Water and sanitation coverage is particularly low in Chikwawa. The statistics are as follows:
• Access to safe water = 45% (lowest in Southern Region of Malawi)
• Functionality of existing water points = 49%
• Level of investment in the water sector from 1998 to 2003/2004 = 1.54 water points/1,000 people which is the lowest in the Southern Region of Malawi
• Access to improved sanitation = uncertain at this stage but likely to be less than the national average

Water For People has not worked in Chikwawa up until this point. Because of the severe need for water and sanitation in Chikwawa, and the lack of funding and work being done in this area, Water For People has committed to working in Chikwawa over the next five years.

The communities in Chikwawa will be presented with a menu of technology options for both the shallow wells and the latrines. The menu will consist of the following:
Latrines: EcoSan, SanPlat slabs, and VIP.
Shallow wells: Mark V, Rope Pump and Malda.

These six communities will be reached in one phase.

The community members are the ones who demanded the project from the District Assembly and Water For People--Malawi. They have been involved in the planning process from the very beginning. As such, they know their needs and are committed to seeing them through. They are ready to form committees for the management of the project and are willing to contribute to the project in cash and in-kind at the project inception and throughout the life of the project. The project will be located in a public area of the community and owned by all of the contributing members.

Hygiene improvement, capacity building, jobs and skill enhancement are all integral pieces of this program.
• Hygiene improvement will consist of targeting three key behaviors: handwashing at critical times with proper technique, sanitary disposal of feces, and protection of drinking water aand food from fecal contamination.
• Capacity building is another primary focus of all Water For People programs. This will be done by partnering directly with the Chikwawa District Assembly, the local private sector and local NGOs over time to enhance their skills, and thereby strengthen the District capacity as a whole to effectively contribute to development work and increase overall project sustainability.
• This project includes provision for training and hiring local private sector sanitation promoters and masons thus contributing to the overall economic development of the District.

Chikwawa is located 50 km (30 miles) south of Blantyre, the commercial capital of Malawi. According to the 1998 Population and Housing Census, Chikwawa District has a total population of 356,682 people, which is about 3.4% of the national population. Of the 74.1% of the population in Chikwawa that are economically active, the majority of them are subsistence farmers. Prone to flooding as well as drought, Chikwawa District is among the worst affected areas by famine. Floods in Chikwawa have destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of farming families by wiping out much-needed maize crops and livestock. The crocodile-infested Shire River runs through the District posing serious danger for women as they collect water. As mentioned above, the area has the lowest water and sanitation coverage rates in the entire Southern Region of Malawi.

To address these challenges, the 2007-2011 Water For People—Malawi Country Strategy proposes the following goals for the first year of the Country Strategy (2007) with regard to the Chikwawa Program:
• Develop a long-term Memorandum of Understanding with the Chikwawa District Assembly that leads to increased water and sanitation coverage in the District and an increase in the functionality of systems in the District over time.
• Develop a long-term Memorandum of Understanding with a local NGO and a local private sector company that clarifies roles and responsibilities of all parties and indicates how Water For People—Malawi will enhance their capacity to support sustainable community-based water supply and sanitation.
• Provision of water services for 4,340 people in line with government policy.
• Increased coverage of improved sanitation for 8,860 people in line with government policy.
• Rehabilitation of failed water systems.
• Initiate steps to address the spare parts gaps in Chikwawa and have a plan of action for increasing access to spares in the District by the end of the year.

In order to initiate the project, the six communities will contribute $1000 up front. They will also contribute materials for building the shallow wells and will contribute in kind time and labor to help plan and build and maintain the wells.

In order to support and sustain the water project over time, each community will be responsible for collecting a total of $100 annually from water users, totaling $600 for all 6 communities. Each community management committee will determine the amount that each user must pay and when that will be collected in order to have adequate spare parts available. Furthermore, each community will have a trained committee in operation and maintenance, both pieces ensuring technological viability over time.

Lastly, Water For People will have a team of volunteers who will conduct monitoring of the projects every year to determine functionality, use, quantity and quality of the water systems, latrines and household hygiene. This will allow for transparency, accountability and follow-up on all Water For People projects.

Chikwawa District Assembly and Local Private Sector Masons

It is Water For People's goal to partner directly with local government bodies in all of its projects. As such, Water For People--Malawi is working to finalize a working strategy with the Chikwawa District Assembly that will clarify capacity building initiatives that will strengthen the ability of the District Assembly to plan, manage and supervise work in their area of jurisdiction, and establish a series of clear and measurable field-based and institutional targets for Water For People--Malawi's five-year strategy.

Now that there is decentralization in Malawi, most development projects are being managed by the District Assemblies. Chikwawa's District Assembly has a water and sanitation department that receives support from the national government for water and sanitation projects within the District. Additionally, the Chikwawa District Assembly has received funds from the EU and MASAF (Malawi Social Action Fund).

Currently, the DA has water technicians, a Director of Planning and additional planners, a monitoring and evaluation officer, administrative staff and a Director of Finance.

Although the Chikwawa District Assembly will be the primary partner in this initiative, Water For People--Malawi will also partner with the local private sector through a mason training program as well as an NGO called Eagle Relief for additional support with planning, project development and implementation.