1

REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE

------------- MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND WATER RESOURCES

PUJEHUN DISTRICT

DISTRICT WATER

AND SANITATION PLAN

October 2009

Sicap Sacré Cœur III Villa N° 9231 - BP : 16473 Dakar/Fann Tél : 869-37-93 - Fax : 827-94-99 - Email : gerad@orange.sn – Site Web : www.geradsn.org

2

I- INTRODUCTION

1-1 Background of the research

WaterAid is an international charity organisation focusing on the access of all to safe water

and sanitation services which are nowadays considered as vital needs but also are included in

the MDGs aimed at halving the proportion of people in the world without access to safe water

and sanitation by 2015. WaterAid‟s strategy is built around strengthening the capacities of

Local Governments for them to achieve MDG 7 which is related to water and sanitation.

In this respect, WaterAid West Africa has developed a regional strategy (2005-2010),

implementation of which has provided satisfactory results in terms of access and management

and of decentralised water and sanitation services in the four countries where the organisation

works- Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, and Ghana. This regional strategy has built on the

national strategic and operational planning policies and documents on water and sanitation.

The intended objective was to develop the sector capacity through increased funding. The

approach used was to support the Local Governments (LGs) to focus on decentralisation and

good governance using the sector development plans are advocacy and negotiation tools to

influence policies.

The sector development plan is a strategic planning document which sets out the main

directions to improve the safe water, hygiene and sanitation service delivery. This plan is

therefore a reference document to map out the development challenges and opportunities in a

Local Government and set priority actions to be undertaken is specific locations. The plan is a

decision making tool to be used by all sector stakeholders.

The Mid Term Review of this strategy has led to recommendations which include the

broadening of WaterAid‟s work to other West African countries, mainly the desert and post-

conflict ones. The choice of Liberia is in fitting with this and aims to support the national and

international stakeholders striving to re construct this country. WaterAid‟s contribution

focuses on improving access to safe water and sanitation but also promoting good governance

and local democracy.

As part of the decentralisation policy in Sierra Leone, the water sector is partially transferred

to Local Governments. So, Local Governments are expected to harness means and efforts to

build their capacity for a wide delivery of the water and sanitation services to all, particularly

the poor.

3

In Sierra Leone, the District is WaterAid‟s basic intervention unit. The district is an

administrative unit expected to provide its people with an enabling environment for

sustainable development. WaterAid‟s objective is to improve access to safe water, sanitation

infrastructures and promote hygiene.

Sector development plans:

must be consistent with the development policies –national and sector levels:

activities suggested can help to strengthening decentralisation, reducing poverty if

we meet the needs deemed necessary by communities.

need to be harmonised, for instance in line with poverty reduction activities. The

participatory assessment has clearly highlighted poverty as the underpinning cause

of the lack of access to basic social services. The poor and most vulnerable groups

are particularly concerned as they have little or lack the necessary financial

resources enabling them to adequately access to basic social infrastructures.

convergence for more visible and sustainable results: this effort from players

involved in the strategy is seen as a pre requisite for achieving the objectives set.

1-2 Rationale for the research

Findings of the scoping study in Sierra Leone show that this is one of the poorest countries in

the world where civil war has aggravated the situation. The bad consequences of this war

(1991 – 2002) are as follows:

from 1991 to 1995, more than 50, 000 people were displaced or have become refugees in

Guinea;

In 1998, 20% Sierra Leoneans were disabled and most of these are children;

Over 6, 000 people were killed in Freetown in 1999;

A total estimate of 100, 000 to 200, 000 deaths;

More than 2 million people displaced, i.e., 1/3 of the country population.

Other issues include:

Civil war has caused not only the displacement of many Sierra Leoneans towards neighbour countries,

but also the destruction of basic facilities and infrastructures. But the country is under reconstruction

after the war ended in 2002 and the democratic elections held.

The return of the decentralisation in 2004 and the presence of people elected in a free and democratic

manner have significantly driven Sierra Leone towards the beginning of real reconstruction of the

country. This restructuring process is seen through an administrative reform, new Local Government

entities. There are currently 19 local councils in Sierra Leone.

4

Many children work in risky diamond sites;

High HIV-positive among these children: 16, 000 children under 15 years;

Low access to water and sanitation infrastructures.

This national reconstruction process which is under the supervision of the UN peace keeping

forces has encouraged the return of many donors to invest in all development sectors. But the

national authorities have undertaken actions to ensure better coordination of the work of all

these players.

The design of the Sector Development Plans in Sierra Leone requires not only a strategy, but

also an approach which mainly focuses on an effective involvement of the national

authorities, in particular the water ministry and the ministry in charge of decentralisation. This

is to ensure some consistency with the national vision in terms of planning and

decentralisation.

Map 1: Local Councils in Sierra Leone

While these local Councils are headed by Chairs elected for a 4-year term of office, the

municipal Councils are led by Mayors. Each “ward” is represented by a councillor in the local

Council. The districts of Pujehun and Kenema which have been selected as WaterAid

intervention areas count respectively 22 and 34 wards.

5

1-3 Methodology

The assignment took place in a post-conflict country where civil war has destroyed the social

cohesion and therefore, making it difficult to apply the known traditional process of designing

planning documents. A flexible strategy has therefore been developed, taking into account a

lot of unknown parametres.

a suitable strategy: in such a context, the consultant‟s approach was to work through

focus-group discussions, workshops and individual meetings. We met with the national

authorities to agree on a data collection approach to fully gather relevant information

while ensuring the security of the consultants. Organisation of workshops in Freetown

was agreed upon to include the stakeholders of the various Districts. Meetings were also

held with national authorities to materialise the actions agreed upon during the

discussions between GERAD team and the national authorities.

Focus on collective behaviour: the facilitation tools were guided by decoding the signs

and behaviours which underpin a group dynamic. The various stakeholders involved in

the study or working in the water, hygiene and sanitation sector were organised in groups.

Except the representatives from the relevant Districts, the workshop was also attended by

local authorities, local state agencies and one representative from the water ministry; the

purpose was to carry out:

An assessment in each District, using a participatory approach with simple and

practical tools. Discussions focused purposefully on the role and importance of

social services to bringing back social cohesion.

An analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the various

districts.

Mapping of priority activities to be undertaken to improve the existing situation

With this strategy, satisfactory achievements were gained through the suggested activities

which were shared and approved by the whole group, which means, the end of individual

responses to issues faced by the various social groups.

The methodology has also used the various documents and technical documents such as:

- the Scoping study to Sierra Leone (November 2008)

- the Sierra Leone Local Government Act (2004).

6

Additional quantitative surveys were carried out in households selected among target wards

in each District.

Training and participatory assessment workshop for local researchers

This was held in Freetown on Monday 3rd

and Tuesday 4th

, August 2009. This workshop

which was facilitated by GERAD has gathered local stakeholders (representatives from the

districts of Kenema and Pujehun) as well as national level experts and managers.

The workshop aimed to discuss the institutional and socio economic situation with a focus on

the water, hygiene and sanitation in each of the two districts. The workshop was expected to

draw out the key strategic directions required to improve the communities‟ situation

concerning water, hygiene and sanitation service delivery. The final objective was to train

field researchers from the two districts on how to use the questionnaires on data collection

strategies (sampling) of quantitative data (household surveys).

The workshop was facilitated by GERAD, using participatory tools to assess the socio

economic and institutional situation of the two districts. Two work groups were formed, one

including Kenema district representatives and the other with representatives from the district

of Pujehun. Also, some national experts each group also included a couple of national experts.

During the workshop, local stakeholders and national managers have carried out the

institutional assessment of the two districts, analysed their socio economic situation and

reviewed the partnerships. A SWOT analysis was also conducted by the two groups who then

identified all actions worth undertaking to improve the socio economic situation of the two

districts, mainly regarding water, hygiene and sanitation.

Day two was dedicated to a sampling exercise and training of the local researchers from the

two districts in view of the household surveys, findings of which are additional data to those

collected during the participatory workshop.

Work sessions with resource persons

On the day following the workshop, we met with:

Alhassan KANU, Director of Decentralisation Secretariat and Coordinator for

Institutional Reform and capacity building project;

Horatio Max GORVIE, expert at the Decentralisation Secretariat;

Floyd Alex DAVIES, expert at the Decentralisation Secretariat ;

Victor K. KAMARA, expert at the Decentralisation Secretariat.

The Decentralisation Secretariat was established in 2004 with the main task of coordinating

all support and intervention related to decentralisation in Sierra Leone. In other terms, it

handles all technical issues related to the decentralisation Policy in the country. Its mission is

to help build the capacities of local councils in various areas, in particular, development

planning, financial management, etc.

The work sessions enabled to hold in-depth discussed around the decentralisation Policy in

Sierra Leone and its implications on the water sector.

The sessions highlighted that after breaking off for some years break as seen in the previous

chapters, Sierra Leone renewed with decentralisation since 2004.

7

Finally, until it left Freetown on August 14th, 2009 for Dakar, GERAD team has had regular

work sessions with Francis MOIJUE, an expert from the water ministry to collect additional

information that will help write the assessment reports on the SDP and monitor the

preparations for the household surveys.

Interviews of the resource persons have enabled the GERAD team to gain additional

information necessary to refine the institutional and socio economic assessment in the

relevant districts.

Collection of quantitative data

This process took place before the training of the local researchers held in Freetown on

Tuesday August 4th

, 2009. The training sessions which were facilitated by GERAD using the

household questionnaires and sampling have involved the local stakeholders and

representatives from the water and energy ministry.

The following table shows how the researchers were split in the two districts. Researchers

were jointly selected by GERAD and people from the water ministry.

Split of the local researchers

Kenema District Council (KDC) Pujehun District Council (PDC)

M&E officer of KDC M&E officer of KDC

District Wash Supervisor District Wash Supervisor

Engineer, Wash KDC Environmental Sanitation Officer (2 no.)

Environmental Sanitation Officer (2 no.)

NGO representative

NGO representative

Selection of the survey areas (wards)

The areas below were selected based on a number of criteria, including the accessibility

during the raining seasons:

Split of the wards by District

Kenema District Council (KDC) Pujehun District Council (PDC)

Ward 35 Nongowa - Sections

Dakpana & Kona Foiya Ward 49 Dodo --- the whole

of DODO

Ward 50 Kandu Lappiama

Section Sonnie

Ward 54 Small Bo - Sections

Gorama & Kamboma

Ward 55 Niawa & Langrama

Chiefdoms the whole of Niawa

Ward 305 Panga Kabonde

Ward 309 Malen

Ward 311 Mono Sakrim

Ward 312 Panga krim

Ward 314 Galliness Perri

Ward 319 Barri

8

and Langrama Chiefdoms

Five (5) WARDS Six (6) WARDS

The following table specifies the modalities for conducting the quantitative survey in each

district:

Modalities during the quantitative survey processes

Kenema District Council (KDC) Pujehun District Council (PDC)

Apply at least 40 questionnaires

per WARD

At least 5 to 6 communities per

WARD

No more than 5 questionnaires

per Community (for instance,

not more than 10% of the

number of households per

community)

Apply at least 30 questionnaires

per WARD

At least 6 to 7 communities per

WARD

No more than 5 questionnaires

per Community (for instance,

not more than 10% of the

number of households per

community)

Five (5) wards Six (6) wards

NB: There are more questionnaires to be used in Kenema than in Pujehun because the former

has bigger communities than the latter.

.

3. Background information on the intervention area

Sierra Leone is located on the western coast of Africa. This country is limited in the West and

the South-West by the Atlantic Ocean, in the North and North-East by the Republic of Guinea

and by Liberia in the East and South-East. The surface area is about 72 000 sq and the country

enjoys 340 km of coastal area along the Atlantic Ocean.

Sierra Leone is made up of three provinces (North, South and East) and a West area. Each

province comprises twelve districts but the west area includes an urban and rural area.

Districts are also sub divided into « chiefdoms » which are 149 in total.

Multi party system is what characterises Sierra Leone which is led by an elected President of

the Republic. The parliament is made up of elected people (5 year term of service) from each

district.

A decentralisation and local governance system has been established in Sierra Leone. This

local governance is governed by the « Sierra Leone Local Government Act (2004)»

9

Safe water supply to rural communities in particular is one of the responsibilities assigned to

local councils; this means that as part of the decentralisation policy, the water sector is

partially transferred to local governments.

Also, community structures made up of 6 to 10 members (including representatives of

community base organisations, i.e., youth groups, women groups, etc) work in water

management.

For the Director of Decentralisation Secretariat, the destruction of decentralised institutions in

Sierra Leone in 1978 has led to a centralised system with its subsequent frustrations at local

level.

In 2004, the Parliament brought back decentralisation, followed by the creation of local and

municipal councils. A support project to decentralisation has also been developed in 2004.

The government currently pays the salaries of the local councils staff made up of an

administrative manager, his/her assistant, a financial manager, a financial officer, a

development planning person, an internal auditor, a Monitoring and Evaluation person. This is

quite a big staff and in agreeing to pay their salaries, the central government shows the

importance it has for decentralisation.

The process of transfer of skills to Local Governments started in 2005 with the sectors of

education, health and agriculture.

Financially, a fund exists to receive resources to be used as part of the transfer of skills. For

effectiveness purposes, these resources are transferred to accounts which are opened by the

local councils.

The following challenges were raised by the Director of Decentralisation for a successful

decentralisation policy:

funding of decentralisation (the World Bank is the key partner in Sierra Leone);

coordinating the work of development partners (World Bank, OXFAM, World Vision,

Care, etc) ;

human resources;

mining companies‟ contributions to fund decentralisation and local development.

The table below shows the 19 local councils of the country: Administrative division of Sierra Leone

Local Council areas CHIEFDOMS SECTIONS Nb. of communities

1 Kailahun District 14 81 1 147

2 Kenema District 16 87 1 311

3 Kenema Town 1 14 1

4 Koidu Town 1 7 1

5 Kono District 14 73 1 383

6 Bombali District 13 130 1 781

7 Makeni Town 1 11 1

8 Kambia District 7 73 908

9 Koinadugu District 11 89 1 285

10 Port Loko District 11 162 2 370

11 Tonkolili District 11 80 1 398

12 Bo District 15 91 1 237

13 Bo Town 1 22 1

14 Bonthe District 11 77 1 011

15 Bonthe Town 1 1 2

16 Moyamba District 14 142 1 831

17 Pujehun District 12 94 847

10

18 Western Rural 4 22 217

19 Western Urban 8 65 2

SIERRA LEONE 1 321 16 734 Source: Statistics, Sierra Leone -

Map 2: Administrative division of Pujehun (wards, chiefdoms and sections)

11

12

II-FINDINGS OF THE ASSESSMENT

13

2-1 SOCIO ECONOMIC DATA

Pujehun lies on a surface area of 4 105 sq with a population of 228 392 people and 68 163

households. Pujehun district is in the South of the country where Liberia is the neighbour

country. Pujehun, is in the West of the second district where WaterAid plans to work

(Kenema).

Administratively, the district counts 12 chiefdoms, 22 wards, 94 sections. Like many other

districts in Sierra Leone, Kenema is managed by a local Council led by a Chairperson elected

by district communities for a 4 year term of service. A representative sits in the local Council

on behalf of his/her ward.

Sierra Leone ethnical groups include:

Mende (85%),

Sherbo (8%),

Vai (5%),

Temne (2%),

The table below shows that most households (80%) are married:

Marital Status

Married 144 80.0% Single 18 10.0% Divorced 4 2.2% Widowed 14 7.8%

Polygamy is a very common practice in the district (53% households interviewed).

Marital status Polygamy 95 52.8% Monogamy 61 33.9%

2-1-1 Assessment of the district economy

The district experiences a high level of poverty as shown by the household survey which

indicates that the majority of households are poor (source: survey by GERAD in 2009). This

high level poverty is subsequent to the civil war which started at the border of Liberia and

heavily disrupted the social cohesion and slowed down the economic activities.

The main economic activities identified in the district are in decreasing order: agriculture,

mining, commerce, fishing, breeding, arts and craft work and mining.

Access to basic social services: participatory assessment of the district shows a great number

of primary schools (269), secondary schools (14) as well as health facilities.

14

The major commercial facilities are made of boutiques and shops (17 in total). 15 daily

markets were also numbered and 5 others held weekly. The other types of commercial

equipment are about 4.

Concerning health, the district has 1 hospital and 50 health centres.

Assessment of poverty: poverty is described as a lack/deprivation of basic needs -food,

housing, basic social services). This definition also includes the inability to meet one‟s social

obligations. Overall, poverty is a combination of several and interrelated factors.

Poverty level is high as shown by the household survey which indicates that the majority of

households are either poor or very poor (see table below). This high level poverty is

particularly due to the civil war which has slowed down the economic activities and caused a

lot of disabilities.

HOUSEHOLD PROFILES Very poor 104 57% Poor 79 43% Rich 0 0%

Household‟s poverty level was also assessed through the construction material used. As

shown in the following table, houses are built with materials ensuring no security:

Types of houses Cement blocks 0 0.0% Sand crate 1 0.6% Straw 22 12.2% Wood 62 34.4% Bricks 22 12.2% Mud 211 117.2%

2-1-2 Local stakeholders

Local Council is made up of the following commissions:

- planning and development;

- education;

- agriculture;

- youth and sports;

- water;

- social welfare;

- health;

- budget and finances;

- establishment;

- mining resources;

15

- information

- marine

- forestry

- monitoring and evaluation

- peace and reconciliation;

- labour

- culture

- energy

- internal affairs

- estate

Having a water commission sitting in the local council shows the importance given to the

sector. But looking at the table attached in annex, not many women sit in all these

commissions. This situation is also true in the executive committee which includes only 2

women against 10 men.

As it can be seen, local structures are not gender sensitive.

Local associations

There are many Community Based Organisations working in this district, particularly in the

following sectors: agriculture, hygiene promotion, sanitation, food security, human rights

gender, child„s rights.

As for partnerships, the major projects, programmes and NGOs identified during the

participatory assessment workshop mainly work in:

water and sanitaion,

food security,

reproductive health/family planning,

conflict prevention ,

peace,

health

micro-finance.

Peace and national reconciliation are therefore essential factors for the development in Sierra

Leone.

Sierra Leone Red Cross and PACE are the two partners out of six working in the water and

sanitation.

2-2 WATER, HYGIÈNE AND SANITATION

The water and sanitation sector in Sierra Leone faces a lot of challenges, mainly the low

access of rural communities to safe water and adequate sanitation infrastructures. Details on

this will be provided in the next chapters. This inadequate situation aggravated by the harmful

effects of the civil war and the high poverty level of households make that people do not

budget latrine constructions. But work done by the water ministry and the partial transfer of

skills to local governments will, without doubt, contribute to securing more resources and

means for higher investments in this sector.

16

2-2-1 Safe water supply

The findings of the household survey show a very limited number of improved water sources.

Improved water points

Improved hand dug wells fitted with rope and bucket 11 6.1%

Improved hand dug wells fitted with hand pumps 13 7.2%

Borehole fitted with hand pumps 22 12.2%

Small town water system (stand pipes) 0 0.0%

Rain water 33 18.3%

Protection spring 2 1.1%

Other 136 75.6%

In this district, the access rate to safe water is very low as confirmed by the national statistics

which indicate that 56% of the rural population do not have access to this basic need.

Other water supply sources used by the households include, hand dug wells, ponds, rain

water, rivers and streams, among others.

Water is used to meet the needs of both the households and cattle. The sources are more or

less dependent upon the use made of the water.

As shown in the table below, during the dry and raining seasons, water from hand dug wells is

used to meet the drinking, cooking, washing and bathing needs. Failing to observe relevant

measures, the use of this water for cooking and drinking can generate diseases.

Uses of hand dug well water during raining seasons

Drinking 26 14.4%

Cooking 26 14.4%

Washing 31 17.2%

Bathing 31 17.2%

Feeding of animals 22 12.2%

Other 5 2.8%

Uses of hand dug well water during the dry seasons

Drinking 32 17.8%

Cooking 32 17.8%

Washing 32 17.8%

Bathing 32 17.8%

Feeding of animals 17 9.4%

Other 1 0.6%

17

River water is also used during the two seasons (see tables below), which bring about a great

number of water borne diseases.

Use of river water during raining season

Drinking 103 57.2%

Cooking 116 64.4%

Washing 124 68.9%

Bathing 116 64.4%

Feeding of animals 81 45.0%

Other 13 7.2%

Use of river water during the dry season

Drinking 95 52.8%

Cooking 103 57.2%

Washing 115 63.9%

Bathing 116 64.4%

Feeding of animals 73 40.6%

Other 9 5.0%

22% households said they financially contributed to the construction of improved water

sources (see table below). This is a good feedback to tap into and promote communities‟

participation in the investment and maintenance of water facilities, mainly since the

government and development partners are unable to meet all the needs because of the high

demand in this vital sector.

Did you contribute to construction of improved water points?

Yes 40 22.2% No 102 56.7%

Unlike in Kenema, the habit of paying for water is yet to be a reality in the district of Pujehun

(only 7% households said they „sometimes‟ pay while the majority of households (67%)

don‟t.

Do you pay to be supplied at the improved water source?

Yes 0 0.0% No 120 66.7% Sometimes 13 7.2%

18

2-2-2 Access to sanitation infrastructures

Access level is very low in this district considering that 91% households have no latrines.

Do you own latrines/ toilets?

Yes 20 11.1% No 164 91.1%

These figures confirm the national statistics stating that 47% people in rural area in Pujehun

lack adequate sanitation facilities.

The great number of traditional latrines combined with the use of latrines which do not meet

the hygiene standards contribute to the degradation of the environment and people‟s health

conditions.

The table below shows that the lack of financial means is the major reason why households

(70%) do not build latrines. Therefore, poverty is a vicious circle which makes the low-

income households to lack hygiene and sanitation services most.

Why do not you have any latrine?

No money to build one 126 70.0% Does not feel it is useful 0 0.0% Share latrine with another H/H 3 1.7% Use a communal latrine 40 22.2% Others 21 11.7%

Latrine maintenance is another key issue in the household hygiene. Only 5% households clean

their latrines daily. Though daily cleaning of latrines is recommended to ensure good hygiene,

very few households comply with this.

How often do you clean your latrines?

Daily 9 5.0%

Weekly 35 19.4%

Bi-Weekly 21 11.7%

2-2-3 Linkages between water, hygiene and sanitation

In general, hygiene conditions are dependent upon the quality of water used in the households

but also on the behaviours of people regarding hygiene practices. Our analysis will therefore

focus on uses of water and the households‟ practices on hygiene and sanitation.

But note that a high proportion of households (62%) said they were sensitised on hygiene and

health issues. These efforts need to be pursued as the risks of catching diseases are kept high.

19

Have you ever been sensitised on hygiene education and health issues? Number Percentage

Yes 111 61.7%

No 44 24.4%

The major sources available to communities for information on health and hygiene are the

radios and inter personal communication (through peer education and hygiene promotion

volunteers).

How did you get the messages?

Radio 108 60.0%

Television 3 1.7%

School 8 4.4%

Newspaper 0 0.0%

Peer promotion 44 24.4%

Volunteer hygiene promoters 180 100.0%

Other (specify below) 65 36.1%

Hand washing is critical to individual hygiene and for avoiding diseases, including cholera

and diarrhoea. The survey indicates frequent hand washing after using toilets, before and after

eating.

How often do you wash your hands?

After using the latrine 137 76.1%

After eating 204 113.3%

Before eating 210 116.7%

Before feeding a child 113 62.8%

After cleaning up for a child who defecated

82 45.6%

After doing any household chore 88 48.9%

After visiting the hospital 65 36.1%

Other (specify below) 66 36.7%

An in-depth analysis shows that 62% households wash their hands using water only (see table

below). This is a real concern hand washing using soap is what is recommended to avoid

diseases. Therefore, people need to be sensitised on this good practice.

How do you wash your hands?

Using water only 111 61.7%

Using soap/ash and water 100 55.6%

Using sand/soil and water 0 0.0%

Other (specify below) 1 0.6%

20

The number of diarrhoea bouts is also indicative of the households‟ hygiene situation since

this is generally a water-borne disease which occurs after drinking unsafe water.

In the table below, 67% households have experienced diarrhoea bouts of the under 5 children

during the last six months. This is an indication of the fact that individual and collective

hygiene remains an issue in this district.

Did an under 5 child in the household experience diarrhoea about in the last 6 months?

Yes 121 67.2%

No 60 33.3%

As a way of conclusion, the non compliance with hygiene practices breeds the degradation of

environment and the spread of diseases including malaria, diarrhoea, etc. The district

authorities must therefore build sanitation infrastructures on the one hand, and on the other

hand, organise sensitisation campaigns aimed at drawing communities‟ attention on the need

to comply with practices and standards.

2-3 SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS OF THE ASSESSMENT

Pujehun lies on a surface area of 4 105 sq with a population of 228 392 people and 68 163

households. Pujehun district is in the South of the country where Liberia is the neighbour

country. Pujehun, is in the West of the second district where WaterAid plans to work

(Kenema). Pujehun is along the Atlantic Ocean, which is conducive to fishing activities.

Administratively, the district counts 12 chiefdoms, 22 wards, 94 sections. Like many other

districts in Sierra Leone, Kenema is managed by a local Council led by a Chairperson elected

by district communities for a 4 year term of service. A representative sits in the local Council

on behalf of his/her ward.

The main economic activities identified in the district are in decreasing order: agriculture,

mining, commerce, fishing, breeding, arts and craft work and mining.

The district faces a high level of poverty as shown by the household survey which indicates

that the majority of households are poor (source: survey by GERAD in 2009). This high level

poverty is subsequent to the civil war which started at the border of Liberia and heavily

disrupted the social cohesion and slowed down the economic activities.

Poverty is a combination of many interrelated factors including, access to basic social

services. The survey indicated people in this district have a low access level to these services,

mainly water, health and sanitation.

The survey also did highlight a lack of cohesion and social organisation among the

community members. As this compromises the sustainability of facilities, it is necessary to

revive this social dynamics without which the functionality of basic social services will be

21

affected as well as the access rate to the water and sanitation infrastructures. And with no such

water and sanitation, bad hygiene practices will take place and breed water related diseases.

The assessment brought out the following assets in the district:

fertile soil and a land full of natural resources,

important mine resources,

fishery resources,

many water sources including rivers and streams, ponds, etc.

In addition, other assets exist and include, among others, the presence of farmers and mining

people to promote the local economy. But development goes through improved living

conditions which are still characterised by:

the prevalence of individualism,

the high illiteracy level of people,

the limited number of public infrastructures on health, education, water and sanitation

the marked poor state of roads which make it difficult to access to many areas,

the insufficient farming equipment and the low technical capacities of farmers.

22

III- STRATEGIC ORIENTATIONS

23

The district water and sanitation plan is a long term strategic planning document including

priority activities which are clearly set by communities and aimed at addressing issues

preventing the access to safe water and sanitation infrastructures and hygiene promotion. This

plan is therefore a reference document in the hand of development partners to implement their

action plans in the relevant sectors.

3-1 KEY DEVELOPMENT AREAS

Through the participatory assessment, local stakeholders of Pujehun have identified the

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats as well as actions worth undertaking to develop

their district.

Major strengths are as follows:

- availability of a local administration,

- peace,

- communities willingness to involve in WASH activities,

- sound knowledge of the territory area by the local Council,

- good rainfall and forest resources,

Challenges:

- issues of mobility/transport,

- logistic issues,

- poor road network,

- low income level of communities.

Key actions worth undertaking:

- improve transport system,

- provide adequate logistics,

- build capacity of relevant staff on WASH issues,

- assess community needs,

- ensure road maintenance by communities.

24

implementation strategies: implementation of the plan perfectly fits with the desire and will for the

country reconstruction and promotion of peace which necessarily goes through social cohesion and

unity of people but also building their capacity. That is why resource persons from the district

decided to focus on the following:

involve communities in developing projects and selection of their implementation

sites,

build the technical capacities of local people on project management and maintenance

of water facilities,

promote technical training centres

promote group/collective activities, in particular sports and socio educational events,

community to set rules for the management and use of the collective infrastructures

leverage community resources,

strong social mobilisation.

The implementation will focus on the development and strengthening of active and

transparent partnerships enabling all local players to help achieve the objectives set in the

plan. Also, the district people will be organised to request support from development partners.

Effective partnership mechanisms should enable strengthening structures which include

various socio professional groups of the district. To this effect, making the sustainable

development strategies available through development partners -NGOs, projects/programmes

with a focus on local communities will provide consultation frameworks for the human and

financial resources needed to implement the plan. Finally, partnership should be developed

with the key stakeholders comprising local people and other players in charge of organising or

funding activities of the former.

25

ANNEXURE : SUMMARY TABLES

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

26

Groupe d’Etude de Recherche et d’Aide à la Décision Sicap Sacré Cœur III Villa N° 9516 - BP : 16473 Dakar-Fann

Tél : (221) 33.827.84.46 - Fax : (221) 33.827-94-99 - Email : gerad@orange.sn – Site Web : www.gerad.org

SWOT ANALYSIS: PUJEHUN DISTRICT

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Actions to be

undertaken

Implementing

strategies

- established local

government structure

- peaceful

communities

- communities‟

willingness to involve

in WASH program

- full knowledge of

the community

- tropical rain and

forest potentials

- lack of mobility

- logistics constraints

- poor road network

- weak local revenue

- presence of NGOs

- availability of

middle class labour

- availability of land

and other local

materials (sand,

stone, etc)

- good geographic

location

- availability of

trained people

- unfavourable and

unforeseeable climate

conditions

- community disputes

- political rivalry

- negative socio-

cultural beliefs

- limited support from

central government

- lack of coordination

from NGOs

- improve transport

- providing adequate

logistics

- train WASH staff

- identify and assess

community needs

- ensure communities

maintain the road

network

- community needs

assessment,

- community

sensitisation,

- collaboration and

mobilisation,

- project monitoring

and evaluation,

- appraisals