimbabwe WASH sector management body, the National Action Committee (NAC) Secretariat the National Coordination Unit (NCU) and its supporting partners; SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and UNICEF. II WASH Connector Newsletter. ISSUE 5 Editor’s Note is another new year again and I wish you all a fruitful and prosperous 2017. The Editorial Team would like to thank you all for your positive support during the course of 2016 and It is happy to announce launch of the 5th edition of the WASH Connector Newsletter. The year 2016 was loaded with a number of strategic, high impact and life changing developments which include the unveiling of a national WASH Sector Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) against the current El-Nino-La Nina induced drought and development of the WASH Sector National Sanitation and Hygiene Policy. The Government also successfully launched two national strategic documents for the WASH Sector viz The Monitoring & Evaluation and Learning Framework and The Sanitation & Hygiene Advocacy Strategy. The 2016/17 Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) report with a financial focus was also finalised. Two major sector development projects namely the 14 Small Towns WASH Programme and the 33 Districts Rural WASH Project were also successfully rounded up and formally handed over to Government. The Rural WASH Project was also further extended to cover the three remaining Provinces of Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central and Manicaland. These development activities together with many others kept us busy throughout the year. As such, the sector performed very well and we applaud all our partners for a job well done. Having realised these gains from 2016, the New Year started on a sad note with an unexpected Typhoid outbreak in Mbare. To date, Harare City has reported more than 500 suspected cases since the 13th of October 2016, 45 of which have so far tested positive with 3 deaths. A National Rapid Response Team has been set put to try and quell further spread of the disease inlight of the current rainy season characterised by heavy down pours across all the 10 Provinces. Together we can stop the spread of typhoid! I strongly believe and hope that we are ready for the New Year, new challenges and new possibilities. Let us all put our hands together and serve our nation ensuring universal access to clean-safe water and dignified sanitation thereby reducing the disease burdens associated with their neglect. We wish you inspired reading. Dhoba Lovemore WASH Information Officer, National Coordination Unit Dhoba Lovemore WASH Connector Editorial Team Kevin Mazorodze Carl Mateta Angella Kabira Tafadzwa Shumba Matthew Chirambamhanda WASH Connector Newsletter. ISSUE 5 1 Honourable Minister of Environment, Water and Climate meets UNICEF’s New Country Resident Representative By Dhoba Lovemore, National Coordination Unit This system is currently being used to track severity of the El Nino-La Nina induced drought. In preparation for a new financial year There is also need to continue formulating new and as a tactical move to open doors wide strategies able to withstand current climate for strategic engagements, the Minister change challenges. Of major scrutiny was the responsible for Environment, Water and issue of boreholes equipped with hand pumps. Climate, Hon O. C. Z. Muchinguri-Kashiri (MP) The unrelenting recession of ground water had a round table discussion with UNICEF’s table in direct response to climate change has new Country Representative Dr. Mohamed Ag a net effect on water availability and access by Ayoya. The meeting held at Kaguvi Building on communities. the 13th of December 2016 was also attended by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of It was sweet to the ears hearing the Hon. Environment, Mr. P Mupazviriho, the National Minister tabling technical solutions to technical Coordinator in the National Coordination challenges bedevilling the sector in the face of Unit Mr. H.R Mashingaidze and UNICEF’s climate change. Most interesting from her pool Chief of WASH, Mr. V. Kinyanjui. In her of solutions was further deepening of already opening remarks, the Hon. Minister expressed existing boreholes where there is evidence dismay over the sector’s level of disaster of receding water table and for high yielding preparedness which she said still remains boreholes, equip those with solar powered on the reactive side resulting in unnecessary pumps and pipe water to follow communities. loss of human life. She underscored that our This is also with some background that over programming for 2017 should seek to reverse usage of hand pumps has resulted in frequent this status quo and strive to reduce the impact breakdowns many of which are beyond the of any future disasters affecting the sector. capacity of user communities to finance. More often than not, this has resulted in long down time of water points forcing communities back As if to allay the Hon. Minister’s fears, the to traditional sources. National Coordinator Mr. Mashingaidze apprised the meeting that the Rural WASH Sub-Sector Dr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya was quick to point has long since been put on a national real time out that, the current drought is a major cause monitoring system able to report on the water for concern to UNICEF’s current and future and sanitation situation across communities. programming. The Climate change office within UNICEF is currently in the process of mobilising resources for a national programme in response to the current climate change challenges. With immediate effect, the Rural WASH Project has been extended to the three provinces of Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central High Level Discussion: (From left) National Coordinator for National Coordination reaching out to more than Unit Mr. H.R Mashingaidze, Environment, Water and Climate Minister 1.4m people. This is backed by Hon O. C. Z. Muchinguri-Kashiri, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment Mr. P. Mupazviriho, Hon. Minister’s Aid Mr. S. Karimanzira, £12 million grant from DFID. UNICEF Country Representative Dr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya and UNICEF Chief of Plans are also at an advanced WASH, Mr. V. Kinyanjui during the round table discussion at Kaguvi Building on stage to commission a national the 13th of December 2016 2 WASH Connector Newsletter. ISSUE 5 Honourable Minister of Environment, Water and Climate meets UNICEF’s New Country Resident Representative programme for rehabilitation of community urban areas as Local Authorities’ capacity to managed piped water schemes. This started collect waste continue to decline to unparalleled with a national technical assessment of all levels. This calls for behaviour change on the community managed piped water schemes part of residence generating the waste and is strewn across the country. UNICEF is proposing only possible through heightening and focusing a system where the more than 500 schemes hygiene promotion whilst instituting measures assessed are rehabilitated and have their varied sound enough to make compliance binding and pumping mechanisms converted to solar with compulsory on both parties. UNICEF Resident reduced operational costs. Representative gave a practical example of Iran where Government has worked through “…boreholes are drying up but why are we school children enforcing the anti litter continuing with borehole drilling?” asked Dr. ticketing programme “…the US$14m Education Mohamed Ag Ayoya. Where boreholes have Fund availed to the Ministry of Primary and failed, the sector should also be flexible enough Secondary Education by UNICEF and with a to turn back to surface water especially in small WASH component can be used to kick those regions proud of perennial river networks start this discussion”. able to sustain new piped water schemes. Rounding up this alliance of minds, the two The need to conduct proper assessment of parties took note that the current WASH water available, both ground and surface to guard against yield related future failures of the rehabilitated schemes need not be over emphasized. Rivers and dams are silted and this has reduced their water holding capacity, “…I recommend that like agriculture we also institute a Command river and dam desiltation programme” lamented the Hon. Minister as she scrounges around for measures to boost the available surface and ground water resource. The discussion also revolved around a myriad of urban WASH challenges blamed for precipitating outbreak of archaic Stone Age diseases such as typhoid and cholera. Water Three Dignitaries: Dr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya poses for a situation in urban areas at the moment is very photo flanked by Hon O. C. Z. Muchinguri-Kashiri and her deplorable due to erratic supply. This situation Permanent Secretary Mr. P Mupazviriho has forced residents to seek solace in alternative Sector Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) sources chief amongst which are shallow wells has not been able to attract as much funding and boreholes. “This water again is not safe during the course of the year. However the due to burst sewer pipes affecting ground coming onboard of USAID with US$2m, the water”.
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