Water Wellness

Throughout the blog, I will be referencing a lot of the work that Engineers Without Borders Canada is doing in the Water and Sanitation (WatSan) sector in Malawi.  This section is meant to provide an overview of the context and nature of our work.  Please note that this is my own summary and does not necessarily reflect the official views of Engineers Without Borders Canada or the most recent status of programs. 

The Bottom Line

When we say that our goal is to improve access to clean water and improved sanitation in Malawi, what we are really talking about it shit.  The bottom line is to help keep shit out of people’s water in order to improve rural health.  Furthermore, we believe it is Malawian institutions that need to drive this instead of continued support from international aid.

Water AND Sanitation

There are two aspects of this, supply of clean water and improved sanitation. Both are critical, but water supply often gets more attention; the technology is more photogenic than soap; boreholes are more readily quantified than hand-washing cups in households; and clean water is more congenial than shit.  My work is focused on water supply, but EWB is also actively supporting Community-Led Total Sanitation initiatives being led by Malawian Institutions. This innovative approach uses all-ask-no-tell facilitation to "trigger" communities to become open-defecation free through the mobilization of their own resources, without external subsidy or technology.

The Realities of Water Access

Much of Malawi’s population of 13 million is rural. According to policy makers in Malawi, approximately 80% of this population has access to an improved water point – one of the 40,000 or so that currently exist. However, a more detailed look at field realities shows how seriously break-downs and inadequate distribution affect access to water.

Our Approach to Change

EWB is working to improve the ability of the water and sanitation sector in Malawi to respond to this problem in three key areas. Throughout these, our aim is to build the capacity of people and organizations while simultaneously connecting decision-makers to field realities in the sector. Our three focus areas are:

BILD – Building Institutional Leadership Capacity in Districts

Local Malawian institutions – such as government, the private sector, and civil society – lack the requisite capacity to sustain water delivery systems. District Governments, in particular, are of critical importance in managing programs. Ultimately, these are the players who need the skills, leadership, and information to act effectively and efficiently if things are to change. The BILD program is focused on precisely this: supporting leaders and central organizations to build their capacities. By working with multiple actors, at different levels, throughout the country, EWB is engaged in several initiatives to provide these critical institutions with the support they need to effectively drive change in Malawi.

WPM – Water Point Monitoring

Reliable information is critical to planning new projects and monitoring break-downs in  a district. Without this, the precious few resources available might not go where there are needed most, as is often the case. EWB is working with District Governments in Malawi to develop a simple, low-tech, excel-based monitoring system that allows District Officers to obtain accurate information on coverage rates and functionality rates of water points. The system is designed to be run entirely by the Districts, without external support, by maximizing the use of existing systems and processes.

WPF – Water Point Functionality

Eventually, all water points break down.  There are many causes, such as poor installation, theft of parts, lack of maintenance, or overuse to name a few, but for communities struggling to keep their water points working, opportunities for repair can be scarce.  There are several possibilities that may improve water point functionality – such as area mechanic networks or spare parts supply chains – and EWB is exploring several of these.  With the help of the Water Point Monitoring system, innovations can be more readily field tested.  The capture of reliable data can help monitor how an initiative affects water point functionality rates and help make decisions on which initiatives are worth investing in.