Assessing national sanitation policy for effectiveness: lessons from Nepal and Ghana

Providing improved sanitation services can contribute directly to a number of the Millennium Development Goals and the alleviation of global poverty. This contribution can be maximized through the development of appropriate national sanitation policies to enable the implementation of national strategies and programmes. Only then can the scale of the sanitation need be effectively addressed. This paper presents the process and findings of research carried out in Nepal and Ghana to test guidelines for assessing national sanitation policies. It explains how the guidelines were applied and where they were modified to suit the context of the case study countries. Findings from the research look to both inform the future application of the guidelines and ongoing development of national sanitation policies. The paper is one of a series of outputs developed on the basis of the research project

Sustaining sanitation and hygiene behaviours

The two projects examined in this paper assume historical relevance in so far as Pilicode was initiated prior to the Peoples’ Planning Movement, while Alappad began well into the movement. Pilicode contributed to developing models during the movement, while Alappad was designed by drawing on lessons from Pilicode. The two projects, with their differences and commonalities in success and failure, offer lessons for formulating such projects elsewhere

Should NGOs lead post-emergency sanitation marketing? Experience from Jacmel, Haiti

The town of Jacmel suffered extensive damage to housing and infrastructure, loss of life and social upheaval following the earthquake in 2010 that affected large parts of Haiti. Since 2012, Save the Children-Haiti has been implementing a programme to improve sanitation facilities and services in the town. A Sanitation Marketing and Behaviour Change Communication strategy has been developed and is currently being implemented as a component of this broader programme. Based on experience of facilitating the strategy process through initial formative research, developing and supporting delivery of the strategy by local actors, the authors present aspects and challenges of the process, set in the broader context of the post-emergency rehabilitation and reconstruction of Haiti. They conclude that INGOs are not best-placed to lead market-based approaches in such conditions and that sanitation marketing needs to be much more central to an overall sanitation enhancement programme to secure appropriate and sustainable outcomes

Vulnerability in the sanitation service chain: lessons from the SPLASH urban sanitation research programme

The European Union Water Initiative Research Area Network (EUWI ERA-net, or SPLASH) is a consortium of 16 organizations representing government ministries, funding agencies, national research institutions and technology development authorities from 11 European countries. The main objective of the urban sanitation research programme within SPLASH has been to contribute to the understanding and implementation of at-scale sustainable sanitation service chains in low-income urban areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. The overall findings from the SPLASH sanitation research programme can be viewed through four lenses: the enabling environment, demand creation, vulnerability in the service chain and city wide planning. This paper presents the key findings related to vulnerabilities in the sanitation service chain, which were found to relate to both internal and external vulnerabilities. With greater understanding of these vulnerabilities and how they operate within a particular city context, they can be addressed in a more systematic way as part of city-wide sanitation service improvements

Implementing the PAWS model of capacity building in Nigeria

Capacity building is a key development intervention offered to developing countries. However, having capacity building as the only intervention offered by a programme, without any infrastructure component, is a rare approach and quite challenging. Partners for Water and Sanitation (PAWS) is one of few programmes that has taken the less attractive “capacity building only” approach towards intervention in the water and sanitation sector in Africa, and the challenges and lessons from the programme in Nigeria are remarkable. Nigeria has enormous human, natural and financial resources, but harnessing them to help meet development targets, especially for water and sanitation services, has been mostly unsuccessful. Nigeria still ranks among the top 10 waterpoor countries and is far offtrack to meeting the MDG targets for water and sanitation (JMP, 2008). PAWS’ support in Nigeria is focused on the water supply and sanitation sector reform programme at 3 tiers of government (Federal, State, Local), through a strategic partnership approach to implementation, which is responsible for the achievements recorded to date

A tri-sector programme of capacity building in Ethiopia: the PAWS model

Partners for Water and Sanitation (PAWS) is a DFIDfunded partnership of public, private and government organizations who come together to offer capacity building support to water and sanitation institutions in Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa. The PAWS model of capacity building offers a unique opportunity in supporting Ethiopia’s commitment towards an accelerated effort from all stakeholders to achieve the Universal Access Plan. PAWS is offering support to the Ethiopian water sector through training, twinning and technical assistance under a number of strategic programmes. Since 2005, the programme has responded to demand for specific expertise and skills from, for example, regional water resources bureaus, governmentowned water works enterprises and the federal coordination office of the national WASH programme. Experience to date indicates the need and value of such capacity building support, while the outcomes of improved understanding and operations for institutions to carry out their roles and responsibilities are forthcoming

Implementing the PAWS Model of capacity building in South Africa

Partners for Water and Sanitation (PAWS) is a trisector capacity building programme that supports the development of capacity for improved water and sanitation services in three African countries. The PAWS programme in South Africa, started in 2004, has supported a number of incountry partners at local, provincial and national spheres of government in areas including water quality laboratory accreditation, water demand management, contract management and customer services. Experience of working with a range of municipalities and government agencies has identified lessons relevant to the future of the PAWS programme, which are also relevant to other such capacity building initiatives operating in similar countries

Faecal sludge management in Accra, Ghana: strengthening links in the chain

Achieving a fully operational Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) chain requires well managed and sustainable services in all aspects of the collection (emptying), transport (haulage), disposal and treatment of faecal sludge. A fully operational FSM chain offers one type of sustainable sanitation system, particularly for urban populations in low and middle-income countries. Failure to ensure all links in the chain are strong and working effectively results in untreated faecal sludge contaminating the environment, with serious implications for human health and environmental degradation. Research in Accra, Ghana has identified important constraints to achieving an efficient and fully functioning FSM chain, with consequences for both people and the environment. Opportunities to improve the institutional and operating environment are identified, particularly affecting engagement between the public and private sector and civil society. Improved stakeholder engagement, together with better regulation, management and access to facilities, enhances services in a way that bring wider benefits to all

Knowledge and information gaps in sanitation: Ghana

The government of Ghana has since the late eighties pursued an ambitious decentralisation programme which seeks to devolve all responsibilities for planning and implementation of environmental sanitation schemes to the provincial local governments (District Assemblies). The decentralisation effort has been accompanied by a reform of the water and sanitation sector with emphasis on decentralised planning of water and sanitation projects, cost recovery, community ownership and management and increased private sector involvement in the delivery of services. However, the general perception is that efforts at improving sanitation have not been successful in ensuring a sustained development of the sub-sector. Current policies and strategies have failed to develop the required capacity and ensure the mobilisation of resources for addressing the enormous challenges within the sub-sector. Indeed the fast rate of urbanisation and population growth has worsened the situation over the years. The WELL Resource Centre Network (RCN) is funded by the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID). The RCN provides service and resources for DFID and its partner agencies. Within the framework of WELL activities, TREND Group, a Resource Centre located in Ghana and a partner within the WELL Network, carried out a study of the sanitation sub-sector in Ghana between May and August 2002, to highlight the information and knowledge management gaps. This paper presents a brief summary of findings, analysis and recommendations

Assessing Nepal's national sanitation policy

Many researchers and commentators on sanitation have recognised that relevant and effective policies play an important role in ensuring sanitation is addressed at sufficient scale that progress is made towards national sanitation targets in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With this in mind, the Environmental Health Programme (EHP) of USAID developed a written ‘Guidelines for the Assessment of National Sanitation Policies’ in 2002, to help countries assess the effectiveness of policy in enabling an environment that encourages effective programmes and strategies. Nepal was selected as one of two countries for field-testing the EHP Guidelines as part of DFID-funded research carried out by WEDC in collaboration with Development Network, a national consulting research firm in Nepal. This paper highlights key findings based on the research process, with implications for challenges facing Nepal in effectively implementing sanitation policy