INTRODUCTION TO WASH SD

Presentation Outline

• Objectives of the presentation• Introduction to WASH SD• How WASH SD is constituted• Role of WASH SD• Achievements• Challenges• Future plans

Objective of the presentation

• How WASH SD is constituted• Role played by WASH SD • Share achievements of WASH SD • Share challenges in the rural water supply & sanitation sector in Swaziland• Present future plans

Introduction to WASH SD

• Stakeholders’ coordinating forum established by government in partnership with the public, and private sector

• Forum seeks to coordinate planning; share experiences; enhances resource mobilization

How WASH SD is constituted

Achievements of WASH SD

• 2009: Water and Saniation Sector Working Group (WSSWG) established:

• Water Resources Management group• Potable Water Supply and Sanitation group

•2010: Launched Water and Sanitation sector wide approach to planning (SWAp)• 2010:Designed draft reporting and monitoring tool for all WASH Water and sanitation projects• 2010:Formulated Terms of Reference for WASH• General:

•Reduction in overlapping in WASH projects• Design of standard Ventilated Improved Pit latrine (VIP)• Exchange of technical expertise and capacity building• Collaboration on projects (EU water facility)

Challenges• Financial support to implement the

activities of the forum (e.g. convene

workshops, Develop and publish

newsletters)

• Inconsistent participation of

stakeholders (delays decision making)

• Capacity within the lead ministry to

Monitor & Evaluate Water & Sanitation

projects (e.g. no spatial data for water

schemes and VIPs constructed)

• Political interference in the identification

& implementation of Water projects

Challenges continued ..• Sustainability of water supply projects

is suspect

• Vulnerability due to poverty; child

headed homesteads

Summarised

Challenge

Expanded challenge Possible challenge

Chieftaincy/land disputes

cross chiefdom schemes are difficult to manage de-politicise water schemes through training & education.  All natural resources in Swaziland cannot be owned by individuals/chiefs.  Water is a natural resource and if chiefs understand this we may be able to address water-related problems

Non compliance to constitutions

written but not effected by the relevant authorities

Train and educate communities on the value of constitutions which if understood, compliance will be maximised.  If there are penal codes attached to non compliance, that may also help.

Embezzlement of funds by water committees

community loses faith in leadership & withholds payments thereby affecting operations of the scheme

Perhaps time has now come to raise human rights issues in projects so that money that is meant to benefit communities does just that.  Embezzlement of community funds is equal to economic abuse and perpetrators should be reported to HRC

Poor management of finances

I don’t remember how this one was justified - I think this was linked to "innocent embezzlement" due to lay people handling funds - they tend to use it for things that have not been earmarked for projects believing that as long as the community benefits its ok yet it's not because if money was intended for project X and gets used for project Y - no intervention has taken place so far as the community is concerned

Community Development is a critical vehicle that takes people from point a to b; if it has mechanical faults, that will not happen.  A community financial management program must be  initiated all media and in clear easy to understand language (no jargon or english)

Lack of income generating activities

not much effort seems to be put to encourage income generating activities to at least allow the water users to generate the money that they would then use to pay for the water services)

I think time has come for us (Swazis) to be aggressive enough to advocate for all small businesses in rural areas to be put in the hands of associations so that they can have the benefit of the money that is circulating in their communties instead of the Asians.  In that way, they will be able to support all schemes under their care.  At the moment Asians collect all their money and don't even reinvest it.  Otherwise chiefs must charge the asians business levies and that money must be put in project coffers for their maintenance

Minimal education/knowledge of water committees (formal and informal education)

Results in limitations to the extent/level to which professionals can train the committees

Professionals must come down to the level of the community as education has no bounderies.  WASH can monitor training materials to make sure they are reasonably worded and designed

Politically driven NOT people driven schemes

Politician mobilize for funds to construct these schemes as campaign mechanisms that however do not reflect the need(s) of the community. The schemes are left idle after the campaign/elections

Perhaps we should lobby parliament in this regard - they should come up with a legislation that makes it a criminal offence to campaign using the vulnerability of communities.  If policies are clear there is no need for individuals to carry the world on their shoulders! Poloticians should concentrate on pushing bills through in order to address community vulnerabilities

Play fatigue (applies in the case of play pumps)

Play pumps only pump out water when the children play on/with the pump. However, it has been realized that some of the children are now bored playing the same “game” all the time and water is not pumped as a result of this.

 The play pump needs high energy - with the advent of HIV & poverty, kids no longer have the energy as they are either hungry or sick.  Perhaps we should think of a reward system that will be open to communities as well because these pumps are excellent when they work. 

Theft and vandalism of equipment Thieves are always known in communities especially where great effort has to be put towards stealing or vandalising property. I am convinced that communities know their proverbial black sheep

We must rely on community police and also peer monitoring. If schemes are successful in other countries because of peer monitoring, we can also have that success with coaching & training.

Government failing to provide rehabilitation budget

Communities are unable to finance some of the high costs of maintaining a water scheme, e.g. buying a new pump that costs E70, 000

I stand to be corrected but I thought the King commissioned millions towards community development [E60m; E44m; E40m; E50m; E10m; Inhlanyelo Fund etc] NGOs have enough collective data to lobby parliament on how these funds can best be used in the communities.  Can it be business unusual?

Future Plans for WASH

• Marketing of WASH programme

• Design WASH logo• Newsletter• Radio slots (has started)

• Plan and report effectively

• SWAP initiative• Quarterly reports

• Develop joint proposals for funding