Caroline Gathu is a Programme Associate and Abraham Kisang is a Project Assistant on Disaster Risk Reduction at Practical Action. They look back at the SWIFT programme in Kenya as it comes to an end.
English
Caroline:
Abraham:
How was working on the SWIFT programme different for Practical Action?
The SWIFT experience was quite different because it was a Payments by Results (PbR) programme, so the work had to be done and the results verified for us to get paid. We had to put in a lot of effort, make sure that we achieved our targets. There were 3 different phases: a preparation phase where we had to put everything in order, then the actual implementation phase, and finally we had the opportunity to monitor our intervention’s sustainability. The good thing is that we were able to follow up on the project although the active phase had ended.
What we learnt through this process of implementing PbR is that it is important for the partners to communicate and share their experiences as much as possible, have open communication about what is working and what is not working and be very honest. It is about sitting down together, sharing experiences so that, during the development stage we are aware of the issues we are going to face and we can prepare in advance. Involving all stakeholders is also essential so they can share their views and how they feel about the programme, even before we finalise the design.
It has been a learning curve, a very good lesson for us on how we plan and execute our programmes.
What were the main successes of the programme?
The sustainability aspect was definitely one of the highlights of the programme, thanks to active community involvement in all the processes. We worked with community volunteers, people who are from the same villages where we were working before, and we know they will continue to raise awareness even when we are not there anymore. For the management of water facilities, water users association were put in place and trained on operation and maintenance of the facilities. We were also connected with the Catholic dioceses, which support the communities for the repairs. If the water facilities break down, they can send people to repair them.
Based on the results we received a few weeks ago, we know that we over-achieved in our hygiene component. This exceptional performance in wasn’t an easy achievement, bearing in mind the prolonged drought we faced in Turkana. But because of our hard work with the communities and the support from the government through the public health office, we were able to achieve great results. The success of our hygiene and sanitation intervention can be felt even after the official end of the project. Indeed, when there was an outbreak of cholera in the area, the localities where we intervened did not suffer from it. That shows how the communities are embracing the positive messages that they have been taught.
What were the challenges you faced?
When implementing a programme, there are always issues that come along that you do not anticipate. For instance, the prolonged droughts in Turkana county had direct implications on our hygiene and water component. Our water facilities were over stretched because of the increased number of users.
On the other hand, the hygiene component was also a challenge, we were encouraging people to wash their hands, but during the drought, given the scarcity of water, people’s priority was not to wash their hands. Their priority was to have water for drinking and cooking. It was a challenge, especially because handwashing was a condition for payment.
We also had a challenge in the implementation for our sanitation component, the initial plan was that the communities were going to build their latrines through the Community Led Total Sanitation process. But this did not work out, as 90% of the latrines the communities built ended up collapsing. This would mean no payment for us for the sanitation component, so we came up with a different strategy, which was a negotiated process with Oxfam. We needed the latrines to be in place, the communities were willing to help but they did not have the capacity to construct durable toilets. The solution we came up with was to train community artisans to mould toilet slabs and culverts. And then the households were responsible for building the superstructures. The latrines are durable thanks to the technology of using dome shaped slabs cover can be moved. The latrines even lasted during the drought spell as well as during floods season.
Now that the latrines currently are in place they have many benefits:
• Households using the latrines as sensitised by community health volunteers
• Reduced case of diarrheal diseases according to the area Community Health Extension Worker
• Some of the villages have been waiting to be declared and certified “Open defecation free! by the Ministry of Health of Turkana County
• No cases of cholera outbreak reported in the areas where the SWIFT programme took place
• We witnessed behaviour changes in the villages where we intervened in terms of hygiene practices
We also had cases of vandalism on the handwashing facilities in the Nairobi slums where we worked . As the project evaluation was going to take place, the facilities were not there. But thanks to our follow-up and the will of the community, we managed to set them up again.
Now that SWIFT is over in Kenya, how do you follow up on the project?
The team continues to have regular contact with the communities and water management committees. We are still working with volunteers to promote good hygiene practices. We also run different programmes in the SWIFT locations: climate change related projects. So whenever the team is on the ground they can make sure that the facilities are still running, that the communities are still washing their hands. Also, having been in these communities for quite a while, we have built good networks,everyone sends us regular feedback.
County Government went from a position of being highly critical as they were reluctant to consider any variation to Community Led Total Sanitation, to extremely supportive and strong advocates for our work.
What are you working on now that SWIFT is over?
Abraham:
I am working on a programme to build the resilience of communities to the impacts of climate change, especially droughts and floods. That programme is being implemented in Turkana.
Caroline:
I am working on a research based project, also on climate change that is looking at the impact on livelihood and water and sanitation facilities. It is conducted in the Lake Victoria precinct and in Uganda.
