: International Lifeline Fund

Team involvement in operations and future involvement in PWX

By Blue Planet Network Posted on Thu 10 Nov 2011, about 13 years ago

Hi Rachael,

Could you describe how your field staff participate in HQ/org design and operations? From your website i gather you have Yoko in Kenya, Amandine, Nate, and Nicholas in Uganda and Christine in Haiti (can't tell if she resides there?).

Am curious to learn about how and how they operate and participate in operational direction of your organization? What is your process of creating project proposals and deciding on funding? And how does your team communicate and share with each other?

Could and would they in the future participate directly in PWX? Their valuable field experience would benefit the other members in membership and proposal Q&A and they would also get a chance to learn.

Thanks,
Rajesh

Team involvement in operations and future involvement in PWX

By International Lifeline Fund Posted on Fri 11 Nov 2011, about 13 years ago

Hi Rajesh,

Thanks for your questions. Answers written by ILF's Director of Development, Sara Bernstorff, are below.

1) Could you describe how your field staff participate in HQ/org design and operations?

At International Llifeline we believe the only way to improve and grow the organization is through strong collaboration between the field staff and HQ. To keep us cost efficient we have always based most of our efforts in the field, and thus have a very small team of only 4 people working to support all our programs from HQ. We have chosen this structure to be as flexible and responsive as possible to any changes in our programs and it forces us to have daily contact to all of our field staff. We have monthly program reports from the field, which makes the base for our strategic discussions at HQ, as well as monthly conference calls from all field program managers to HQ. Furthermore both our Deputy Director and Executive Director spend months a year in the field to check in with our staff and to incorporate their input into our strategy. As we write these responses our Deputy is traveling in Uganda and our Development Director and Executive Director are both on their way to Haiti to our respective programs.

2) Am curious to learn about how and how they operate and participate in operational direction of your organization?

We are currently in the process of conducting a 3 year strategic design from which we are collecting input from the field through phone conferences, reports, internal audits, field trips ect. Again, all of our field management staff are an active part of this process and play a key role in determining the way forward for each program.

3) What is your process of creating project proposals and deciding on funding?

This process is led by our Development Director in accordance to our future 3 year strategic plan, and funding is decided upon strategic fit within the organization. At ILF we believe in long-term relations with our donors and in quality over quantity. We focus our project proposals to be within our key competencies even if this means growing slowly over time while showing quality results. We are currently working on enhancing our capturing and reporting on field data and our ability to show a clear linkage between donor dollars and field level impact.

4) And how does your team communicate and share with each other?

Through monthly reports, conference calls, emails, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, phone and in the near future we will also use an intranet to share documents, news ect.

5) Could and would they in the future participate directly in PWX?

Yes, absolutely. We would be happy to integrate participating in PWX into our weekly and/or monthly reporting process and standards.

Please let me know if you have any more questions!

Thanks,
Rachael

Cost-Benefit of Well Drilling

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Mon 17 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

I seem to be the first to post questions to start this, so welcome to the PWX application process whereby we all learn from one another within a community of shared objectives.

There are many examples of inoperative wells provided to villages by NGO's without continuing local support to maintain and repair them. When ILF installs a well, what are the provisions to make certain that it will continue to serve a community that may not be able to afford spare parts and technical assistance?

Well drilling is usually a pretty expensive proposition for rural villages but seems to be a favorite approach by NGO's. By owning your own drilling equipment ILF may have addressed part of this issue. Are the communities asked to share the responsibility for the well and/or the continuing maintenance? Is the well water tested for contamination as part of the process or are additional disinfection techniques taught as part of the overall sanitation training?

Thanks for becoming part of the process,
Mike

Cost-Benefit of Well Drilling

By International Lifeline Fund Posted on Wed 19 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your questions and sorry for the delayed response. For the sake of clarity, I've answered each of the three parts of your question separately.

1) What are the provisions to make certain that it will continue to serve a community that may not be able to afford spare parts and technical assistance:

ILF has developed a multi-step process to ensure that each community’s borehole remains operative once it is completed and turned over to the community. This process begins early on in the implementation process, when ILF’s sanitation & hygiene (S&H) team trains, educates, and facilitates each community’s Water User Committee (WUC). The Water User Committees are community members who are elected by the community to lead in the operation and maintenance of the water points to ensure continuous functionality and sustainability on behalf of the community. Each WUC has a variety or responsibilities, one of which is collecting the water user fee, a nominal fee collected from each household in the community in exchange for access to the borehole. The funds generated by the water user fee are managed and saved by the WUC to be used for potential future repairs of the borehole. Additionally, before each borehole is drilled, it is required by the government of Uganda that each community raise a minimum amount of money (200,000 Ugandan shillings per deep borehole and 100,000 Ugandan shillings per shallow borehole or borehole rehabilitation) in order to exhibit the community’s commitment to maintaining their borehole.

As the average user fee is only 500 Ugandan shillings (20 cents) per month per household, often a major borehole repair cannot be completed in full with only the money generated by the user fee and the money saved by the community prior to the borehole drilling process. In this situation, the M&E team will be responsible for resource mobilization amongst community leaders (including the WUC), government officials and, if need be, implementing partners to ensure the completion of the borehole repair.

2) Are the communities asked to share the responsibility for the well and/or the continuing maintenance?

In addition to collecting the water user fee and working with ILF’s M&E team to mobilize resources for potential future repairs of inoperative boreholes, the WUCs also takes on a number of additional responsibilities to ensure the continued maintenance of the borehole. These responsibilities include:

• Maintaining cleanliness at the water points
• Ensuring accountability to the community and local authority
• Enforcing water and sanitation bylaws set by the community
• Reporting to the relevant local authority any problem developing at the water point
• Educating the users on proper usage of the water point
• Ensuring the functionality of the water point at all times
• Settling minor disputes arising at the water point and forwarding major ones to local leaders
• Keeping good records of the water point.

Members of the community beyond just the members of the WUC are also expected to participate in the borehole drilling process by contributing their time and labor to the project. Certain tasks asked of the community include clearing the site where the borehole is to be drilled, mixing concrete, providing security of equipment throughout the drilling process, and building the fence around the completed borehole.

3) Is the well water tested for contamination as part of the process or are additional disinfection techniques taught as part of the overall sanitation training?

Once a borehole has been completed and before it is handed over to the community, ILF administers a bacteriological test to each borehole and analyses the results using a Potatest Kit. In addition to being tested by ILF, water collected from the boreholes is also sent to the laboratory of the Department of Water in Entebbe for chemical and physical component testing. Additionally, one of the topics covered during the community health education sessions is the safe water chain, one aspect of which is water treatment to further ensure water safety. A variety of different disinfection techniques are taught, such as boiling, filtering with a clean cloth, sedimentation and adding disinfectants such as aqua safe tablets.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions, looking forward to the ongoing discussion.

Best,
Rachael Reichenbach
Program Assistant

Cost-Benefit of Well Drilling

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Wed 19 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

Rachael,

Thank you for the comprehensive response. It certainly seems that ILF has developed a well thought-out model for developing safe water systems.

We recently visited a village in Sierra Leone where a well had failed and it had been determined that the lower unit required replacement at a cost of 450,000 le (about US$100), a substantial amount for a small rural village to raise. In discussions about assessment of fees the question arose about who/where would the collected fees be kept. This was an interesting question and one I had not occurred to me before, as remote villages have no ready access to bank services or even stores or rudimentary businesses. How has this been addressed by WUC's in the villages with which ILF has worked?

Best regards,
Mike

Cost-Benefit of Well Drilling

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Wed 19 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

This is not really a question ~ just a comment to Mike's above.

I just want to underline how important it is to identify those "...it had not occurred to me before".....categories wherever we go and whatever we do! It can save a tremendous amount (or resource(s) in the long run :-)

CASUDI

Cost-Benefit of Well Drilling

By International Lifeline Fund Posted on Tue 25 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

Dear Mike,

My sincerest apologies for taking so long to reply to your follow up question! The email notification for your response must have gotten lost in the shuffle. In response to your question about where the fees are actually kept, when ILF trains the members of each WUC, we provide them with the tools they will need to administer the collected funds within the WUC, specifically a counter book, a receipt book, and a lock box. ILF also encourages the community to elect women to the positions of treasurer, caretaker, and vice chair person as it has been ILF's past experience that women WUC members have proven to be more dependable and accountable for the collected water user fee. Thus, the collected water user fee either stays with the WUC treasurer or with the LC1 chairman, the highest level local leader.

Though the government of Uganda insists that the minimum amount of money (200,000 Ugandan shillings per deep borehole and 100,000 Ugandan shillings per shallow borehole or borehole rehabilitation) raised by each village be deposited in the district bank account, as you have seen in Sierra Leone, this is not always a practical solution. Thus, ILF tries to work with the communities to ensure that the water user fee is collected, administered, and accounted for in the most accurate way possible while remaining in the village, either with the WUC treasurer or the LC1 Chairman.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions and I apologize again for taking so long to respond.

Best,
Rachael

How does your secondary "Sanitation" focus relate to well drilling and providing clean water?

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Tue 18 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

What I learned at more than at intellectual level, after Bank-on-Rain visited Sierra Leone last month, is the urgency for sanitation education and implementation to go hand in hand with providing clean water. In fact it appears to me after several in depth discussions that sanitation should in fact be the first focus (whether you are doing it or partnering with another organization).

I would like to know what you are doing to bring about increased sanitary conditions in the communities prior to providing clean water?

Welcome to the Peer Water review process; it is always an amazing learning experience for all of us and I look forward to a continuing discussion with you.

CASUDI

How does your secondary "Sanitation" focus relate to well drilling and providing clean water?

By International Lifeline Fund Posted on Wed 19 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

Hi Caroline,

Thank you for your thoughtful question. I agree, the full benefits of clean water cannot be truly experienced unless sanitation and hygiene improvements are made as well. The answer to your question is below.

In order to implement S&H activities most effectively, ILF’s sanitation & hygiene (S&H) team first trains, educates, and helps to establish Village Health and Sanitation Trainers (VHSTs). VHSTs are community members elected by the community to lead in the sensitization of the community in health, sanitation and hygiene practices at the household level. In addition to training the VHST’s in improved S&H practices, ILF also distributes digging kits as well as Sanitation Promotion Items (SPIs) to each of the VHSTs to promote construction of household latrines, Tippy Taps (local hand washing apparatus), and drying racks. The roles and responsibilities of the VHSTs include the following:

• Mobilizing and sensitizing the communities to proper sanitation and hygiene principles and practices
• Ensuring accessibility of sanitation promotion items and ensuring their proper use
• Being role models to the rest of the community
• Working together with WUCs
• Monitoring and reporting to ILF on the new sanitation facilities being constructed.

ILF’s sensitization activities are done in two phases. The VHSTs are trained in the first phase and the community health education sessions are held in the second phase, both prior to the completion of the borehole. During VHST training members go from household to household, educating community members about hygiene and sanitation best practices. As VHST members visit each household they distribute survey forms that community members populate with information regarding their hygiene and sanitation practices before and after the community health education sessions. These forms are later retrieved after the digging kits are distributed and household sanitation facility construction is completed and are then collected on a monthly basis through continuous monitoring, done by ILF’s M&E team. ILF allows at least two months for households to complete the construction of their sanitation facilities before beginning the monthly collection of the monitoring forms. Though ILF does allow this two-month grace period for the completion of household latrine construction, ILF also requires a 30% increase in the latrine coverage level as reported in community members’ baseline surveys prior to turning the completed borehole over to the community.

As a result of these sensitization activities, ILF has seen an increase in the number of household latrines, drying racks, refuse pits, bath shelters as well as an increase in the number of households that borrow latrine digging kits from the VHSTs.

How does your secondary "Sanitation" focus relate to well drilling and providing clean water?

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Wed 19 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

Thank you so much for your answer. I continue this discussion based on other feedback I have received and not on personal experience. I am no expert!

My understanding is there is often a great deal of reluctance to have a "real" and accurate discussion on the subject of hygiene practices, so I wonder the actual validity of survey information? Unless I am attributing my meaning of survey to the process:-)

In addition I am really interested in some of the "nuts & bolts" ways (means) in which the expected change in sanitation and hygiene is communicated during your educational orientation sessions (community sessions) and when done "one-on-one"?

On a personal note: Since I come from a Marketing Communications mindset in the West, I am very interested in how to take my expertise and apply it realistically and effectively in the area of Sanitation education. This should explain a little more about what I am getting at with this response!

TIA
CASUDI

How does your secondary "Sanitation" focus relate to well drilling and providing clean water?

By International Lifeline Fund Posted on Fri 21 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

Hi Casudi,

Thanks for your follow up questions. The answers can be found below:

My understanding is there is often a great deal of reluctance to have a "real" and accurate discussion on the subject of hygiene practices, so I wonder the actual validity of survey information?

The baseline survey is usually conducted by a member of the S&H team in the privacy of each community member's home, thus eliminating the risk of having an "embarrassing" conversation in a larger group setting. In reviewing the 35-question questionnaire form the S&H team uses to conduct the baseline survey, the majority of the questions are innocuous, while approximately five are more pointed and could potentially embarrass the community member answering the questionnaire. However, each survey is also accompanied by the S&H team member's comments and assessments of the interview, allowing them to note if they think a community member has not provided a completely accurate response as a result of being embarrassed.

I wonder the actual validity of survey information collected after the education sessions are conducted?

The trained VHSTs use a monitoring form modified from the Government of Uganda Ministry of Water and Environment hand book for household S&H monitoring to collect survey information after the education sessions. The VHSTs carry out household visits to record selected sanitation facilities and gain information to populate the monitoring form. The S&H team also samples a few of the homes visited to verify the data collected by the VHSTs during follow up. The potential for embarrassment is lower after the education sessions have been conducted as community members have a greater understanding of why improved S&H activities are important and many have adapted what they learned during the education sessions into their daily lives.

In addition I am really interested in some of the ways (means) in which the expected change in sanitation and hygiene is communicated during your educational orientation sessions (community sessions) and when done "one-on-one"?

The means through which expected change is communicated during the community sessions include discussions utilizing Personal Hygiene and Sanitation Education (PHASE) methodology during which the community is sensitized on the expected key hygiene and sanitation practices both at the personal and household levels. Sanitation Hard Ware subsidies (SHWs) are also used as a tool to aid in the construction of key household S&H promotion facilities. The SHWs are utilized to urge community members to construct latrines, bath shelters, tippy taps, drying racks, etc using the digging kits that are provided after the training of WUCs& VHTs.

How does your secondary "Sanitation" focus relate to well drilling and providing clean water?

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Sun 23 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer this at such length. This leads me to my follow on question (related to this) What is your biggest obstacle/barrier to success in any given community project related to the both the education and implementation?

How does your secondary "Sanitation" focus relate to well drilling and providing clean water?

By International Lifeline Fund Posted on Thu 27 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

Hi Casudi,

One of the biggest obstacles to success, in terms of both education and implementation, is the community's lack of initial interest in, or commitment to, the project. Initially, because communities have not been previously exposed to the dangers inherent to poor S&H practices, there may be low demand for the project on the part of the community. Subsequently, because demand for the project may be low, attendance at community health education and sensitization sessions may be low as well. However, as previously mentioned, ILF does see substantial improvements in S&H practices after the communities have undergone the community health education sessions. Thus, the S&H team must work closely and creatively with local leadership as well as the WUCs and VHSTs to encourage people to attend the community health education sessions so that the project may truly take root in the community.

Thanks,
Rachael

How does your secondary "Sanitation" focus relate to well drilling and providing clean water?

By Bank-On-Rain Posted on Fri 28 Oct 2011, about 13 years ago

Thanks for your response Rachael.

Have you ever been to a community health education & sanitization meeting yourself where there was obvious resistance and unwillingness? How was a turn around of attitude (acceptance) facilitated? How was the connection between poor hygiene and sickness communicated?

Have you personally worked with any local leaders to get the community members to attend the meetings in the first place; where they would be educated etc….?

Have you ever gone house to house and seen what is necessary to have families buy into your program and implement? I don't mean handing out a survey after the fact…..but details of the communication process and implementation.

I heard from one group(similar to yours) that they had to virtually bribe (with food) the community members to show up in the first instance, and then it was a battle of wits to gain their agreement to listen to what was being proposed and then further challenges in communicating…. health education and sanitation. I would like to understand the details of how this is done.

So far your answers have been excellent on the broader scale of things. I look forward to your response from a more magnified perspective.

Casudi

How does your secondary "Sanitation" focus relate to well drilling and providing clean water?

By International Lifeline Fund Posted on Thu 03 Nov 2011, about 13 years ago

Hi Casudi,

Thank you for following up. I’m sorry if I have given you the impression that I am a part of ILF’s implementing team on the ground in Uganda! As Program Assistant, I provide backstop support to all of our programs abroad at the headquarters level in Washington, DC. Though I have never personally participated in the implementation process, all of the information I have provided you with over the course of this Q&A process has been conveyed to me directly by our Country Director in Uganda and our Monitoring and Evaluation Officer who is an active member of the WASH team in Uganda. Below is the information they have provided me with in response to your questions.

Have you ever been to a community health education & sanitization meeting yourself where there was obvious resistance and unwillingness? How was a turn around of attitude (acceptance) facilitated?

Resistance and unwillingness is not typically exhibited while the community health educations sessions are being conducted. During these sessions, community participants tend to pay attention to the information being conveyed and are engaged in the process of identifying actionable steps the community can take to improve overall sanitation and hygiene. Normally, resistance and unwillingness is in the form of community members not putting into practice what they have learned and implementing the actionable steps that have been agreed to during community health educations sessions. To ensure that the community actually practices what has been taught and agreed to during the sessions, the VHSTs conduct monthly household visits to ensure that the community continues to implement improved sanitation and hygiene practices.

How was the connection between poor hygiene and sickness communicated during the community health education meeting?

A component of the seven-step Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) methodology is a detailed explanation of water-borne disease transmission mechanisms and barriers.

Have you personally worked with any local leaders to get the community members to attend the meetings in the first place; where they would be educated etc….?

Local leaders are ILF’s main points of contact in the villages and spearhead all aspects of community mobilization, including encouraging the community to attend the community health education sessions. As such, ILF relies heavily on and works closely with local government structures such as Local Councils (LCs), Parish Development Committees (PDCs) and Village Health Teams (VHTs).

Have you ever gone house to house and seen what is necessary to have families buy into your program and implement?

The house to house visitation procedure is as follows. First, VHSTs go house to house to distribute the baseline surveys to determine the community’s sanitation and hygiene practices prior to the community health education sessions. The VHSTs then go house to house after the community health education sessions to follow up on the initial survey and determine how behavior has changed as a result of the community health education sessions. ILF staff then conducts unannounced visits to a representational percentage of households in order to cross check the information gathered by the VHSTs. The VHST’s then conduct monthly household visits to follow up on the information conveyed during the community health education sessions and to ensure that families are still implementing improved sanitation and hygiene practices at the household level.

Rachael