UNICEF contracts IRC to help formulate a draft national policy on rural sanitation in Eritrea

UNICEF is contracting IRC to provide 70 days support work from April to July 2007 in helping to formulate a draft national policy on rural sanitation in Eritrea. This will be done together with the national consultant to the Government of Eritrea, specifically the “Sanitation Policy Working Group” formed under the Ministry of Health.

Scope of work

IRC’s input will include the following components.

1. Conducting a literature search and field studies of major initiatives in rural community based and household level sanitation in Eritrea, with the intention of producing a working document on the work done so far in this sector, the lessons learnt from these experiences and the identification of the major issues and bottle necks.

This working document should look across existing institutional perceptions, priorities, scope and arrangements accorded to rural sanitation and its promotion, social and cultural practices and customs in communities, especially in relation to habitation patterns, gender sensitivity, privacy and safety, poverty and economic status, to water use practices in relation to sanitation and home hygiene, literacy, climate and topography, and lastly, on consequences of technological choices made so far.

2. Presenting the findings of the above documentation in at-least two regional workshops, separately for the highlands and lowlands, involving all stakeholders, with the intention of building participation and debate at all levels, the purpose of which would be to identify issues that need resolution and possibly the resolutions themselves.

3. On the basis of this consultative process, to outline the principles, components and content of the major issues, in a separate document, that would constitute the content of a draft national policy on rural community based and household level sanitation, taking into account the need for intersectoral linkages between sanitation, water supply and health along with the need to review these positions and linkages periodically for their relevance in future.

4. Drafting a national policy document of rural community based and household level sanitation on the basis of the above, with a statement of purpose, outlining roles and responsibilities, identifying key components necessary to fulfil the statement of purpose, with emphasis on meeting the MDG target in sanitation.

5. Presenting this draft national policy document to the Rural Sanitation Policy Working Group and revise it based on the feed-back received, for the eventual consideration of the Eritrean Government.

Funding

US$ 73,400