Session Description
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for water and sanitation are ambitious and stress the right to safely-managed water and safely-managed human waste. Currently 80% of the population of rural Africa lack access to both safely managed water and sanitation services. While accessibility in urban areas is higher, at least 40% of people in African cities do not meet SDG targets for water and sanitation. Thus, funders, implementing organizations, and governments worldwide need to develop new competencies to bring their work in alignment with those goals. Learning from institutions at the forefront of this effort can speed the sector’s progress. Locally-led organizations based in Kenya, Bangladesh, and Honduras, working in both urban and rural contexts, will share the real challenges they have experienced and solutions they have developed while implementing integrated community-managed piped water systems that deliver last mile services. A case study from the mayor of Valladolid, Honduras will describe a long-term collaboration with a locally-led NGO resulting in a household piped water systems approaching 100% coverage in the region. Case studies will include detailed practical knowledge and lessons learned in design, construction management, community-management, government collaboration, and how funding partners can contribute to successful implementation, monitoring and follow-up.