A summary of the evaluation report of Water for Recovery and Peace Program (WRAPP) in Southern Sudan.
Published on: 25/06/2008
The Water for Recovery and Peace Program (WRAPP) has been operating in Southern Sudan under PACT since 2005 with the aim to:
The main funding agency of WRAPP is USAID/OFDA. By November 2007, WRAPP had implemented 707 (boreholes) rural water supply schemes, rehabilitated 505 (boreholes) schemes, 13 semi-urban water distribution schemes, public toilet blocks in 10 towns and one hafir, a major rainwater harvesting facility. The total number of beneficiaries reached under WRAPP reach an estimated 1,4 million.
An evaluation of WRAPP carried out by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) formulated the following lessons learned that are relevant for the WSS sector:
Working through local partners: Contrary to most other I-NGOs and donors, WRAPP works through local partners. WRAPP's support to local drillers (e.g. AMA, PARAD, SUPRAID) contributed to vitalising the S Sudanese drilling market and is an activity that should be fostered in the future. Local drillers are able to mobilise faster, equire less logistical support and can provide better quality work in Southern Sudan.
WRAPP's experience of supporting local CBOs to act as ToTs for water supply management is a viable approach but requires a high level of back stopping support from WRAPP to ensure quality.
Working with and through sector structures: A Water policy and related strategies are underway and government structures are being established to implement these with implications for the way in which NGOs and donors operate in the sector.
Operation and Maintenance: Field work has shown that rural user committees are able to organise themselves for repairs of hand pumps, particularly if there are no alternatives, government support structures are strong and training is done well. For semi-urban water distribution systems, current levels of training and management models are not sufficient.
The lack of spare parts and tools is probably the most important challenge for the sector. Without addressing this problem, investments in water supply schemes remain largely futile. Developing a sustainable supply chain for repairing rural water supply schemes is therefore an urgent priority for all sector stakeholders.
Sanitation and hygiene promotion: Sanitation and hygiene have been neglected at the detriment of providing hardware water supply services in Southern Sudan. The alarmingly high incidence of under-five diarrhoea of over 40% as well as repeated outbreaks of cholera in some urban settings highlight the need for action.
Reducing Conflict: Focusing water interventions on conflict reduction is very relevant in the context of Southern Sudan. Hafirs have a strong potential to reduce conflict but are difficult to implement and manage. The actual contribution to conflict reduction of the first hafir implemented in Yuai still needs to be supported with evidence.
"Do no harm" is an often neglected yet important aspect of conflict mitigation and highly relevant for WRAPP interventions in water supply and water resources management.
Welle, K. ... [et al.] (2008). Water for Recovery and Peace Programme PACT Sudan : external evaluation : final report. London, UK, Overseas Development Institute. 45 p. Read full report
At IRC we have strong opinions and we value honest and frank discussion, so you won't be surprised to hear that not all the opinions on this site represent our official policy.
