SWITCH lessons relevant and useful for Senegal

“The different ongoing experiences in various countries under the umbrella of SWITCH programmes are relevant and I followed the presentations with a high interest”, Cheikh Tidiane Fall, Senegal wrote in the third Conference Daily of the ''Sustainable Water Management in Cities: engaging stakeholders for effective change''  conference in Zaragoza, Spain, 13-17 December 2010.

“The reason: I come from Dakar (Senegal) where SWITCH is not implemented. One of the main lessons I learned here in Zaragoza is the necessity to move this way with the creation of a safe platform to make the stakeholders aware of the challenges related to water and sanitation and engage them to improve a situation which is inacceptable , particularly where there are no pro poor programmes."

We must be actors of a revolution

"United we are stronger and more efficient. The spirit of the learning alliances come from that strong belief and I hope that all the participants will, in some days, get back home, with many useful tools in their bags. Thus, they will be more capable to play a key role in the processes for a better management of water in the cities. After experiences sharing in the rooms of the seminar, it will be time for actions on the field with real change in the way of thinking and doing things. As someone said, more than in an evolution, we must be actors of a revolution.

This Conference is a good opportunity to learn for those who believe that without a common vision and a clear and shared strategy nothing great can be achieved in the crucial battle aiming to reduce the number of inhabitants who have no access to drinking water and adequate sanitation services.

See the Daily Newsletter on the conference web site.