Community management of rural water supply and sanitation systems : points for practitioners

This review presents a summary of the latest thinking on community management of rural water supply and sanitation systems by looking at the literature published to date on the subject. Key issues and actions which governments and donors should take into account to create an enabling environment for community management are outlined. The document aims to help agencies and practitioners have a better insight on what community management is and on what issues need to be addressed in a country when moving from being a provider to a facilitator of community action. The document offers only pointers, as it is recognized that social, cultural and government systems within Africa vary from country to country. In this context, it is stressed that any community management programme has not only to be appropriate to the country concerned, but it also has to be appropriate to the community concerned.