Uganda: Do NGOs, government and private sector in water and sanitation learn?

Pre-forum press release: On Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 October 2009, the Ministry of Water and Environment, SAWA and the international NGOs SNV and IRC, organised Uganda’s first National Learning Forum in Kampala. Twenty presenters from the districts, most local NGOs and government staff presented their ‘good practices’. These must help the national agencies to learn to do better in policy and strategy. And also the implementers will learn to do better. The ‘good practices’ are in four areas: integrated water resources management, water supply, rural sanitation, and water and sanitation at schools.

Every day millions of rural and urban Ugandan citizens are facing challenges in getting enough water of good quality. And every day they struggle to find a decent place to relieve themselves. Actually for the poor in the slums of Kampala and other cities, in small towns and in the rural areas the story may be very bad. They often do not have enough water for bathing and drinking, or do not have a latrine to use nearby that does not smell and is not full of flies and maggots.

Compared to other African countries south of the Sahara Uganda is not doing that bad on water and sanitation. Uganda may as a country not achieve the international targets set but it is among the better African countries. But better is not good enough. Still, we can and need to learn to do better in water and sanitation. That is what SAWA says. SAWA is the Sanitation and Water Alliance (SAWA), a knowledge management and learning network in Uganda’s water and sanitation sector. SAWA is the new name of a consortium of four organisations: WaterAid, NETWAS, Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET) and Uganda Rain Water Association (URWA). The Danish Embassy, the Austrian Development Agency and WaterAid, and the participating organisations have provided the required funds.

To learn the participants, some 70 Ugandan water and sanitation staff and two Burkinabé, will analyse the ‘good practices’. They have to find out what made the cases a success. Was it the innovative technology? Was it the villagers’ motivation for better water and sanitation? Or were it the technicians or the political champions? Finding the factors for success will help all to learn and change the approach for the better.

The conclusions on learning will be presented at the 2009 Joint Water and Environment Sector review. And a clear follow-up for action will be formulated as talking is only the first step. The sharing of the information and the actual doing-better is the test for success in learning. Then more poor Ugandans will have better water and sanitation in the near future.

Press Release from SAWA – Sanitation & Water Knowledge and Learning Alliance
More information from Mr Solomon Kyeyune, NETWAS Uganda tel 0752 986 148, netwasuganda@gmail.com
website http://www.watsanuganda.watsan.net