When Triple-S Uganda opened office in Lira district, there was nothing like coordination of WASH actors. Coordination had stopped with the disbandment of the WASH Cluster and the closure of the UNICEF office in the district. Triple-S worked with the District Water Office to give a new beginning to coordination and harmonisation in Lira district. Here is an account of the revival.
Published on: 20/10/2011
When UNICEF closed its Lira District Office in 2009, coordination of WASH actors in the district suffered a setback. UNICEF had led the WASH Cluster since 2006, through which humanitarian agencies discussed and planned for emergency WASH interventions. The return of peace in the region not only marked the end of the emergency period, it also presented a new dawn, particularly in the area of coordination and harmonisation of WASH interventions. Lira District provides a good case on the trials and triumphs of coordinating actors in a district transitioning from the emergency to the development phase.
The District Water Officer, Engineer Hudson Omoko recalls that the WASH Cluster, with over 20 actors was very well coordinated by UNICEF and UNOCHA. They were always quick to respond to emergency needs. Prior to the WASH Cluster, the District Disaster Management Committees had been in charge of all coordination. However, when peace returned to the region most actors started leaving the district.
“With the dissolution of the WASH Cluster and the departure of many humanitarian agencies, we had to realign ourselves and focus on coordinating the actors that had remained in the district. Having been under the emergency phase for nearly two decades, the district did not have much coordination experience,” says Engineer Omoko.
Some actors note that during the period they spent without coordination, it was not clear who was doing what in the district. Some humanitarian agencies left the district without informing anyone. Some stopped operating but kept office premises in the district, while others continued to work without reporting their activities. Some took advantage of the void and hurriedly did shoddy work on water and sanitation projects. Added to these were emergency-related challenges like constant movement of partners and beneficiaries; poor record keeping and lack of close supervision by district authorities.
In October 2010, the Lira DWO working with TSU2, Sustainable Water Services at Scale (Triple-S) Project and other actors revived the Lira District Water and Sanitation Coordination Committee (DWSCC). Triple-S is a learning initiative that seeks to address challenges constraining the sustainability of rural water services and recognises that coordination of actors is one of those key challenges. “When Triple-S came into the district in 2010, we put our heads together and we convened the first meeting where we shared ideas with everyone. We discussed with partners on the need to transition from emergency to development and the need to follow standards,” Engineer Omoko recalls.
Triple-S has since served as the Secretariat of the DWSCC, undertaking major coordination activities like mobilisation of members, compilation and dissemination of minutes, following up of resolutions, formation and updating of the committee database, and organising learning events. The committee has since met four times and members are appreciative of the gains made so far. Eventually, when the DWSCC is firmly established, Triple-S will hand over the secretariat to the DWO, whose mandate it is to coordinate the committee.
The fruits of coordination
The biggest achievement arising from the revival of coordination in Lira district is the creation of a forum where all actors can meet and discuss issues of WASH. Edwin Okaba, an official with Divine Waters explains: “When the WASH cluster was disbanded we thought that all was dead. But the DWO has since worked to revive coordination, hence providing us with a forum where all actors can come together and discuss WASH issues.”
Improved coordination in the district has also increased stakeholders’ willingness to improve service delivery. Key actors are now abreast with developments in the sector while also the target communities have become more aware of their needs and responsibilities. Even the Lira District Local Government has thrown its full weight behind the revival of the DWSCC, especially exhibited by the unwavering support of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and the unrelenting commitment of the political leaders at all levels.
The DWSCC has also provided an information sharing platform, leading to improved reporting on functionality of sources and the compilation of more accurate data. “Currently, WASH actors are more willing to work with the DWO and to share information about their activities. Stakeholders at district, sub-county and parish level are more active in WASH activities. Even Hand Pump Mechanics and water user committees are more involved. The prospects of improving service delivery a high,” says Jimmy Otim, Assistant District Water Officer, Lira.
Through the learning events organised by the DWO with support from key WASH actors including Triple-S, TSU2 and SNV, sub-county level coordination has been introduced in Lira district. Triple-S facilitated learning visits to Amuria and to Logiri Sub-County in Arua district, where extension workers learnt more about water and sanitation coordination at district and sub-county level. Annet Birungi, a Health Assistant in Lira Sub-county explains that following those visits, Lira sub-county has since established a sub-county water and sanitation coordination committee, and it is enjoying a lot of goodwill and support from the area leaders.
Challenges
One of the key challenges is that most WASH partners, and their target beneficiaries alike, are still stuck in the emergency phase. For example beneficiaries were used to receiving humanitarian aid for all their needs, including water and sanitation. Humanitarian agencies were always on hand to provide and maintain water sources. To most of the actors and the beneficiaries, transition to the development phase did not come easily. The district is still struggling with this challenge of dependency syndrome.
“The mindset of our communities is a challenge, when you look at the critical requirements for establishing new water sources, there are some contributions expected from the community. However they are used to handouts. Moreover, some organisations discourage the communities from contributing. Partners should also sensitize communities on their roles and responsibilities. With constant reminders they will see the need to change,” says Engineer Omoko, Lira DWO.
Secondly, a number of WASH stakeholders and beneficiaries do not follow service delivery guidelines stipulated in policy documents issued by the Ministry of Water and Environment such as the District Implementation Manual. It has been noted that divergent mandates, strategies and approaches lead to uncoordinated implementation of WASH interventions and scattered results. “There is need to sensitise non-government actors about the guidelines so that everyone reads from the same page. In fact through the DWSCC, partners could start looking at the possibility of developing joint strategies,” Mr Okaba of Divine Waters proposes.
While the coordination meetings are called regularly, some sector actors have not been participating. Continued inequality in the distribution of actors and interventions across the districts is yet another challenge. In order to attain some semblance of equity, it is important for all areas of the district to be served. Effective coordination and harmonisation would be a first step to attain equity. The DWO is already compiling a comprehensive database of who does what in the district.
But it is worth noting that the district water office is understaffed and unable to reach every part of the district. This is attributed to the limited funding of coordination activities. Engineer Omoko notes that overall funding for the sector is also shrinking and this definitely impacts on how coordination is done at district level. In the face of inadequate financial and human resources, TSU is already focusing on building the capacity of extension staff so that they can carry out coordination and harmonisation activities at sub-county level.
Aspiration to Perfect coordination:
Coordination and harmonisation is a continuous effort. But in Lira district, the DWO notes that they aspire to reach a situation where every partner knows and plays their role. “If we all know our roles other issues will be easy to address. Through coordination we should be able to put our heads together, identify and agree on the needs at community level. We should also put the issue of sustainability into consideration. As we put up new structures, we also need to maintain the old ones. We should aim at 100% coverage and 100% functionality, because everyone needs water,” Engineer Omoko concludes.
