Water

Serving the Rural Poor:
A Review of Civil Society-Led Initiatives in Rural Water and Sanitation

Globally, there are around 1.1 billion people without access to safe water supply, and 2.4 without adequate sanitation. Of these, around 700 million without water supply and 2 billion without adequate sanitation live in the Asia and Pacific region. The problem is particularly grave and pressing in the rural areas where 70% of the world's poor reside.

Efforts undertaken and investments made for the development of the rural water and sanitation sector in the past were either limited or plagued by various problems. ADB's Change Agenda, formulated during the 2004 ADB Water Week, calls for increased investments in the rural areas to overcome its inherent disadvantages, e.g. rural areas are dispersed and often difficult to reach as infrastructure is less developed there; townships and villages are small in size—projects must then be small in size, which makes it difficult to generate the required economic and financial returns on investments.

ADB recently announced a major new initiative that will double its investment in the region's water sector in 2006-2010. Using new financing modalities, products, and processes, the Water Financing Program (WFP) intends to increase ADB investments in the sector to over $2 billion annually, focusing them on three dimensions of water—rural water, urban water, and basin water.

Under the WFP's rural water track, ADB will work on services to improve health and livelihoods in rural communities, including investments in water supply and sanitation, and irrigation and drainage.

In late 2005, ADB commissioned a study on the extent of civil society (CS) engagement in rural water supply projects.

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Civil society has been directly and indirectly filling some gaps in rural water supply and sanitation, using a variety of participatory tools, methodologies, and strategies to deliver the necessary services.

The study focused on different CSO-led initiatives in the region that showcase successful project implementation and sustainability. Four of these—one each from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and the Philippines—help formulate possible models for civil society engagement in rural water supply and sanitation services.

Lessons from these four cases show that

• Partnerships arise from a deep need by the people for basic water and sanitation services.
• The formula for success may vary but it always involves the participation of local partners or CSOs, empowering the community through meaningful participation, support from the government, and assistance from donor agencies.
• Long-term partnerships of CS organizations in local projects tend to ensure functional and more sustainable systems.
• Investments in rural water supply and sanitation implemented with CS involvement positively impact other poverty reduction efforts.

ADB expects to use the findings from this study to strengthen the WFP's program of action for rural water.

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	Bangladesh: NGO Forum NGO Forum is an umbrella organization of about 665 NGOs in Bangladesh. Since its establishment in 1982, it has directly and indirectly undertaken WATSAN projects that benefit 21 million people in the country. It also plays an active part in achieving the government-declared program "Sanitation for All by 2010."
	India: Gram Vikas Gram Vikas has been working with the rural poor of Orissa since 1979. The organization currently serves a population of about 120,000 across 450 villages, providing 100% piped water supply and sanitation to each household. Gram Vikas' strategies are driven by active and meaningful community participation.
	Nepal: Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) NEWAH is a national level NGO specializing in rural drinking water, health education, and the sanitation sector. It works closely with 334 local CSOs to help poor communities secure water and sanitation services. NEWAH has so far completed 697 projects, serving 788,014 people and 24,604 school students in 49 districts in Nepal.
	Philippines: Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation (PCWS) PCWS has been working with local government units and communities since 1996. Their work in Agusan del Sur has shown that strong political support catalyzed by civil society, which uses a combination of hardware and software components, can enable different partners to work together and achieve safe water and sanitation for communities.

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2. LIST OF ACRONYMS
3. Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview
   1. Introduction
   2. What is preventing the poor from getting access to water and sanitation
   3. Why partnership with CSO makes sense
4. Chapter 2 Understanding the Case Studies
   1. 100% Coverage and Social Inclusion: The Rural Health And Environment Program of
      Gram Vikas (INDIA)
   2. Local NGO Capacity Building and Social Mobilization: The NGO Forum Approach
      (BANGLADESH)
   3. A Gendered and Poverty Approach to Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: The NEWAH
      Approach (NEPAL)
   4. Institutionalization of Community-Managed Approach in Water Supply : The PCWS Model (PHILIPPINES)
5. Chapter 3 Learnings from the Case Studies
6. Chapter 4 Recommendations and Follow Up Action
   1. Recommendations for the Way Forward
   2. Follow Up Actions
7. Bibliography and References
8. Annexes
1. Some Key Lessons from Collective Experiences of CSO
2. Highlights of the May 4, 2006 ADB Meeting on the Presentation of Study Results
3. Feature Story - Gram Vikas Case Study
4. Feature Story – NGO Forum Case Study
5. Feature Story – NEWAH Case Study
6. Feature Story – PCWS Case Study

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• Seminar - Investing More in Rural Water Services: Tapping Civil Society as Partner

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K.E. Seetharam
Principal Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist
E-mail: water@adb.org