Creating sustainable projects in developing countries is challenging. What I’ve written is based on my work on many water and sanitation projects, and also on the results of projects to increase literacy, improve education, and provide better healthcare. These comments and examples focus on water and sanitation projects, but I believe they are also relevant for other humanitarian projects.
Individuals and organizations in developed countries naively think that if a water well is constructed, the village will have water for generations, if a filter is given to a villager, the family will enjoy clean water, and if a community latrine is built, outdoor defecation will end, and if a library is built and books are brought in, it will run just like the library in their hometown. Sadly, this isn’t the case. Without proper planning and implementation, many, if not most humanitarian projects will fail with no long-term benefits. It doesn’t have to be that way.
While helping to launch projects, I’ve learned that planning should focus on five key aspects:
Social Sustainability
What’s seen as a problem and a good solution by folks from developed countries, might not be viewed the same way by locals. “Build it and they will come” is not a good idea. The selection of the project should be left to the village. Outside individuals might (very carefully) suggest options and facilitate the discussions, but the decision about what should be done must be made by the members of the community, not by government officials, and even more important, not by outsiders. A community water and sanitation committee should be created if one doesn’t already exist, and the committee should be an active partner is the design, construction and implementation project. If it’s not the community’s project, it has a high potential to fail.
Mechanical Sustainability
A project that involves construction of a well, filtration system, or the installation of any building or equipment must be built strong enough to last for many years. Local tradespeople should be able to make needed repairs using locally-available parts and supplies. Projects using complicated equipment that require parts shipped from outside the country should be avoided if possible.
Some pieces of equipment, such as specialized pumps, motors, and mechanical devices, are not manufactured within the host country. In those cases, ensuring that one or more in-country supplier exists is very important. Shipping is commonly very slow, thus critical spare parts should be purchased and securely stored. If a large-scale project is being done that uses similar equipment in multiple locations, the same equipment should be used in all locations to reduce the number of parts to be stockpiled.
Administrative Sustainability
I’ve observed that most failed projects were entrusted to third-world governmental officials to run. As much as possible, the operation of water and sanitation programs should vested in a local group of individuals (typically, a water and sanitation committee) who need the project to succeed.
If a piece of equipment stops working, the committee needs the resources and authority to ensure it is fixed. Too often, facilities run by government officials break down and are never fixed. I’ve seen donated health clinics sitting vacant because the governmental officials never allocated the funds to hire a nurse to operate it. I visited a two-year-old wastewater treatment plant in Ghana’s largest city, Accra, which had not been in use for more than six months because a broken pump hadn’t been replaced. Raw sewage was pumped into the Atlantic Ocean.
When government officials are responsible for keeping something operating for others, the people who rely on the equipment or facility have little ability to correct problem. “Power to the People” should be the mantra of every sustainable project.
Financial Sustainability
No water and sanitation system operates without the need to pay for management, maintenance, repairs, and possibly improvement. That requires generated income. A sustainable project needs to generate enough income for these costs.
Income generation can be accomplished in many ways, and creativity is the key to finding them. Water usage might be charged on a per litre case, per container case, or on a fee-based system based on the number of people in the household and number and type of farm animals. A fee might be charged every time someone uses a latrine, but the cost should be low enough that latrine usage isn’t discouraged. Where the possible stigma associated with using decayed human waste as fertilizer can be overcome, the waste has value. (I’ll post a blog soon discussing latrine designs.)
Too many projects fail because no funds are available to fix the equipment when it breaks down. Sustainable projects do not rely on on-going contributions from the outside, they are self-sufficient. How needed income will be generated must be part of the project planning.
Fiscal Sustainability
This category relates to all of the above categories. A successful project will provide for a management system that ensures all of the income is received, funds are kept in safe bank accounts, and only authorized expenses are paid. This requires transparent fiscal management, clear delegation of the authority to collect and deposit income, delegation to a different individual to pay bills, financial oversight by the water and sanitation committee, periodic audits to catch any fiscal irregularities, and the ability to prosecute individuals who misappropriate or misuse funds.
The Result of Planning for Sustainability
Ensuring that a project is sustainable requires time and planning. The result, however, is that families will have wells and piped water beyond when the equipment first breaks down, cleaner water, latrines that are emptied when they become full, better sanitation facilities, and the ability to spend less time procuring water, more time to generate income, and more children attending school rather than spending time walking many kilometers to find water.
Additional Reading and Viewing
- Jamie Skinner, “Where every drop counts: tackling rural Africa’s water crisis,” International Institute for Environment and Development, March 2009.
- Rotary International, “Future Vision Plan, Sustainability and Rotary Foundation Global Grants”
- Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group, “Wasrag Guidelines on Planning Sustainable Sanitation Projects,” 2012
- Video: Rotary International, “What is Sustainability”
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