Preliminary activities (e.g. technical studies, financial contributions)
We have carried out a number of preliminary activities in the planning of the proposed project. We have assessed local needs via consultations with PARDI (six years of past research and field experience), direct consultations with the communities and schools in question, as well as face to face meetings with their numerous representatives including headmasters, teachers, LC1, LC3 and LC5 chairpersons and relevant NGOs and District Officials.
Town meetings have yielded a willingness by would be recipients to contribute not only labor, food, water and money to this project, but also long-term participation in the form of water management committees.
Lastly, we have consulted several contractors, focusing on experience, professionalism, quality and cost. To date, all implied costs mentioned above have been covered by us.
Details of the proposed project: activities and inputs
Consultations and contractual negotiations are to be finalized with the chosen contractor to allow for organization and efficiency during project implementation (construction). We must also mobilize relevant communities and educational institutions for upcoming meetings where water sensitization is to be discussed and where the finalizing of community participation and water committee establishment is to take place.
Water sensitization is to include topics such as hygiene, the benefits of clean water and tank management (its sustainable use and upkeep). Community participation will be reviewed, agreed to and planned to compliment the arrival of the contractor and building crew, and water management committees elected.
After these tasks are completed, construction will begin, as will continued sensitization, community and school meetings, and follow ups with water committees to overcome initial management or technical obstacles. We will conduct these tasks, with the help of PARDI staff, in tandem with the building schedule, to ensure each community is sufficiently knowledgeable, prepared and organized to ensure a proper transition in rain water tank proprietorship.
Action plan during project implementation and 3 years after project completion
During its implementation, the proposed project includes eight “phases” for each village and seven for each school. Before construction begins in each village, we will mobilize the local community (or school board) (phase 1), with help of the LC1 chairperson (or headmaster), to participate in a community meeting the following week (phase 2). This meeting will include our sensitization workshop, as well as finalizing community contributions, and the election of a water management committee.
The following week, a meeting with the water management committee will be held to ensure that financial contributions are being collected, that the organization of labor for help in construction is planned, and to discuss ideas for water management and tank upkeep (phase 3). Phase three is deemed unnecessary for schools as water management logistics are straightforward. Construction will, under community and PARDI supervision, begin the following week and end two weeks after that upon which time, a small opening ceremony will be held (phases 4 & 5).
Once a month for three months, following the completion of the tanks, PARDI will meet with the water management committees to overcome any obstacles encountered (phases 6,7 & 8).
Finally, for the next three years, quarterly meetings with the villages’ water management committees and local representatives will be convened to ensure the project’s sustainability and measure its outcomes and achievements.
Quarterly meetings with the school water management committees (as well as any impromptu meetings demanded be beneficiaries) will be held for the following three years.
Expected risk factors which may disturb or interrupt project implementation and strategies to overcome them
There are three risk factors that may disturb the project: The first has to do with the communal ownership of a finite resource and its possible abuse or mismanagement. This major problem has been minimized by alleviating a need the community itself has identified as a priority, and also through its willing participation (material, labor and management), giving members a sense of ownership over the tank.
Some of the communities have suggested that the water management committee identify certain days a week (depending on the season and water levels) where villagers are permitted to access water from the tanks. They have also suggested setting a limit on the number of “jerry cans” permitted per household in order to ensure the fair distribution of the water.
Furthermore, regular visits with management committees, communities and continued sensitization will provide sufficient support to ensure the proposed project’s success.
The second risk factor is environmental. Rains can sometimes limit road accessibility and slow construction. Although unpredictable, construction is set to begin at the end of the rainy season, limiting its potential impact on the project. The contractor will also employ tarps and other methods learned through experience in order to minimize the rain’s impact.
The third risk factor is sudden price fluctuations in fuel and materials costs. These have been dealt with as the prices indicated in the provided bill of quantities have been guaranteed by the contractor to remain the same for a six month period.
How do you ensure that planned activities to produce expected outputs of the project continue?
Once we leave Uganda, PARDI will be managing the projects through quarterly visits to the proposed sites. These visits will be specifically aimed at consultations with the water management committees, the communities, as well as the LC1 Chairpersons, in order to ensure that all obstacles and challenges are discussed and overcome. Reminders to communities about the benefits of safe water and tank upkeep will also be included in these exchanges.
During their regular operations in PARDI’s area of coverage, field staff will also have numerous opportunities to monitor the project’s achievements, outcomes and challenges. If, for any reason, their assistance is needed, PARDI volunteers will be sent to these locations promptly. Good communication links already exist between the organizations and relevant members of the community, assuring that any needs and problems can be communicated using mobile telephones.
How will the operational and running costs of the constructed structure be covered? (e.g. salary, additional staff, up-keeping costs, utilities, additional equipment and materials, etc.)?
Community participation and organization is the key to the success of the proposed project. In some communities, each household has volunteered to contribute an initial financial contribution of 1000 USH. This money is to be placed in a communal fund to ensure that tanks can be readily fixed and maintained if and when necessary.
Additionally, to safeguard the project’s long term sustainability, communities have also proposed to pay a sum of 500 USH quarterly, also payable to the fund mentioned above, handled by the water management committee. The committee will also be charged with the tanks’ bi-annual cleaning (before the rainy seasons).
To illustrate, in a community with 100 households, this would mean an initial deposit of 100,000($60 USD) USH into the management fund, as well an extra 200,000 USH ($120 USD) on a yearly basis. Of course, each community’s financial contributions will differ according to what they can afford (a sum agreed upon during initial phases).
All costs after the funded period associated with visits to monitor the tanks and meet with the communities will be borne by the organization through its annual budget.
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