1. WASH Services That Last in
Mozambique
– from cases to changes
Alana Potter
IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre

2. Learning from innovation..
• Under IRC’s terms of reference with PRONASAR,
the MoU enabled IRC and UNICEF to collaborate
to produce four cases learning from innovation in
the One Million programme
• These cases distil lessons and from rural water
and sanitation activities in Sofala, Tete and
Manica provinces in central Mozambique.
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

3. WASH Services That Last
• Triple-S (Sustainable Services at Scale) is a six-year,
multi-country learning initiative to improve water
supply and sanitation services to the rural poor.
• Work is underway in Ghana, Uganda, Burkina Faso
(full programmes) Mozambique, Ethiopia and
Honduras
• Lessons learned from work in countries feeds up to
the international level where Triple-S is promoting a
re-appraisal of how development assistance to the
rural water supply sector is designed and
implemented.
http://www.waterservicesthatlast.org/
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

4. WASH Services That Last
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

5. WASH Services That Last
How do we change the picture?
•Shift our aim from building systems to building services –
with attention to long-term sustainability and post-
construction support, e.g. training for staff, availability of
spare parts and supply chains and markets for rural water
supply goods and services.
•Shift our focus from projects for ‘communities’ at village
level to services for populations within larger administrative
units such as districts, which are much more effective for
scaling up important service delivery functions (e..g
monitoring, technical support).
•Improve coordination and harmonisation within
government-led processes, so that everyone is following the
same rules and working towards the same goals.
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

6. WASH Services That Last
At the country level, work with local partners to:
•Diagnose and socialise the problem – to see what’s
working and what’s not in terms of policies and
practices. Come to common agreement and definitions.
•Develop, test and implement new solutions (and cost
them) at the district level with links to national policy.
•Scale-up successful models.
•Strengthen sector learning and knowledge
management.
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

7. WASH Services That Last
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

8. WASH Services That Last
What makes Triple-S different?
•Understanding that rural water is a complex issue
requiring systemic but realistic approaches: Creating
water services that last requires coordinated changes at
multiple levels.
•Focus on learning: The approach goes beyond just fixing
current problems to build a stronger rural water sector that
can learn and adapt to new challenges.
•Emphasis on legacy: Conventional methods of technical
assistance have limits in terms of ownership, and once the
project ends so too do the benefits. Triple-S does not
operate like a ‘project’ rather it is attempting to catalyse a
movement, working with existing platforms and initiatives
and building on processes, energy and interest that is
already there. Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

9. Ambitious questions..
1. What can we learn from these innovations to scale
up more effective WASH implementation
approaches and practices?
2. What are the gaps to be addressed in order to
achieve sustainable service delivery consistent with
the RWSS policy and strategy framework in
Mozambique?
3. What is needed: (i) to improve effective
implementation, and (ii) to bridge the gap to
programmatic service delivery in rural water supply
and sanitation (RWSS)?
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

10. Work in progress..
Aim: to ensure IRC built on existing initiatives and
supported sustainable WASH services that last
1.Triple S scoping – all roads led to PRONASAR
2.Complemented WSP DPOPH case study initiative
3.Negotiated Terms of Reference with PRONASAR and agreed on
criteria and study sites
4.Collaboration with UNICEF through MoU
5.Agreed framework for analysis
6.Collaborated on drafts through various iterations
7.Now for the next, most important steps..
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11. Next steps..
• Finalise and publish the cases in keeping with feedback
from DNA, and undertake a combined launch in
Mozambique.
• Discuss and debate in sector forums – what
recommendations fit; how can they best be
operationalised within contextual opportunities and
constraints; generate political support for adaptations to
WASH service delivery approaches; how best to facilitate
capacity support at decentralised levels.. and more..
• Revise sector guidelines
• Test, implement, monitor, document and learn..
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

12. Cases to changes: discussion
• Many sector organisations aim to contribute to
sustainable WASH service delivery approaches.
• What strategies to you employ? Are case studies a
good entry point? If so, what needs to be in place?
• Closing the loop from learning to policy to practice
takes time, the right partnerships and political support.
• Partnering directly with government is key and
collaborating with development partners and
international NGOs remains essential. What
experiences and lessons have you learnt about formal
and informal partnerships for change?
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium

13. Learning so far..
• Relationships..
• Evidence..
• Relevance..
• Presence..
• Flexibility...
Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium