Water Mission’s Post

📣 New blog! Rural water operators often lack the resources and expertise to regularly access and monitor water quality compared to their urban counterparts. To bridge this urban-rural divide and, in turn, improve community health, USAID is experimenting with Aquaya to support informal water suppliers through a Water Quality Assurance Fund. The Water Quality Assurance Fund incentivizes established urban laboratories to provide water quality testing services to rural water systems by guaranteeing consistent and reliable payments for testing services. USAID’s REAL-Water (Rural Evidence and Learning for Water) program is evaluating this financial innovation in Ghana and Kenya with plans to also pilot it in Uganda and Tanzania. USAID found the biggest motivations for informal water suppliers to join the Assurance Fund program were: 1. Bridging knowledge gaps 2. Financial impact 3. Government incentives Read the full blog on #USAIDGlobalWaters here: https://lnkd.in/gU3XYCbW

The #EnWASH program aims to facilitate access to and use of sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services as well as financing and governance in northern Ghana. One part of the program focuses on maintaining the Open Defecation-Free (ODF) status. Researchers visited 30 communities across 7 districts in 3 northern regions in Ghana to understand why most communities relapse within a year of attaining ODF status. This activity will help the team design an incentive study and measure the effectiveness of the incentives in sustaining ODF in Ghanaian communities. USAID | USAID Global Waters | Global Communities | Global Communities - Ghana

💡 New Resource Alert Rapid urbanization is straining Ghana’s water supply systems. To better understand the context and identify appropriate interventions, USAID assessed three core challenges facing the local utility, Ghana Water Limited: water quality, equity, and non-revenue water. USAID will use the findings from this study to identify opportunities to support Ghana Water Limited increase operational efficiency, recover more revenue, and reach underserved areas. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eCF3FK67

A €12 Million Boost to Transform Urban Sanitation in Africa The African Water Facility (AWF) has secured €12 million from the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) for a new funding initiative: the Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII). Launched on August 27, 2024, this project aims to revolutionize #urbansanitation across the continent.    Key objectives over the next decade: ➡ Mobilize $320 million for 50 sanitation projects ➡ Support the provision of innovative and socially inclusive solutions to solve Africa sanitation challenges ➡ Promote the transition to more targeted solutions such as onsite and decentralised sanitation systems "We hope to see more support from other partners for this important initiative which will ensure inclusive and sustainable access to safe sanitation and cross-cutting impact on development on the continent," says Mtchera Johannes Chirwa, AWF Coordinator and Acting AfDB Director for Water Development and Sanitation. Learn more about the journey to create healthier, more sustainable African cities: bit.ly/3zjSIln

Let's talk about improving the participation of local actors in water and sanitation—this can boost accountability and empower communities. However, in many countries, there's a gap: while responsibilities are being shifted locally, the operational and financial management haven't kept up. To tackle this challenge, the SWA Civil Society Constituency partnered with the International Budget Partnership to host an informative knowledge exchange. The goal was to brainstorm ways to strengthen local governments' ability to handle funds effectively, increase opportunities for community involvement, and improve transparency. We also explored how civil society can play a key role in this process. For example, fiscal decentralization can sometimes blur lines of responsibility, making it hard to track how money is used and whether it's delivering results. To find best practices, we studied cases from Pakistan, Nigeria, Togo, Kenya, Mozambique, and Indonesia, along with insights from WaterAid's urban sanitation program. Stay tuned as we work together towards more effective and transparent governance!

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the water sector.! 😎 Privatizing water services in the Somali region of Ethiopia should be made, after a comprehensive assessment of the potential benefits and risks, taking into account the specific context and needs of the region. PPPs can be a valuable tool for tackling water challenges in the Somali region of Ethiopia, but their success hinges on careful planning, robust regulations, strong community engagement, and a commitment to sustainability. Conducting thorough feasibility studies, employing the right model, and prioritizing ethical considerations are the key to realizing the potential of PPPs for long-term, equitable, and sustainable water management in the region. To ensure everyone in the Somali region has access to safe and reliable water, and any solution, including PPPs, should be chosen with this core principle in mind. #Alternativemodels #Contextualfactors #Pilotprojects. 👈🏽 👈🏽

USAID #URBANWASH is partnering with Nairobi Water and Nairobi City County to understand how best to improve water quality among the small water vendors that supply a critical service to many Nairobi residents. Learn more about how we are addressing this important topic here: https://lnkd.in/eUGNibVy

We just birthed a new project A new project launched by Waterstone as a means to end water poverty in underserved communities in Nigeria. A community-driven initiative to sustainably manage and protect groundwater through the creation of a work flow model to eradicate water challenges in most rural regions. As time has gone on, we have come to understand how important community engagement and involvement are - especially when it comes to carrying out a project in a community. Enough has been done; awareness has increased, but in the majority of those programmes, sustainability, assessment, and monitoring have continued to lag behind. This project addresses all gaps in the water, sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector in impoverished areas and offers solutions for the future. Come along as we launch this programme to address the problem associated with epileptic water in different communities in Nigeria. Community Water Initiative Scheme (CWIS)- a means to end water poverty in various rural communities in Nigeria and protect our groundwater. #ruraldevelopment #ruraleducation #rural #wash #groundwater #waterconservation #watereducation #capacitybuilding USAID Global Waters WaterAid Groundwater Hydrology Group Groundwater Youth Network (GWYN)

Excited to share my latest publication: “Decentralisation and Water Governance in Africa: A Zimbabwean Case Study.” The piece explores the complexities of water governance in Zimbabwe and contributes to the broader understanding of decentralisation’s impact across Africa. #Decentralisation #WaterGovernance https://lnkd.in/dWMrSNKi

The USAID Global Water Strategy Action Research Initiative is leveraging evidence and learning from #Ghana to identify high-impact opportunities to enhance water quality in #Uganda. With Aquaya and Hilton Grand Vacations Foundation, USAID is researching the Water Quality Assurance Fund’s feasibility in Uganda after encouraging uptake in Ghana. The Fund offers a financial mechanism whereby dispersed rural water systems can receive reliable, professional water quality testing services on a regular basis. A few lessons learned: - While outsourcing water quality testing to professional laboratories is preferred for rural water systems that do not have the technical capacity to conduct monitoring onsite, the costs of sample collection and transportation by a central lab may be prohibitive for water systems located very far away. Remote locations may require a mobile laboratory instead. - Expanding water safety innovations from one country to another can reveal new bottlenecks and require context-specific adaptations. For example, moving forward with the Assurance Fund model will require adaptations to the sampling protocol or providing the water systems with subsidies that reduce costs. https://lnkd.in/eb6kv9JQ