MININFRA Magazine _ Unlocking rampant access to clean water in Rwanda

AVSI; Unlocking rampant access to clean water issues in Rwanda A

VSI workers first arrived in Rwanda in July 1994 in the aftermath of the genocide to carry out emergency interventions. These emergency interventions gradually evolved into long term projects, and now with more than 20 years of experience, a solid base in Kigali and a substantial presence in the field, AVSI enjoys a good relationship with the Rwandan Government, the peoples in the districts in which it works, and international funding agencies such as USAID, the European Commission, several UN agencies (UNICEF, WFP, UNDP), and the Italian Government.

AVSI Rwanda has extensive programs in 5 districts in the Southern (Kamonyi, Ruhango and Nyanza) ,Eastern (Gatsibo) and Northern (Gicumbi) provinces of the country with currently 52 local and 3 foreign staff members and 20 local partners that include schools, health centers, local Cooperative, orphanages centers and local ONGs . Its programs focus on community mobilization, sensitization, counseling, voluntary testing and HIV prevention.

AVSI’s work in Rwanda follows the traditional AVSI mission and guiding values method; working directly with communities and individuals to empower them to become protagonists of their own future. This on the ground, hands-on method has allowed AVSI to become

aware of the evolving needs of the communities it serves.

Since 2001 to date AVSI interventions include water and sanitation, education, health, HIV/AIDS prevention, food security and environmental protection. It has laid more than 200 km of water pipes benefiting at least 150,000 people through sustainable water projects based on gravity and hydropower. It is currently working on two more projects in the Gicumbi and Gatsibo districts to increase clean water access for rural populations.

These projects are dynamic, and not only include civil works and installations, creation of water management committees, but also a public awareness campaign to improve personal and household hygiene and bring awareness to environmental issues such as reforestation.

Facilitating in realizing MDGs and GoR priorities While Rwanda was recently recognized for championing and successfully accomplishing MDGs targets, GoR EDPRS 1&2 and Vision 2020, AVSI was not left out in helping the government achieve this. Its projects had given a significant contribution to the MDGs connected to Water and Sanitation (Goal 7): to halve the population with no access to safe water and to basic sanitation services. This goal is a key element also to act in favor of goals 4, 5

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as well as goal 6 (combat against HIV, malaria and other diseases).

AVSI interventions are in line with Millennium Development Strategies and with the governmental priorities in order to contribute to poverty reduction and in favor of sustainable development as stated in “Vision 2020” as regards ‘WASH’ sector.

Technical Partnership linked together with AVSI Psychosocial approach In 2002, AVSI reached a technical partnership deal with MLFM, with a serious cause to construct, rehabilitate and extend the WASH infrastructure responding to water and sanitation needs of Gatsibo and Gicumbi population. Until today, 5 projects are running through this partnership, and have seen about 220 km of distribution systems and the building of 204 latrines (36 for particularly vulnerable households and 168 for public places).

Since 2002 to date, AVSI have been working in Gicumbi and Gatsibo Districts, where they’ve been recognized by local authorities to be partner to talk with, in order to reach goals stated in the District Development Program (DDP).

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Infrastructure in Rwanda AVSI Psychosocial approach – A key complement to the Hygiene and Sanitation in OVC families Behind all this technical part, all the activities are accompanied by an holistic psychosocial approach consisting in awareness rising and hygiene education, trainings of local volunteers with first purpose was the improvement of the proper use of water resources and environmental protection for the population itself and increase the ownership.

The AVSI projects main activities are psycho-social support and economic empowerment of OVC families through Environmental protection and access to clean water including below: •

Support vulnerable households for behavior change in relation to incorrect use of water, lack of hygiene and sanitation through the OVC and household follow-up home visits by AVSI social workers together with hygiene and sanitation facilitators. They are transmitting to the households the most effective practices for hygiene in the home and its surroundings, personal hygiene, proper use of water and protection of the environment using the Hygiene and Sanitation evaluation tool #1.

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Creation of hygiene and sanitation clubs in schools to promote the fight against diseases related to unsafe drinking water, poor hygiene and sanitation Animation in schools and recreational activities (Green Days):

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fun activities organized related to water and sanitation, awareness messages on various topics related to water and sanitation and public health in general will be provided for pupils and teachers through songs, drawings, poems and theaters competitions ...)

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Awareness campaigns in the communities(in public places through mobile tents): on hygiene and sanitation in the community to fight against waterborne diseases and those related to the lack of hygiene and sanitation in the community in general and families in particular to promote better health of family members and children in particular.

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Monitoring of water Epidemiology In collaboration with the Health Centre of the intervention area, a database monitoring of diseases related to water and sanitation diseases has been developed in order to track the frequent unsafe water and poor hygiene related diseases, analyzing data from patients who suffered from waterborne diseases in

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How to insure Sustainability of AVSI WASH projects?

To ensure the sustainability of actions and infrastructures, AVSI has developed differents strategies taking into account the follow points: •

Trainings for management and maintenance of the former project worker members of cooperative COGEP and local authorities on how to keep, rehabilitate, and use these infrastructures, in order to ensure the maximum recommended safe exploitation of utilities, to make them capable to monitor the activities of the project after its implementation.

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Under PPP the aqueducts are assigned to a cooperative which won the tenders to manage, repair and maintain, the COGEPandSupport of them for their legalizationof their status

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Training of Health Centers data managers: As responsible of data entry of WASH database, the diseases analytical reporting and to convey strategic information to the health facilitators as well as Water and Sanitation moderators

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Capacity building of Students and Communities WASH clubs for Raising population awareness for behavior change on hygiene and sanitation

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Control of erosion and protection of the structures: as an important step consisting in preserve the structures over time by making sure that there is terracing avoiding soil erosion, planting trees therefore preventing soil collapse which will seriously damage the action.

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Key stakeholder’s Involvement: The goals of AVSI WASH projects cannot be met without the full participation of the community benefiting, particularly women. As managers at the household level, women also have a higher stake in the improvement of water and sanitation services and in sustaining facilities.

order to better target sensitization campaigns. Also it held raining of data entry and analysis officer for its use.

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Capacity building of stakeholders and partners for the project ownership and sustainability of wash activities such as Training on hygiene and sanitation facilitators and health workers of intervention area, students training, members of health and sanitation clubs.

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The environment protection by planting of trees and fences at the sources and water points to prevent cattle access but alsofor the fight against erosion and the fight against damage to structures on sites identified by the community and authorities in areas of intervention to fight against erosion.

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Infrastructure in Rwanda

Green Days: in the schools as opportunity to enhance children’s knowledge of changing the behavior to fight against diseases linked to dirty water and poor hygiene and sanitation, with a hint of environment respect and awareness through practical activities part of the awareness sessions made by Social Workers in collaboration with student members of Hygiene and Sanitation clubs.

Good action days: in households: These days are similar to the Green Days but they take place in the vulnerable households identified with the help of schools. Those are visited by student members of Hygiene and Sanitation clubs.

DATA COLLECTION Tool #1: To Measure behavior changes towards WASH

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DATA CLERK Tool #2: Database to analyze the data from households (frequent diseases related to poor WASH)

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Infrastructure in Rwanda

CROSS CUTTING ISSUES •

Despite AVSI’s journey to contribute to the Rwandan population sanitation and hygiene, a number of issues have been raised to unlock the rampant vice including:

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The Gender and Child Protection: In Water and sanitation projects ‘mainstream’ gender through two dimensions; the differences in needs and priorities of women, men, girls and boys that arise from their different activities and responsibilities; and the inequalities in access to and control over water resources and access to sanitation service.

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AVSI understands that women and children in developing countries bear most of the burden of carrying, using and protecting water. Children often suffer from this burden and fetching water causes excessive labor that lessens school attendance and eventually, school dropout, especially during the rainy season, when the distance to access clean water is multiplied. Moreover, fetching water exposes women and children to protection issues such as attacks and sexual aggressions. It’s also important to note that women have key role and responsibility in environmental sanitation and home health.

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For all this reasons, AVSI give a high consideration the Gender and Child Protection (CP) as mainstream in its program to guarantee their rights (education, health, protection, low labor in domestic environment, etc)

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Balance needs-opportunities: We know that each project has capacity and resources limits comparing to the needs of the community, and this aspect is much evident in the WASH sector. It is of paramount importance, for that very reason, to use the PPP/value for money approach in order to capitalize the investments done and stimulate more other funders in WASH domain.

AVSI Rwanda P.O. Box 3185 Kigali Telephone: +250 788 30 81 02 (Country Representative) +250 783 16 15 00 (Reception) e-mail: kigali@avsi.org www.avsi.org

May 2016