Community Participation in Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project in Kyrgyzstan

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 PRESENTATION Share the experience of RWSSP in encouraging Community Participation, Accountability and Non Discrimination Will look at –RWSSP Approach to Community Participation and How it Encouraged Participation at all Stages of the Project –Methods Employed by the RWSSP to Strengthen Longer Term Community Capacity and Accountability –The Lessons Learnt and Suggestions for Good Practices –Main Conclusions

INTRODUCTION 1.2 BACKGROUND TO THE RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION PROJECT IN KYRGYZSTAN Access to clean water is a basic human right. The Problem: since the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Kyrgyz government has lacked resources to provide this service. Many villages have had no clean drinking water for 15 years Is there an alternative? Can rural people and their communities address their lack of safety drinking water and manage its provision themselves? The RWSSP 1.Worked with 200 villages in 3 northern Kyrgyzstan to re- habilitated their water supply and sanitation systems between Financial and technical assistance provided by DFID and the World Bank. 2. INTRAC supported local CD Team, recruited from NGOs, to implement awareness raising, community mobilization etc

Kyrgyz Republic

HOW THE RWSSP ENCOURAGED COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION 2.1. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION The RWSSP has actively encourage, the participation of the whole village community in decision making, information campaign, planning, construction, operation & management, and, monitoring of the WSS. Participation and involvement of local people are basic principles which are relevant to improving local governance and citizens use of public resources. Communities participated in the following ways and stages of re-habilitating their WSS

2.2 RAISING COMMUNITY AWARENESS Information campaign (IC) CD Team in cooperation with Local Self Government provided Information meetings with the wide participation of the representatives of the communities, Aiyl Okmoty (Village Administration), Local Parliament, NGOs and Mass Media at the 14 regional level each year. Leaflets distributed in all villages and information disseminated through regional and country level Mass Media about the project philosophy and the progress of the RWSSP Villages interested in tackling their water problems were encouraged to form and Initiative Group and send an Expression of Interest to the RWSSP Project Consultant Unit.

2.3 PARTICIPATORY COMMUNITY APPRAISAL (PCA) Letters of Interest used to determine villages to participate in PCA. Selection done by the Project Executive Agency-Department of Rural Water Supply PCA Implementation: CD workers and Engineering Team in cooperation with Local Administrations held workshops with 4 district groups of people in each village: the men, women, young people and school children. There were done separately to ensue as wide a participation as possible and also to ensure different voices (especially those of women, school children) could be heard. Methods: these Workshops used variety of Participatory Community Appraisal exercises to help the groups to identify major village issues, the extent to which access to clean water was a problem and the willingness of the population to address it.

2.4 Community Mobilization to set up Community Drinking Water Users Union (CDWUU) Community mobilization activities in the street level Selection to Participate in RWSSP: The villages which had severe water problems and showed clear interest in addressing them were selected to participate and assisted to mobilize the entire village. Initial Community Mobilization was done to help the village to create the CDWUU was done using a bottom- up approach. CD Team in cooperation with Village Initiative Group (VIG), held series of community awareness raising meetings in each quarters and streets of the village about the project philosophy and CDWUU draft charter. CD workers with VIG encouraged consensus in community before holding village Constituent Assembly in creation of CDWUU and election of its Board.

Street level meeting in the remote rural village Namatbek in Talas oblast, Kyrgyzstan

2.5 The Village Constituent Assembly to set up CDWUU Village Constituent Assembly (VCA) is the village meeting made up by the household representatives. During quarter/street level meetings villagers elected their members to participate at the VCA. Role of VCA: approves the CDWUU Charter and elects the CDWUU Chair and other members of the CDWUU Board as well as the Audit Commission. Wider Support: CD Team with Local Village Administration supported the village to organize the VCA and subsequently to help CDWUU register with the government.

2.6 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN CASH CONTRIBUTION Raising Cash Contribution: The CD workers assisted the CDWUU and Local Administration to organize to raise community 5% cash contribution towards the cost of re-habilitation their water system. Most effective and efficient way to mobilize collection was to do this by quarter (neighborhood) and/or clan level. Often people in the village are from different clans: getting the people from each clan to collect the contribution from households in the quarter level or clan worked well. Contributing towards the cost of the WSS, was one of way of encouraging a sense of ownership by the village, which is vital to determining the long term sustainability of the WSS. CD workers assisted CDWUU to adopt methods to ensure financial accountability: e.g give receipts to households for contributions, display on information boards showing the 5% collection rate ets.

2.7 Ensuring Community envolement in the Design and Construction of WSS Design: Community worked with the Engineering Team on the preliminary design of WSS. After discussion with villagers, the Design Engineering Team (DET) made the detailed design taking in to the consideration of comments made by the villages. Tendering: detailed design (DD) submitted to the State Commission of Executive Agency (EA) who organized the tender process. Representatives of CDWUUs and Village Administrations participated in the Tendering Committee Signing Contract: CDWUUs signed the agreement with contractor to re-habilitate the their rural water supply systems. In kind contribution, inspection and handover of WSS: Villagers participated in the implementation of 15% in-kind contribution, the inspection of the completed water system and were handed over the re-habilitated water system from the contractor.

2.8 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN TARIFF SETTING FOR WATER Setting Water Tariffs: In cooperation with Financial Experts, CD Workers encouraged the CDWUUs and its local partners to set up draft CDWUU’s budget and calculate the monthly water tariff. Consultation with Community on Tariffs: Initially, the CDWUU’s draft budget and water tariff were distributed the households for their comments. Approval of Budget and Tariffs: The draft CDWUU’s budget have been discussed and approved with the comments of people at the CDWUU’s General Assembly. Contracts with water users: the CD workers with Financial Experts encouraged the CDWUUs to sign agreements with households, village institutions and private enterprises concerning their monthly payment of water tariff.

2.9 ENSURING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN O&M OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM The size and scale of the CDWUU’s job to run, maintain, and manage the village WSS,proved greater and more time consuming task than the CDWUU had ever imagined (some WSS’s served more than inhabitants), Solution: decentralize management of the WSS to in the Tap Stand level. Household around the communal Tap Stand in the street level (there are 6 -7 HH around 1 tap stand) were asked to form “Tap Stand Committees” (TSC) and choose 2 TSC Leaders (1 women & 1man).

3. Methods Used by RWSSP to Strengthening Community Capacity and accountability In Soviet time, all services, including water, were provided by the government As a result, community capacity weak In this section, we look at the Methods the RWSSP used to build Community Capacity Strengthening Community Capacity is necessary to ensure: –The Community can continue to run its WSS (sustainability) –The CDWUU remains Accountable to its members (the community) –Marginalised groups are involved (especially women, communites from isolated rural ares)

3.2 PRACTICAL TRAINING AND SUPPORT CDWUU Board and staff were given in the following 8 key areas by the CD Team. Structure, Role, Responsibilities, and Organization of CDWUU Mobilizing the Village 5% cash and 15% in-kind contribution Financial management (financial procedures and management) CDWUU’s role in Tendering and Procurement Financial management (focusing on setting up water tariff) Water Quality Monitoring, Water Safety Plan Technical Operation and Management of Water System Improvement of Tariff Collection 1.Training modules were piloted in 1 or 2 villages before being rolled out. 2.The participatory training approach worked best, though at times, information, a more formal style of training was used. 3.Later some of the better established CDWUUs were invited to participate in the newer CDWUU’s training.

3.3 ENCOURAGING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION Rural Kyrgystan is a largely traditional and male dominated society However, women make up over half the population The are also the ones most affected by the presence or absence of clean drinking water Ways in which the RWSSP encouraged women’s participation –PCA done separately with the women to ensure their voices were heard –Women encouraged to be involved in the Community Mobilisation –Women encouraged to stand for election to the CDWUU Board –Insisting that half the Tap Stand Committee members were female –Exposure visits to villages with female CDWUU Chair

3.4 RESPONSIBLITIES OF TAP STAND COMMITTEES (TSC) IN O&M OF WSS IN TAP STAND LEVEL Take over the Tap Stands from the contractor Look after Tap Stands Collect Water Tariff Dissemination information about CDWUU’s activities among the TSC members Participation in different competitions such as “Tap Stand” awarded to the International Water Day

3.5 TAP STAND LEVEL COMMITTEES and UNIONS IN ACTION

3.6 NETWORKING AND CONTINOUS LEARNING Effective Learning CD Worker found that peer learning is a simple, powerful and successful way for rural people (in this case CDWUU & staff) to learn from each other. They encouraged exchange and inter exchange visits between communities and CDWUUs and also building structures for continuous learning and development Creating Networks The Kyrgyz Alliance for Water and Sanitation (KAWS) has emerged to support the CDWUUs It is vital that networks are initiated by the CDWUUs themselves and not imposed top-down.

3.7 INVOLVEMENT OF VILLAGES IN MONITORING SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR WSS Regular monitoring of CDWUU sustainability during the course of the project. The CD workers with support of Monitoring Specialist created monitoring tools (Check Lists with scoring, Form of Action Plan) to asses the following three areas: Organizational, Economical and Institutional Sustainability of the CDWUU. Initially, monitoring was done by the project. Later the CD Team encouraged and trained the CDWUUs to self monitor as a way of assessing their own performance and identifying issues to improve. The representatives of community, formal and informal village institutions are expected to participate in the CDWUU’s self-monitoring process. They score the CDWUU’s sustainability, identify issues and produced action plan to improve.

4.1 THE MAIN LESSONS LEARNT Getting genuine community participation takes time, especially in countries where rural people have not been encouraged to participate and take initiative A variety of methods can be used to stimulate participation and build the confidence of communities. PCA exercises are useful way to start as are exchange visits to villages who have completed and are running their own WSS Participation can create a sense of ownership by the community in the infrastructure they create (in this case, the village WSS). This helps ensure it will be looked after and will be sustainable)

4.2 THE MAIN LESSONS LEARNT Capacity building helps the village to acquire the skills and expertise they need top operate and manage their WSS successfully Decentralisation of management of the WSS through the creation of Tap Stand Committees is an effective way of sharing responsibility for care of the WSS amongst the community, helps to improve tariff collection and also CDWUU accountability Involvement of women at all stages is essential. They are the ones most directly affected by the presence or absence of affordable and safety water. It is important to find practical ways to encourage women’s participation, to build their capacity and confidence.

5.1 CONCLUSIONS In countries such as Kyrgystan where government is weak and lacks resource, communities can, with proper mobilisation and support, provide a regular supply of clean water to their villages To ensure the longer term sustainability of community managed WSS, the following requirements must be met: –Community Participation is essential and the Community must be involved at all stages of the process in order to create a strong sense of ownership in the WSS –All stages must be properly and seriously done (Needs Assessment, Mobilisation etc) –Participation of the whole community, especially the women, is essential (they are the most affected by the presence or absence of clean water) –It is also necessary to build/strengthen the capacity of the Community so they have the skills to run and manage the WSS –The CDWUU must be accountable to the Community through proper elections to the Board, involvement of the wider Community (Tap Stand Committees) in managing the WSS

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