Bolivia – Water Supply and Sanitation Activity
Expanding Access to Potable Water and Basic Sanitation to Vulnerable Groups
Bolivia has made important advances towards achieving Millennium Development Goals. A report issued by the country’s Social and Economic Policy Analysis Unit indicates that Bolivia will be able to reduce its 1990 poverty level of 48 percent to 22 percent by 2015.
Nevertheless, the report indicates that these achievements are not being reached uniformly and equitably. Not only are there considerable disparities between departments such as Santa Cruz and Potosí, but there are also alarming differences between municipalities within individual departments. For example, in the department of Cochabamba, the Human Development Index (HDI) in the municipality of Cercado is the highest in the country at 0.741, similar to Thailand and Colombia. However, in other regions of Cochabamba, levels are closer to Ethiopia or Malawi. This is the case for the municipalities of Alalay and Vacas, which have HDIs of 0.400 and 0.441 respectively.
In underserved areas of Bolivia, improving living conditions requires acknowledging and addressing basic needs. Longer-term goals such as improved education, economic growth and good governance are difficult to achieve as long as families struggle to meet day-to-day needs. One of the most commonly identified priorities for impoverished rural communities in Bolivia is access to potable water and basic sanitation.
In September 2008, ACDI/VOCA was awarded $300,000 by USAID to implement the 10-month Water Supply and Sanitation Activities project. Its primary objective was to provide and/or improve access to potable water and basic sanitation, build local capacity and improve hygiene practices in the municipalities of Vacas and Alalay, impoverished communities in the Department of Cochabamba regarded as vulnerable to food insecurity.
In these municipalities, employment is scarce, and water and sanitation infrastructure is inadequate or poorly maintained. Through WSSA, ACDI/VOCA addressed population groups with high infant mortality and other health concerns directly related to water and sanitation. The focus was on the household and community level and on schools, with particular attention to women and children, typically the most vulnerable to waterborne illness but also the most effective change agents.
Before the WSSA project, the residents of the municipalities of Villa Evita and Yanagaga suffered from a lack of access to potable water. At times, they had to walk more than an hour to obtain water; it was even scarcer during the dry season. The WSSA project reached almost 900 families with the implementation of potable water and sanitation systems and/or intensive training in operation and maintenance, water use and good hygiene practices. All of those families now have improved access to water and sanitation, increased knowledge of water usage and better hygiene habits.
“We always talked about having a potable water system, but the mayor’s office told us next year, next year. At last we have clean and healthy water to drink…. The children say now they’re not going to get sick as much as before from diarrhea because the water is better….” —a Quechua-speaking beneficiary
Two potable water systems (with 67 connections in four communities) and two dry latrine projects (with 98 dry latrines) were installed. The total number of families with direct access to clean water and appropriate sanitation connections was 161 families, surpassing the project goal. Another 160 families benefitted from the rehabilitation of dysfunctional potable water systems.
Training in Administration and Operation of Potable Water Systems
“They have taught us to organize so that the water committee can fix things if something breaks. Also we know to charge the associates so that our system is always working. And we have to pay for the electricity.” — beneficiary testimony
To ensure sustainability of the systems, proper administration, operation and maintenance must be part of a quality service package that users feel merit payment. The WSSA project helped to establish two potable water and sanitation committees responsible for the administration and operation of the sanitation systems and for training staff to perform system maintenance. The committees’ primary functions are to administer water service, operate the water system and perform preventative and corrective maintenance as required. The committees also collect water-user fees to cover expenses. The target has been met and the foundation has been laid for a technically, socially and institutionally sustainable future.
Hygiene and Sanitation Education
Experience has shown that the educational component of a water and sanitation development project is at least as important as the addition of infrastructure in improving health conditions in rural communities. In order for projects to be sustainable it is crucial that their respective communities have the capacity to operate, maintain and administer their systems.
To this end, WSSA developed a series of training events to induce the beneficiary population to modify their personal hygiene habits and practices to prevent water-borne illnesses. In addition, these trainings encouraged the proper use and care of water, the dry latrines and the environment.
A total of 1,514 training were held in 39 communities, on sanitation issues and in the proper administration and maintenance of community water systems. 578 families received training and outreach in sanitation education, hygiene and environmental themes in an effort to reduce water-borne diseases.
Boys and girls from primary schools from both municipalities were also given lessons in hygiene, sanitation education and the environment. The rationale was to create healthy habits in children, as this is known to have a multiplying effect within their families. To reinforce the topics explained, all school-aged children were given a backpack filled with personal hygiene materials.
For more information, contact Nicole Chao-Villegas at nchao-villegas@acdivoca.org.
Updated: 12/09
