Self Help Africa (SHA), says the unstable availability of Forex, fuel, low water table, and hard-to-reach areas are the challenges that hampered the implementation of Dowa Integrated WASH (DIWASH) -Phase 5 in the district.
DIWASH was implemented from January 2023 to December 2023 and has been extended for 2 months in the areas of Traditional Authorities Chiwere, Msakambewa, Mkukula A and B, Dzoole A and B, and Mponela in the district.
The project was being implemented with the key objectives of improving health, gender equality, and resilient livelihoods through sustainable and accountable WASH service delivery in communities, schools, and healthcare facilities in the district.
Presenting the progress report of the project to the District Executive Committee (Dec) in Dowa, the Project Manager for Dowa, Chifundo Mandala, said the project has increased access to sustainable and accountable safe water supply in the areas of 5 T/As targeted schools, improved hygienic facilities and knowledge relating to WASH in targeted communities, schools and health care facilities.
Mandala said the project has registered some achievements such as rehabilitating 50 boreholes, drilling 99 new boreholes, providing 2 piped systems, and conducting water quality tests in the targeted communities, schools, and health care facilities.
He said the project has conducted other WASH system strengthening works such as T/A -wide water point functionality and water quality tests for previous grant-funded water points, T/A -awareness campaigns to build demand and willingness to pay for sanitation products including hygienic sanitary pads, among others.
The coordinator further said that the project has supported the District Council in recruiting two Water Monitoring Assistants to strengthen the monitoring and supervision of water points absorbed into the Government system.
He said the project has some sustainability measures such as the involvement of the District Council during planning, monitoring, implementation, trained Water Point Committees and System Management Committees, and a donation of computers and tablets to the Council for Water Point Monitoring and data updating, among others.
He said during the project implementation period, the organization has learnt that the involvement of the District and other stakeholders is key to project implementation as well as strong coordination and collaboration for effective implementation.
Dowa Integrated WASH (DIWASH)-5 project was being implemented in the areas of 5 T/As in the Dowa district with funding from Charity Water amounting to 400,000 US Dollars.
