Local community outreach by Rotary clubs and the presence of USAID Mission implementation partners who are already engaged in communities facilitates the set-up of WASH programs on the ground.

The greater the distance a project site is from a Rotary club, the fewer the visits that are likely to happen. Longer distances reduce monitoring and engagement opportunities between Rotarian volunteers, implementation partners and the community receiving the systems, impacting the success of a program.

In Ghana, we learned the importance of working with schools that have committed headmasters who understand the importance of WASH. Communities where school administrators have already prioritized what their school needs are more likely to benefit from our investment.

Capacity and skill-building for volunteers is an ongoing effort that should be done through both training and practical experience. Such training, done with USAID Missions, elevates how volunteers collaborate alongside USAID and brings a level of consistency and quality to the partnership.

Building the capacity of volunteers helps them become better at monitoring, evaluation, resolution, learning, and adaptation efforts, skills that are critical for success in the Rotary-USAID partnership and essential to ensure the collection of quality data from program sites.

Working early and effectively with local, regional, and national governments results in a greater likelihood of ownership and engagement throughout and after the program. Effective collaboration with local government means identifying capacity and resource gaps as well as assets. Working effectively on hardware (i.e., pump mechanics, construction) and software (school hygiene trainings, community outreach practices) aspects of WASH is key for effective collaboration and maximization of resources.

The partnership learned that end-users do not consistently pay the fees for water from hand pumps that cover operation and maintenance costs. A community water and sanitation (WATSAN) committee's ability to collect sufficient usage fees is a key driver in the long-term functionality of community hand pumps. Even if they were collected consistently, these tariffs are often insufficient to meet total costs, so WATSAN committees need to plan ahead. Having a discussion with the community at the front end about how hand pump services are financed is a priority.

Different water point locations will require different pump technology. In areas with other improved water sources available—peri-urban areas, small towns, and rural growth centers—invest in mechanized or reticulated systems. These systems provide better value and higher service levels than handpumps. They are also significantly better managed by the community, particularly where district government support is limited. Hand pumps are the choice for communities where no other improved water source exists, such as in rural areas.

Policy advocacy is working with governments to ensure that they secure resources and prioritize improved WASH services. When integrated into WASH programming, policy advocacy strengthens WASH systems and improves the likelihood of their effectiveness and sustainability by helping address the root causes for lack of access to sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

Community- and school-based hygiene promoters are more effective and maintain their roles and responsibilities when they get support and monitoring assistance from the local government. In Ghana, teachers act as school health promoters, and bear a large responsibility for successfully coordinating and implementing Ghana’s School Health Education Programme alongside other educational priorities. We have learned that without support from headmasters and district educational coordinators and an accountability mechanism, teachers are less likely to be successful in integrating hygiene messaging, lessons, and school health clubs into daily school activities.

In a demand-driven approach to development, communities and institutions receive services they want and for which they are willing to pay. The community, rather than the development agency or the outside organization, directs what implementers will ultimately do. Donors organizations, like USAID and Rotary, influence how money will be invested and help ensure that implementers take certain approaches to the work that was prioritized by the community.
Strong local leadership and demand for improved services informs the partnership’s future investments, catalyzes implementation, and fosters sustainability. For example, in Ghana, the partnership approached district governments, asking them to propose their greatest WASH needs and explain why programming should be allocated to their district. Communities that didn’t propose anything or provided inadequate proposals were not considered, as they were seen as less likely to benefit from the partnership’s investment.

One of the lessons we have learned in Ghana is that its DAs lack the required financial and human resources to adequately perform core responsibilities, such as monitoring and support for water and sanitation management teams (WSMTs). In many instances, WSMTs are left to their own devices. For example, without DA support, WSMTs may not receive refresher training or review the collection of service fees. Close fee monitoring is essential so that WSMTs can purchase spare parts or hire an area mechanic when the system goes down. This lack of resources has a significant impact on a WSMT’s ability to manage hand pumps, and is often reflected in the increased non-functionality rates of WASH systems.