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822 PHVI 96 CENTRAL VISAYAS WATER & SANITATION PROJECT An Australia/Philippines Development Cooperation Project JJ*. •r m n Agency f
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Page 1: CENTRAL VISAYAS WATER & SANITATION PROJECT An … · 2014-03-07 · central Philippines. Here, for many households, clean water is a luxury and sanitation facilities are poor or non-existent.

822 PHVI 96

CENTRAL VISAYAS WATER & SANITATION PROJECTAn Australia/Philippines Development Cooperation Project

JJ*.

•r m

n Agency f

Page 2: CENTRAL VISAYAS WATER & SANITATION PROJECT An … · 2014-03-07 · central Philippines. Here, for many households, clean water is a luxury and sanitation facilities are poor or non-existent.

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and stronger communitlS to the people of the Philippines.

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« GOWRNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

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If you visited the central Philippines town of Ubay twoyears ago you may have found it. easier to get hold of acan of Coke than a glass of water to quench your thirst.

Ubay, like many of its neighbouring rural communi-ties, relied on travelling carts and shallow wells for itswater needs, accepting the gruelling shortage of cleanwater as a long-standing tradition.

It is hardly surprising, then, that the Mayor of Ubaynow becomes noticeably excited when it comes to thesubject of water. "People are taking showers andplanting trees", he says. "The arrival of the CentralVisayas Water and Sanitation Project has been thecatalyst for all kinds of changes in Ubay."

As the Year 2000 approaches - the target date for theUnited Nations 'dean water for all' policy - water andsanitation projects throughout the developing world aregrappling with the problems of devising systems suitedto local communities.

'Sustainability' has become the holy grail in this quest.Unless the water and sanitation systems set up under thesebilateral projects are sustainable in the long term, theywill not achieve their key goals of improving the health,living conditions and economic status of poorer commu-nities.

The Central Visayas Water and Sanitation Project ispioneering a method which seeks sustainability througha very h igh level of community consultation and involve-ment.

For some time now the traditional practice of leav-ing control of development projects in the hands ofengineers has been widely superseded by a 'bottom-up'approach, where technical specialists are closely involvedwith the local community. With greater consultation,the new systems are more likely to meet the needs ofthe communities being serviced and the communitiesare better equipped to look after them.

LIBRARY IRClox 93190, 2509 AD T"H£ HA3UE

lei.:+31 70 30Fax: +31 70 35 89!

ARCODE:O:

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The Central Visayas Water and Sanitation Project,a joint initiative of the Australian Government andthe Government of the Philippines, is taking the ideaof community partnership one step further. Not onlydo the communities targeted by the Project, help planand construct their new water and sanitation systems,they also become the owners of the systems throughthe formation of community waterworks cooperatives.

Known as Community-Based Water and SanitationOrganisations, these cooperatives are owned by theusers of the water. Their primary goal is to provide anadequate supply of domestic water for the use of mem-bers at. a reasonable cost. And through their secondaryprojects, access to water can become a springboard to arange of improvements from health training to liveli-hood projects which bring economic growth.

This community-based approach to development, hasbeen reinforced by the implementation of the 1991Local Government Code which has empowered localgovernment units to make their own decisions over is-sues affecting the communities. While time has beenneeded to perfect the process, the systems installed by

the project team have been found to fit into the pro-cesses of decentralisation and devolution.

It may take several years after the completion of theProject to assess whether the new systems are truly sus-tainable. But early indicators arc highly positive andthe Philippines Government has acknowledged this bytaking the unusual step of increasing funding above thelevel of Australia's aid contribution (at a ratio of about.55% to Australia's 45%) for the water supply construc-tion component of the project. This Philippinecontribution from national, provincial and municipalgovernments as well as from individual congressmen isin addition to contributions from the recipientcommunities.

In the villages and towns targeted by the Project,the contribution of the communities and local govern-ment personnel is also impressive. Whether it'sorganising a dance to raise funds for new latrines orcommunity tree planting to protect water sources, thepeople of the Philippines arc demonstrating increasingsupport for the new systems.

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THE PLAYERS

• Scheduled to run from 1991 to1997, the Central Visayas Water andSanitation Project is jointly fundedby the Australian Government(A$ 21.5 million, including A$ 7.5million for water supply facilities)and the Government of the Philip-pines (A$ 10 million lor watersupply facilities).

• The Australian Agency for Inter-national Development (AusAID)has contracted leading Australianenvironmental consultants SinclairKnight Merz, in association withDCCD Engineering Corporation ofthe Philippines, to guide all staffworking on the Project and adminis-ter Australian funded inputs.

• The Philippines Government: hascreated a Project Management: Unit,based in Cebu City, to supervise theimplementation of the Project incoordination with project: consul-tants and other agencies involved.

• A field team of Australian andFilipino advisers funded by theAustralian Government andselected by the. consultants isworking closely with the PhilippinesGovernment Project ManagementUnit and with government person-nel at the provincial, municipal and

CVWSP Technical Working Croup presided over by CVWSP Project Manager, Fernando Fajardo.

barangay levels. A key goal is toimprove the skills of local govern-ment staff in the areas of planning,project implementation, communityorganising and health education.

• NGOs are selected by SinclairKnight. Mer.z and local Philippineauthorities to assist in planning and

community organising. Their work isinitially supervised by the Project:advisers, with local government:units gradually raking on. more ofthis responsibility as their personnelbecome more experienced. A total offifteen, different NGOs have providedcommunity organising services forCVWSP.

m

Rainwater collector construction inspected byM&E Specialist, dun David; Community Organising Specialist,Rudy Caayupan; AusAID Counsellor, Ian Anderson and Bohol Engineer Planner, Keith Roberts,

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The heartland of the Project is thefishing and farming 'barangays' of thecentral Philippines. Here, for manyhouseholds, clean water is a luxuryand sanitation facilities are poor ornon-existent.

These barangays lie within theCentral Visayas, a group of four island provinces (Bohol,Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor) which are hometo about 4.5 million people - three quarters of themliving in rural areas and the majority working as farm-ers, fishermen and plantation workers.

Clusters of five to ten households form the pulsepoints of the community in the rural barangays. Theymay border the village square with its chapel, barangayhall, elementary school and rural clinic, or lie besidethe sea coast where the fishermen and their familiesmake a living, or by the riverside where farmers divert,the water by canal to the local farms.

Foremost in the minds of the Project's communityorganisers who walk the trails of the barangays arequestions on how best to harness the capacities of thepeople to identify community needs, formulate action

plans and manage their owndevelopment.

Before the Project began, about40 per cent of the rural popula-tion in the Central Visayas hadinadequate water supplies andabout. 30 per cent had unsatisfac-

tory sanitation facilities or none at all. The aim was tochoose those municipalities with the poorest health,lowest, incomes and least, access to potable water.

About one quarter of the municipalities in theCentral Visayas arc being targeted, with the hope thatthis will produce a substantial flow-on effect as othermunicipalities draw on the new capabilities introducedinto their region and attract local funding to set upsimilar projects.

Within these targeted municipalities some 10,000households (.38%) will be directly served by newor improved water systems, about 24,000 households(1.3%) will benefit from improved sanitationfacilities, and some 400 community-based water andsanitation organisations will be formed to manage andoperate the systems.

STEPS IN THE PROJECTMETHOD

• Municipalities are chosen to partici-pate on the basis of their level oj needfor improved water and sanitation, theavailability of useable water, and thelevel oj amimunity interest in takingpart.

• Once a municipality and its barangayshave been selected, a project team andan N ( J ( . ) organise meetings to explainthe Project and enlist the support of thecommunity and local governmentpersonnel.

• The N G O , through its communityorganisers, develops a profile of eachbarangay including details of its waterresources, health and sanitationconditions, and demographics, andfrrepares spot maps. Potential leaderswithin each community are identified.

• Community organisers help localcommunities develop their own watersupply and sanitation plans. Proposalsare prepared for each small water supply,including sketches and cost estimateswhere possible, together with an indica-tion of what labour and materials thecommunity is prepared to commit.

* The proposals are prioritised by the.community then assessed by provincialengineering staff, ami an agreed jrrogramis drawn up. Wherever feasible theideas and wishes oj the coynmunity arcincorporated in the design.

• The community organisers helpestablish community-based water aridsanitation organisations (CBWSOs)which will own and operate the comple-ted water supply systems. This requiresintensive organising and training todevelop in the. rural communities theknowledge, skills and attitudes tobecome self'Sufficient.

• Ccn\struction of the. larger systems iscarried out by contract or by directadministration of labour. Contractorsare. required to use unskilled labourfrom the. community wliere the job islocated,

• For small systems, contracts arenormally arranged for drilled wells andother specialised components but, as faras possible, the local community isencouraged to carry out the construc-tion. The community is also required tocontribute local materials, such as sandami gravel.

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The rusty hand pump at the cen-tre of the town square in Argao, nearCebu City, stands as a reminder thatsustainability is the key word in mod-ern development projects.

By the early 1970s, the water sys-tem developed by the Argao Munici-pality had fallen into disrepair, withpipes leaking and poor distributionto individual households. Residentswere forced to fetch water from far-away and unsafesources until 1992, when Argao became the first mu-nicipality to participate in the Central Visayas Waterand Sanitation Project. , • •

Thirty deep wells, three rain collectors and severalpiped water systems have been installed through theProject and more than 1,000 households provided withlatrines. And while these changes arc revolutionaryenough in themselves, perhaps the most important, change

COWASSCO Office, Argao, Cebu.

has been the handing over of opera-tions and management of the watersystems to the people of Argao inJanuary 1995, placing responsibilitywith the community itself rather thanlocal government.

It is on this principle of self-ma-nagement that the success of theProject relies.

The new community-based waterand sanitation organisation, COWASSCO, is aware thatto survive, it must, avoid the poor tariff collection whichresulted from the inadequate water supply servicesprovided by the old municipal system. Households mustnow pay promptly for connection and for water.

Initial results from Argao show a high tariff collec-tion rate (90%), and new connections of 45 per month,which exceeds initial projections.

TAPPING INTO LOCALRESOURCES

Given the community-based nature ofthe Project, its success in any town orbarangay will depend on the level ofsupport enlisted within the local popu-lation. In Argao, community organi-sers successfully tapped into somevaluable local resources:

• A base of well-developed communitycooperatives already existed in Argao —including jishing and agriculturalcooperatives and some groups set up byPlan International — and these becamean important entry point for thecommunity organisers.

• Strong- support from the Mayor ofArgao, Dan Sesaldo, has been vital tothe success of the Project. When fund-ing ran low the Mcryor cut councilexpenses to come up with PI million andpersonally lobbied to secure P7 millionfrom the Central Government andPI .5 million from the Office of thePresident.

Cebu Engineer Planner, Ernest Batt with the user group at Level I deepwell in Argao, Cebu.

* Community organisers sought outlocal retirees, particularly ex-govern-ment employees and retired schoolteachers, to serve in the water associa-tions , recognising that they had signi-ficant experience and skills to offer.

• A strong emphasis has been placed ontraining from the outset of the Projectand the water associations in Argao willcontinue the practice, paying for furthertraining themselves.

Australian Ambassador Richard Smith presents theArgao Water Supply turnover certificate to ArgaoMayor Daniel Snsaldn.

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THE WATER SYSTEMS

Water ay stems in the. Philippines are categorised under three kveh uf services:

• Level OneA drilled or dug well equipped with ahand pump, or a protected spring with asingle distribution point. The system issuitable [or 5 to 25 households,supplying a minimum of 30 litres percapita per day.

• Level TwoA piped system with communal faucets,each serving 4 to 12 households with asuj)j>ly of 40'60 litres per capita perday. Each faucet, group is metered.

• Level ThreeA piped system with the capacity formetered connections to individualhouseholds and businesses. The designsupply rate varies from HO to 200 litresper capita per day. Consumers areresponsible for the cost of individualconnections.

TYPE OF WATER SYSTEMS

NO. OF WATER SYSTEMSTOTAL 1,850

3 SLU D

t iLU CLLU Q.

NO. OF HOUSEHOLDS COVEREDTOTAL 67, OOO

.1.1-'Projected figures by completion of project*! owl II system supply waier to public taps*Level III system supply water to housa connection

i.il

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Construction of reservoir tor Level II / III system in San Remegio, Cebu.

Spring box for Level II system in San Juan, Siquijor. Rainwater collector in Colawin, Argao (Cebu).

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The role of women has beentackled right from the beginning inthe Central Visayas Project.

As domestic managers, women arcthe major users of water in the house-hold, deciding how much water tocollect, how to recycle used waterand how to store water. They alsotend to set the agenda for health andhygiene within the family. Their cooperation in anysustainable community-based development project isessential.

Gender awareness sessions are part of the orienta-tion workshops for project implementors and commu-nity members. Initially these sessions are often attendedmostly by men but women gradually take part, some-times encouraged by their husbands. It is importantthat both men and women are aware of the value ofparticipation by women.

Many of the women in the rural communities in theCentral Visayas are full-time housewives and mothers and,at the same time, income earners, so it can be difficultfor them to find the time to participate in the many

activities associated with the Project.Community organisers working withthe women on this issue of multipleburdens have found that, the men canoften, help in simple ways - husbandsminding the children while theirwives go to a meeting, for example.

Generally, the participation of thewomen has been slow at the outset,

gathering momentum with growing confidence in thepotential of the Project. Women have become involvedin all activities, including construction of water andsanitation facilities and management of the new sys-tems. Mothers have also become the most effectivemedium for disseminating information and training inhealth practices.

As yet, women are not well represented in the chairand vice chair positions of the big water associations,although many are board members. It is more commonto find female office holders within the second leveland smaller water associations.

THE WOMEN OF .SANTACATAL1NA

In the. very earliest stages of theProject in Santa Catalina (NegrosOriental), few of the women in thebarangay participated. More joined infor the construction of the communitylatrine system, mixing cement to maketoilet bowh, and by the time it came toformulating the constitution and by-laws of the water users group, amajority of the women were takingpart.

While finding time has sometimesbeen difficult, the women of SantaCatalina say they are glad of theopportunity to work on other projectsbesides domestic work. They believethe skills they have acquired haveraised their value in the eyes of thecommunity and their families.

Evidence of further change came, in1994 when many of the women wererecommended to run for the harangayelections. So many of them weresuccessful that, the women on the. councilnow outnumber the men.

S1BONGA WOMEN

Women from 14 of the water andsanitation committees set up under theProject have, joined together to form theSibonga Women's Organisation. In onebarangay, these women have set aboutimproving their relatively poor econo-mic position by establishing backyardgardens and selling the produce at themarket.

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HEALTH AND SANITATION

Embedded in the Project is theconcept that clean water is a meansto better standards in communityhealth. The following methods areused to improve health practices intarget areas:

• NGOs and local Department ofI Iealth staff are responsible fortraining community members andrural sanitary inspectors in healthmatters including the properdisposal o! faeces, water qualitysurveillance, personal hygiene andenvironmental, sanitation. Trainingof trainers is also provided fordepartmental staff.

• One out of every ten householdsin the barangays is selected as therepresentative responsible for identi-fying and reporting any water orsanitation problems that may arise.

• A system for water qualitysurveillance has been put in placeand the Project has providedequipment for nine laboratories invarious cities and municipalities inthe four provinces.

• Educational materials such as flipcharts, video tapes and broadcastingmaterials have been prepared to helpcommunicate the health educationmessage. These materials includeinformation in the Visayan language.

Medical technologist conducting a water quality

analysis at a CVWSP supported laboratory.

HEALTH STATIONorimem IWMPIONR. mt.on.

Rural Sanitary Inspector explaining health education Ilipchart to a group of household unit representatives.

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• Sanitation facilities consist of simplepit latrines with concrete bowls andfloor slabs - generally water sealbowl latrines. Where water is scarce,ventilated, improved pit non-waterseal latrines may be used.

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"The Project has become a catalyst for the economic growth of the province,whose main strategies focus on eco-tourism, small-scale industry and tourism.

These strategies all require adequate water supply."(Ben P. Aquino, Governor of Siquijor)

Access to clean water is certainlyan end in itself but. it also has thepotential to stimulate a variety ofeconomic improvements in poorercommunities.

In the towns, a good water sup-ply is a basic requirement for thegrowth of commerce, tourism andlight industry. In the villages, it canalso become the starting point fornew commercial ventures.

The cooperative structure of the Project seeks tomaximise such flow-on benefits by encouraging localcommunities to come up with their own entrepreneurialschemes and helping to develop the skills to organiseand execute them.

In the rural communities,,.In the rural barangays surrounding the town of Ubay

(Bohol), a burst of new economic activity is underway.With a small amount of start-up capital earned throughthe Project half of the 14 water associations in the areahave begun to operate their own income-generatingprojects, including rice trading, emergency loans, microlending and equipment rental.

Some water associations, forexample, have purchased electricfans which make the job of ricewinnowing three times faster bydispersing the rice husks. The fanscan also be rented out to farmersin other communities.

In one barangay the water as-sociation invests in production oflatrine bowls which arc sold at. lessthan market, price to other

barangays. The association provides the materials andpays labourers 10 pesos per bowl, channelling profitsfrom sales back into its reserve funds.

Seed capital for these new ventures comes fromsavings made from project funds. The water associationsbuy raw materials lor the new water and sanitationsystems at a lower price than the Project could, therebyearning the difference. They also earn a small amountof capital by donating their labour instead of hiringlabour. Once the systems are up and running, a smallpercentage of the water tariffs paid by water users isalso available for new economic ventures.

Seven to ten households are served by a typical LevelOne system (open dug well) in these barangays. When

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the pumps are installed, each household pays an aver-age of five pesos a month to the water association, ofwhich 80 per cent is allocated to operation and main-tenance and the remaining 20 per cent goes into a re-serve fund.

Besides generating income and some employmentin the barangays around Ubay, the water associationsare planting fruit trees to protect the watershed andlobbying tor better household sanitation. Two water as-sociations have constructed their own offices using themoney saved on labour to pay for materials. The of-fices provide a place for meetings and training sessionsand a site to store fertiliser.

In the towns...The Mayor of Ubay, Eutiquio

Bernales, is highly optimistic about theeconomic prospects for his town: "Inthe past, not a single industry has come in

- no water, so no investment. Now we

can have meat processing, crab meat pro-

cessing, already we have some new invest'

ment in shops for electrical appliances and

pawnshops. These are very visible improve-

ments ."

Before the Project was set up in Ubay, the lack ofgroundwater in the municipality meant the town hadto rely on shallow wells and water delivered by pushcarts. At 2 pesos per 18 litres, cart water was expen-sive and not really suitable for drinking in the rainyseason.

A large amount of surface water for irrigation wasavailable, however, and this was extended and im-pounded for use in a system with the capacity for indi-vidual connections to households and businesses inUbay. Most of the households now have latrines andthe seven communal latrines constructed in the cen-

tre of the town arc regularly inspected."It has been difficult to gat people, to

come here or keep people here when they

arrive. Now people from Cehu will come,

it will give us a very different picture, es-

pecially economically," says the Mayor.

Besides the 2,000 Ubay householdswhich will benefit from the new watersystem, the town is selling water topeople on the neighbouring islands -at only .5 pesos a can and .25 pesos formembers, which is much cheaper thanbefore.

Ubay Mayor Eutiquio Bernales samples waterfrom a communal faucet during the turnoverol the level It/Ill water system

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> " - • * ' •

M/atef Treatment Plant in Ubay, Bohol.

TREES FOR LIFE

In Manatati, an upland fcarangaji inSibonga, Ccbu, the. local jorests havebeen devastated through illegal euttingby people, outside the barangay. Manyof the. springs in the area have, dried upas a result.

When representatives of the. waterusers group met to discuss the problemit was agreed that every household in

the. barangay should plant at least one.tree. Seedlings were propagated by thecommunity using seeds of the mahoganyand jack fruit trees growing locally.

Known as the frees far Life Project,the scheme has been adopted by otherharangays in Sibonga.

Throughout the Central Visayas,local communities participating in dieProject are learning of the. connectionbetween vegetation and water. Theyrecognise that the planting of trees willhelp maintain water levels and keep thewater supply clean.

And, most importantly, the schemesfor the greening of the environment are.initiated by the. people themselves.

In the. municipality of Argao, forinstance, energetic young men andwomen have formed a youth associationpledged to support a massive, tree-planting drive. Beside the. river andcreeks, steep barangay roads andslopes, mahogany seedlings are being

planted, nurtured and guarded fromdestruction by animals. A localordinance passed in support of theventure now provides for penalties forowners of animals caught destroyingtrees or seedlings.

In Ubay, almost 10,000 trees havebeen planted around surface watersources within a period of three months.After a heavy rain local governmentemployees pitch m with communitymembers to plant seedlings from thelocal government nursery and the.Department of Environment andNatural Resources.

Filipinos are well known for theirlove of gardens and plants and withnew systems bringing water directly tothe houses or a nearby outlet, manyhouseholds are planting vegetablegardens and acquiring plants to beautifytheir homes, hi Sibonga, a Senator isgiving prizes for the best vegetablesgrown in the. barangays.

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, B'iliSW^1 ••••••U'vlLvi ! •

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Some important lessons have been learned on the Central Visayas Water

and Sanitation Project and some key indicators for success identified. The points listed

below reflect the cumulative experience of those working on the Project and, more broadly,give some insight into the workings of community-based development schemes.

• NQOs and theircommunity organisers

The effectiveness of the NGOappointed for each municipality isa key success indicator. It is theNGO, through its communityorganisers, which acts as the mainconduit between the communities,technical project staff and local government. It is alsothe NGO which oversees the development of crucialmanagement skills within the communities.

NGOs arc chosen on the basis of their track recordin the region and proven skills in community organising.The budgets they submit arc considered only after theyhave been ranked according to their skills and experience.

Much depends on the quality of the communityorganisers supplied by the NGOs. Problems may arisewhere the community organisers allow their own po-litical agendas or social ideals to become disruptive.Their ability to form good working relationships withthe local mayor and other community leaders, such asteachers and doctors, is paramount and relies on tactand a cooperative approach. A maxim for success inthis role is to aim to become a com-munity resource rather than a com-munity leader.

Through training and educationin the principles of developmentmanagement, community organisersshould be able to broaden their vi-sion from the immediate benefits ofclean water and sanitation to by-products such as economic growthand environmental protection.There is a danger that community

organisers experienced in a set for-mula for development may sufferfrom tunnel vision and miss the op-portunities provided by a more in-novative approach.

• Role of the mayor andother elected officials

Political leadership is essential to the success of theProject. A supportive local mayor can speed implemen-tation, help with funding and inspire community coop-eration.

On the other hand, conflicts may arise where themayor sees the water and sanitation project as a vehiclefor political advancement or where there are politicaltensions between the mayor and the key communityleaders working on the project. In some cases, the mayormay be reluctant to hand the new water and sanita-tion resources over to the community, seeing them asa potential source of revenue.

The most effective combination has been where amayor is both politically active - able to secure resourcesfrom government at provincial and central levels - and

community oriented, seeing thenew systems as a matter of commu-nity development rather than avehicle for political power orincreased revenue.

It is advantageous to establish therole of the community organisers asearly as possible so that, they havethe opportunity to develop a rela-tionship with the local mayor andelected officials and win theirconfidence in the communityorientation of the project.

AusAID representative Mick Rice and Australian TeamLeader Ross Kcarton with NGO representatives.

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• Experience of the communityThe level of community organisation which already

exists in a target area is an important indicator. Expe-rience suggests that where cooperative ventures havealready been set up - agricultural associations, healthcentres, etc - the established networks andorganisational frameworks these provide are enormouslyuseful. Similarly, community members who have somekind of management, experience provide an invaluableresource.

Without this kind of community support, the chancesof success for the development project arc greatly re-duced and a high level of community enthusiasm isrequired to compensate. Such enthusiasm is only likelyto be found in communities where the perceived needfor new amenities and facilities is very high.

A community's experience of other developmentprojects - whether good or bad - can also have an effecton any new venture. Where previous projects have prom'ised too much and failed to deliver, the community maybe sceptical about, the prospects of the new scheme andless willing to devote their time andenergy. Also, communities in areaswhere local conditions restrict thepotential for development - scar-city of suitable water sources, forinstance - may be over-optimisticabout what the project can offer.

In either case it is advisable totry to link community expectations

to feasible outcomes. Strategies which can help achievethis include providing communities and NGOs withrelevant data at the start of the project, ensuringcommunity organisers do not raise high expectationsand ongoing consultation between communities andtechnical personnel.

• Cooperation with other agenciesLinkages with other funding agencies can broaden

the reach and increase the effectiveness of a single de-velopment project. The Central Visayas Project hasworked in productive cooperation with Plan Interna-tional, a major World Bank funded Water and Sanita-tion Project, and the Gcnnan funded Photovoltaic WaterPumping Project.

• Funding community participationThe high level of donor funding (about 10%) allo-

cated to social preparation and community organisationin this Project is considered a key element, for success.It allows greater input from local communities and sup-

ports the principle of self-manage-ment which underpins the entireProject.

• Funding from the. host countryThe Project includes a relatively

high level of funding from thePhilippines Government at central,provincial and municipal levels.

Sibonga Mayor, Bonifacio Bacaltos; AustralianAmbassador, Richard Smith and Cehu Governor, PabloGarcia at the Sibonga Level ll/lll turnover ceremony.

Australian Team Leader, Ross Kcarton; Bohol Governor, Rene Relampagos;Presidential Assistant for Visayas, Rhett Pelaez and Former Australian Ministerfor Development Cooperation and Pacific Island Affairs, Gordon Bilney al ribboncutting ceremony tor rainwater collector in Bien Unirio, Bohol.

AusAID Director General, Trevor Kanaley; PEO Engineer, Leloy Bustamante;AusAID Counsellor, Les Walters; AusAID First secretary. Mick Rice and ATL, RossKearton at deepwcll handpump in Argao, Cebu.

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This multilevel funding demonstrates commitment tocommunity management and community ownership.

Funding from local communities, in the form of labourand materials, has also been high (up to 30% in somemunicipalities), once again reinforcing the perceptionthat the Project is valuable.

Experience suggests that, local government fundingand community funding are critical success indicators- the Project has forged ahead in areas where these arehighest and tended to experience more problems in areaswhere they are low.

• Tariff collectionIn the past, poor tariff collection has been an im-

portant factor in the demise of some of the municipalwater systems established in the Philippines. If the newsystems arc to be sustainable, tariffs must be collectedregularly and access denied to users who don't meettheir payments.

To facilitate this process, economists were employedby the Project to identify appropriate tariff levels bytaking into account what particular communities couldafford to pay as well as what levels of funding were neededfor the systems to be self-sustaining. All financial fea-sibility studies resulted in a tariff considerably less thanfive percent of household income, which is the WorldBank guideline for affordability. Communities were askedto approve the tariff structure, which penalises highwater consumers and includes a disconnection policyfor non payment.

• Dialogue with technical advisersBoth the engineering staff and the community

organisers play a crucial role yet often neither know agreat deal about the other's expertise. Maintaining adialogue between the two has become a feature of CVWSP.

Community organisers receive some technical train-ing and engineering staff are made aware of the impor-tance of community information on local conditionsand requirements. Frequent liaison between the twogroups occurs throughout development and construc-tion of the new systems.

• TimeframeA long lead time has proved to be essential to this

kind of community-based initiative. Originally it wasestimated that water and sanitation facilities would behanded over 18 months after the Project started up ina particular community. This was extended to two yearsbut experience indicates it can take anywhere from twoto three years.

COWASSCO (Argao)REVENUE COLLECTION

FISCAL YEAH 1995- 1996

TARGET / PROJECTION

Photovoltaic Pumping Project in Aloguinsan, Cebu - a project of cooperationbetween German De ve lop men I Assistance andC VWSP.

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TRAINING

Teaching the fanners and fisher-men of the barangays the skills to fixleaking pipes and replace brokenparts in a water system removes theneed t.o bring in a local technicianand is just: one of the ways in whichthe Project is working toward thegoal of self-reliant communities.

Funds from the AustralianGovernment: have been used toprepare and produce trainingmaterials and to conduct workshopsand training sessions including:

• orientation workshops for projectand government agencies in com-munity development methodology

• training of community organisers• training of community core leaders• training of provincial and district

health educators of the Depart-ment of Health

• technical training for engineersfrom the. provincial and municipalplanning and development offices

• fellowships to Australian Univer-sities for Filipino engineers andhealth personnel

Engineers working with theprovincial and municipal planningand development offices are being

trained in hydrogeological investiga-tions including electric logging ofwells and georesistivity surveys.They have also prepared case studieson water supply design, carried outapplications of piped network analy-sis programs and received training incontract documentation andimplementation.

At the barangay and municipallevel, the Project Team has con-ducted capacity building seminarsand workshops on leadershipformation, team building, watersystem planning, latrine construc-tion and gender sensitivity. Finan-cial management training, includingbasic accounting and auditing, isalso part of ensuring that themanagers of the new water coopera-tives are able to carry out theirresponsibilities.

PPDO Groundwater Management trainees being presented with certificates by Project Director,Peter Cassell after completion of training at the University of Technology, Sydney.

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TRAINING INAUSTRALIA

Delia Cabatana of the Provin-cial Planning and DevelopmentOffice in Cebu was one. of fourrecipients of a 15-week fellowshipin Viroundwater Engineering at theUniversity of Technology, Sydney.The Central Visayas Water andSanitation Project made these

] fellowships possible.."This training in Australia and

continued assistance from CYWSPtechnical per5onnel in fieldactivities has given me the confi-dence and skills to perform the.required hydrogeological investiga-tions to protect Cebu's scarcewater resources" (DeliaCabatana).

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Province of Negros Oriental,

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(AusAIDAustralian Agency for International Development62 Northbourne AvenueCanberra CityCivic ACT 2600AustraliaTelephone (06) 206 4000Fax (06) 206 4864 \ ^

AusAID-Manila5th F Salustian Building104 Paseo de Roxa.s corner Perea StreetMakati, Metro Manila, PhilippinesTelephone (632) 754 6181Fax (632) 754 6265

Regional Development CouncilNational Economic and Development Authority(NEDA-VII)2nd Floor, Leonisa BuildingEscario Street, Cebu CityTelephone (6332) 253 8959 / 253 8126Fax (6332) 253 0489

Central Visayas W ater <St Sanitation ProjectV. Ranudo Building (Ludo & Luym House)V. Ranudo StreetCebu City, PhilippinesP.O. Box 908, Cebu City, PhilippinesTelephone (6332) 253-7858 / 253-8894Fax (6332) 253-9673


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