A community meeting held with the beneficiary community in Manyatta Lengima to review and plan for ongoing Rock Catchment Project activities (Fredrick Ochieng)
The Approach is hinged on community empowerment and partnership. The model is a departure from the traditional approaches where the community is reduced to a mere beneficiary of project services without substantive responsibility.
The main purpose of the approach is to enhance ownership, while fostering needed capacity for management of project outcomes. Ultimately, it is estimated that sustainability of project results is achievable with good community empowerment and meaningful participation. The approach also aims at cost effectiveness as the community is required to substantially contribute locally available materials, labour and sometimes cash.
Community mobilisation and capacity building is central to ensure that the community is prepared to undertake their roles and responsibilities. Mobilisation happens through discussions, sometimes aided by applying participatory tools and methods. Capacity building is done through workshop-type and/or on-the-job training. It is noteworthy that the communities do have indigenous knowledge and skills which are useful in processes of development at the community level. These skills and knowledge inform the project design, planning and implementation of activities. To enhance local skills, selected community members are trained as they work alongside the hired skilled artisans during the construction of the rock catchment system. The aim is to prepare and equip the locals with basic skills for operations and maintenance of the rock catchment system. Others are trained to get equipped with skills on hygiene and sanitation promotion.
The project was designed based on pre-project assessment. The assessment, besides identifying water and hygiene needs, also identified three areas/communities which had rock catchment potential - Ndikir, Manyatta Lengima and Mpagas. Initial meetings were done with support from community leaders and the local government administrators (chiefs). During the meetings the project was explained and discussed in view of the community needs and the roles for all stakeholders - Caritas Switzerland (CACH), the community, government and leaders. Agreed roles and responsibilities were drafted and formed the main part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between CACH and the community. The MOU was signed before the entire community for collective ownership and formalise the relationship between CACH and the project.
At the county and sub-county level, the stakeholders are provided with progress updates, engaging with government and other leaders. The local leaders were useful in helping in community mobilisation and addressing areas of concern wherever issues arose.
The approach left the community more motivated with a desire to manage the project benefits for posterity. The community has appreciated that the project ended with a number of community members having acquired basic skills for operations and maintenance. Above all, they were proud that they significantly contributed to the successful implementation of the project. Initially the community were opposed to the idea that they had to contribute so much, since before they had mostly received assistance without any requirement on their side to contribute.
Местоположение: Implemented with three different communities in three locations, Ndikir, Manyatta Lengima and Mpagas, Laisamis sub county, Marsabit County, Kenya, Кения
Дата ввода в действие: 2013
Дата завершения: 2015
Тип Подхода
| Какие заинтересованные стороны/ организации-исполнители участвовали в реализации Подхода? | Перечислите заинтересованные стороны | Опишите роли заинтересованных сторон |
| местные землепользователи/ местные сообщества | The project was implemented with participation of the communities who are the local land users | Community's role was to ensure that locally available materials were delivered on the site of construction, hygiene and sanitation promotion, unskilled labour, record keeping of all construction materials, security of workers and construction materials on site |
| эксперты по УЗП/ сельскому хозяйству | Caritas had a technical team of three staff who were based within the project location in the field. This team was supported through experts in the office in the capital city Nairobi. | The technical team implemented all project activities such as community organisation/mobilisation, construction of infrastructure as well as hygiene and sanitation promotion. |
| местные власти | Chiefs, Members of County Assembly, Ward administrators | Opinion leaders were critical in the process of community mobilisation and following-up the commitments made by the community under the signed MoU. |
| государственные власти (отвечающие за планирование или принятие решений) | County Steering Group (CSG), sub-County Steering Group (SCSG) | Coordination with other development agencies and government departments at the County level |
| международные организации | Caritas Switzerland | Overall leadership in project planning, implementation and supervision |
The flow chart summarises the Approach's key components, activities and steps for community mobilisation, capacity building and stakeholders engagement. The stakeholders include the relevant government departments - Water, Health, Environment, Drought Management - and non-state actors in the County. There is a monthly forum known as the County Steering Group (CSG) which brings together all the heads of government departments and NGO representatives at the county level. Similar forums also take place at the sub-county level.
Решения принимались
Принятие решений было основано на
Basic construction skills, management of water system (rock catchment), hygiene and sanitation promotion
Community's participation was initially a new concept for the communities in this region. Through various meetings, persistency and flexibility the community participation improved and was achieved during the project period.
Due to the nature of working with the community, it was always possible to review certain elements of project activities based on learning
The Approach's aim was to build the required capacity of the community members to better manage the Technology well after the project ends.
Community's contribution in labour and locally available materials (hardcore stones and sand) significantly reduced the cost of construction. These are materials that otherwise would have been procured from far off sources at a much higher cost.
The SLM was implemented with funding support aimed for drought recovery. The country had just gone through a major drought. The Approach, however, focused more on mobilising communities towards meaningful participation by providing local available resources such as hardcore, sand, and unskilled labour.
A significant element of the Approach was capacity building which was achieved through on-the-job and workshop training for the selected community members
The project was implemented with close involvement of county government officials and other development organisations. There have been requests by other development actors in the region wanting to know more about how Caritas Switzerland succeeded in working with the communities and achieving these impressive results.
The project's mandate was limited to community institutions capacity building. Beyond community empowerment the Approach did not target to raise capacity of other stakeholders.
The region within which the project was implemented in has resource based conflicts, mostly conflicts over water and pasture land. The Approach led to successful implementation of the Technology which reduces pressure on water resources. In addition, the management of the newly constructed water points ensures that community members benefits equally
Women are the main beneficiaries of the Approach. They were more active than men in offering semi-voluntary labour. Their motivation was that they bear the greater burden than men as it is their responsibility to provide household water .
Youth participation was minimal due cultural barriers. Young men do not participate in most of community activities. They are expected to have minimal contact with the rest, and especially women hence most of their time they are in the bush
Land tenure system in the area where the Approach was implemented is communal.
It is expected that nutritional status will improve with increased access to better quality water. However, no survey was carried out to confirm this assumption.
Community members who initially would spend substantial amount of time to search for water now have more time freed to engage in trade and other diversified sources of income
There is improved access to water. The three benefiting communities no longer need water supply emergency. However, impact on sanitation was less than satisfactory.
The project's mandate under which the Approach was implemented was limited to water and sanitation
Increased water supply has greatly increased community's resilience to droughts. With a prudent management of water harvested, they have successfully avoided negative drought impacts.
There is no direct employment except that the community members can now engage more in other rewarding businesses
The Approach greatly focused on capacity building, community empowerment and strengthened institutions. It is expected therefore that they will sustainably manage the Technologies that have been constructed.
