SWIFT ConsortiumSWIFT Consortium
Français
English
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • DFID’S WASH RESULTS PROGRAMME
    • PAYMENT BY RESULTS
    • SUSTAINABLE WASH
  • WHO
    • GLOBAL MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATE
    • PARTNERS IN COUNTRY
    • MANAGEMENT TEAM
  • WHERE
    • KENYA
    • DRC
  • WHAT
    • SUSTAINABLE WATER
    • SUSTAINABLE SANITATION
    • SUSTAINABLE HYGIENE
  • RESOURCES
    • PUBLICATIONS
    • SWIFT STORIES OF SUSTAINABLE CHANGE
  • NEWS

SWIFT Consortium meets 100% of its targets for first phase

Solar panels under construction at Nabulon borehole, Lodwar |L'installation des panneaux solaires au trou de forage de Nabulon

SWIFT has installed the biggest solar-pumping system in northern Kenya
at Nabulon in Turkana

A latrine built through the modified Community-Led Total Sanitation approach implemented by Oxfam in Turkana. Photo: John Erupe/Oxfam | Une latrine construite grâce à l’approche modifiée d’assainissement total piloté par la communauté, mise en œuvre par Oxfam à Turkana

A latrine built through the modified Community-Led Total Sanitation approach implemented by Oxfam in Turkana

Tearfund engineer Deo works on the rehabilitation of the giant water system at Kasongo, watched by a local technician who is being trained to take over operation and maintenance of the system. Photo: SWIFT's Tearfund team in DRC

Tearfund engineer Deo works on the rehabilitation of the giant water system at Kasongo, watched by a local technician being trained to take over maintenance of the system

The SWIFT Consortium has met 100% of its targets for the first phase of its programme, reaching almost 850,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya with safe water or sanitation, and hygiene promotion activities – in some cases all three.

This impressive achievement has taken less than two years, despite challenges such as insecurity, population movements and a cholera outbreak. And the number of people reached on the ground is actually higher than suggested by the figures, which record only those people the consortium has invoiced for through its ‘Payment by Results’ contract.

Twenty percent of that contract – which is worth nearly £20m in total – is linked to demonstrating sustainable outcomes in 2017 and 2018. Over the next two years, SWIFT will continue to work with communities, local authorities, health bodies, utilities and radio stations to build capacity and ensure the changes it has brought about will endure well into the future.

Providing much-needed access to water

In Kenya, SWIFT’s work to bring clean, reliable water to people who desperately need it includes installing the biggest solar pumping system in northern Kenya in Nabulon, Turkana; laying 23.5km of new pipe network in an informal settlement of Nairobi; and installing ‘water ATMs’ at kiosks in Wajir, to improve the reliability and financial transparency of the system. In total, it has reached 201,300 people in Kenya with clean, safe water.

In DRC, SWIFT’s determination to provide people with safe water has seen it overcome a range of logistical challenges to reach even the most remote communities. It recently completed a huge gravity-fed water system in Kasongo, digging 10km of trenches and transporting vast quantities of construction materials over inadequate roads, while moving the materials needed to construct five wells in Pangi required three bridges to be rebuilt. Despite the challenges, SWIFT has now reached 647,066 people in DRC with clean, reliable water.

Improved sanitation and hygiene behaviour

In addition to its work on water, the SWIFT programme has now reached a total of 428,914 people in DRC and 30,900 in Kenya with improved sanitation – mostly household latrines – and 697,257 people in DRC and 330,000 in Kenya with hygiene promotion activities.

SWIFT’s work on sanitation includes modifying the Community-Led Total Sanitation approach in Turkana, Kenya, to overcome past challenges such as poor soil formation, flooding and termite infestations.

SWIFT’s Oxfam team piloted a modified version of the approach under which communities are trained to produce dome-shaped slabs which are permanent, inexpensive, easy to replicate and much stronger than the timber alternatives. The County Government agreed to the pilot, and has since thrown its full weight behind the modified approach, actively supporting the roll-out.

SWIFT’s work to promote improved hygiene behaviour includes a Tearfund pilot of the Community Health Club approach in semi-rural areas of South Kivu in DRC. Membership of the clubs, which provide practical guidance on how to improve home hygiene and prevent common diseases, is voluntary, free and open to all. Members take part in weekly discussions on topics such as the safe storage of drinking water or making soap, and each week are given practical assignments.

An early study suggests villages in which the clubs have been established have already witnessed a fall in the incidence of hygiene-related diseases.

SWIFT embarks on ‘outcomes’ phase to ensure sustainability
SWIFT embarks on ‘outcomes’ phase to ensure sustainability
‘Now you can wash whenever you want!’: Katungulu’s women describe the changes SWIFT has supported in their village
‘Now you can wash whenever you want!’: Katungulu’s women describe the changes SWIFT has supported in their village

About SWIFT

Since 2014, the Sustainable WASH In Fragile Contexts (SWIFT) Consortium has been working to provide access to water and sanitation and to encourage the adoption of basic hygiene practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in Kenya. Various partners implement SWIFT’s actions in both target countries, in collaboration with governments as well as water providers, including utilities. The consortium is led by Oxfam, and includes Tearfund and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) as global members. The SWIFT programme is funded by UK aid from the UK government under a Payment by Results (PbR) contract.

Receive updates from SWIFT

View our privacy policy

Global Members

DFID TSO
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • CONTACT
© 2018 All Rights Reserved. Design dfsc.co.uk
We use cookies to ensure that you have the best experience on our website. If you continue browsing, we’ll assume that you are happy to receive all our cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy