"One" WASH program improves well-being of vulnerable communities in Ethiopia
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 1, 2020/ -- Ethiopia's 'One' model, under which the government runs its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) National Program, has steadily improved the well-being of the country's rural and urban communities, top local officials say.
"The ‘One’ here means we have one account, one
budget and one report in one consolidated WASH Account,” says Tadesse
Masresha, Coordinator for the Regional WASH Coordination Office in
Oromia Region.
The scheme combines the
construction of infrastructure to extend access to water and sanitation
to new areas and the revamping of disused equipment such as pumping
stations and pipelines. The program also provides technical training to
maintenance personnel and users to ensure the sustainability of the
infrastructure.
Ethiopia has 12 river basins
with an annual runoff volume of 122 billion m3 of water and an estimated
2.6 - 6.5 billion m3 of groundwater potential. This translates to an
average of 1,575 m3 of available water per person per year, a relatively
large volume. But due to erratic rainfall and lack of storage, water is
often unavailable where and when it is most needed. Only about 3% of
its vast water resources are used, of which only about 11% (0.3% of the
total) is used for domestic water supply.
"The
‘One’ element has helped to improve implementation by eliminating
duplication of roles among partners. It fosters transparency and
facilitates active participation of beneficiary communities more
seamlessly,” says Beshah Mogesse, head of Ethiopia’s Water Development
Commission and chair of the National WASH Technical Committee.
The
country launched the 5-year first phase of the One WASH National
Program in 2014, and it had benefitted around 4.3 million people by the
time it ended in 2019. The project has become a key tool in the
country’s efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
"The
One WASH National Program did not plan for the COVID-19 pandemic, but
it has prepared us to fight the pandemic better than we would have been
without the program, especially in the unserved rural communities,” says
Mogesse, noting that the high patronage recorded means that many more
Ethiopians are now able to observe the preventive measures of
handwashing and general hygiene.
The
Ethiopian government is working with the African Development Bank, the
World Bank, the British Department for International Development (DFID),
Finland, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, to deliver
greater access to the water-stressed East African country.
Osward
Chanda, the African Development Bank’s Manager of the Water Security
and Sanitation Division, says this financing model, more suitable for
national systems and institutions, is being increasingly adopted across
the continent. "Many development partners have come to realize that
working and planning together is more efficient, improves harmonization
and delivers better results for beneficiaries,” he said.
The program operates under a Consolidated WASH Account – a financing pool from the Ethiopian government and its partners. It
combines the efforts of key government ministries involved in the
program (Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Ministry of Health,
Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Finance & Economic
Development) with the WASH contributions of development partners into
one coordinated program.
The African Development Bank contributed $178 million to the first phase of One WASH, out of the total $463 million budget. The Bank-hosted Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative Trust Fund also provided up to $7 million in grants toward the One WASH projects. The program gives priority to rural communities that regularly experience droughts, malnutrition, and waterborne diseases.
The African Development Bank contributed $178 million to the first phase of One WASH, out of the total $463 million budget. The Bank-hosted Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative Trust Fund also provided up to $7 million in grants toward the One WASH projects. The program gives priority to rural communities that regularly experience droughts, malnutrition, and waterborne diseases.
The Bank’s Ethiopia country office also noted that the ‘One’ model enhances transparency in the program’s management.
"The
focus on good governance lays a solid foundation for promoting
infrastructure development, with a strong emphasis on energy, transport,
and water and sanitation, which are now key accelerators of Ethiopia’s
economic transformation,” said Country
Office Manager Abdul Kamara.
This
article is part of a series on Ethiopia's One WASH National Program. To
learn more about how the Bank’s interventions are keeping rural
communities safe during the COVID-19 outbreak, click here
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
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"One" WASH program improves well-being of vulnerable communities in Ethiopia
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 1, 2020/ -- Ethiopia's 'One' model, under which the government runs its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) National Program, has steadily improved the well-being of the country's rural and urban commun