Water for People Conducts WASH Systems Strengthening Workshop for Partners
Water for People, an international non-profit organization, recently organized a two-day training workshop on WASH Systems Strengthening index analysis for its partners from Chikwawa, Lilongwe, and Dowa District Councils. The workshop aimed to equip partners with the knowledge and tools to strengthen WASH systems in their respective districts.
WASH systems strengthening involves taking actions and supporting interventions to improve the quality and sustainability of WASH services. This includes enhancing the capacity of actors, their inter-relationships, and the political economy of decision-making.
During the workshop, Water for People shared its WASH index analysis tool, which was used by the District Councils and their partners to analyze their WASH systems and estimate their score/status. Each council then presented their WASH systems status based on the tool.
The WASH Systems for Health programming is led and funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), supporting governments in six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to strengthen the systems needed to establish reliable, resilient, and inclusive WASH services.
Kate Harawa, Director of Influence and Scale at Water for People, emphasized that WASH system strengthening is about long-term support and investment in systems to create an enabling environment that allows people access to lasting WASH services. She highlighted that this includes supporting both local and national governments to have functional systems with necessary building blocks in place.
Willard Chirwa, Director of Planning and Development for Lilongwe District Council, described the workshop as an eye-opener for councils to improve WASH service deliveries. He noted that the councils will conduct a self-WASH systems assessment and produce a District WASH systems action plan based on the identified gaps.
Water for People is implementing WASH systems for Health programming from March 2024 to December 2027, with funding from the FCDO amounting to 2.5 million Great Britain Pounds.
