Improving Sustainability of the WASH Sector in Upper Egypt

This project in Upper Egypt has significantly improved water and sanitation services for 2.5 million people by empowering communities, upgrading infrastructure, and streamlining complaint response systems.

Read more in this article: Improving water sustainability in Upper Egypt: The ISWS project

Objective

The project interventions will focus on 4 0utcomes:
1. Citizen accountability at governorate-level produces more locally responsive and needs-based WASH services.
2. Citizens can express WASH-related complaints and needs, and have these responded to, through a regulated and coherent system.
3. WASH services and capacities are rendered more sustainable through increasing stakeholder coordination and robust local-level planning.
4. Cross-stakeholder and peer-to-peer learning increases the promotion and uptake of good practices,allowing new and improved practices to be further rolled out in other Governorates.

Key results

• Community Score Card methodology and sessions implemented and held in 16 districts of the 4 partner governorates, by project experts and local facilitators independently
• 137-162 participants in Community Score Card sessions per governorate (women participation between 33-47%) – satisfaction rate of sessions between 87-91%.
• Up to 46% women engagement (project objective at 40%) throughout activities of citizen engagement and grievance redress mechanism activities in Components 1 and 2.
• 30 participants of governorates and utility companies trained in the CSC methodology and its implementation, capable to independently and regularly implement CSC processes for the WASH sector in their governorates and nationally.
• Interactive re-design process with governorate and utility company working groups of up to 20 people in each partner governorate, for the identification of As-Is and To-Be workflows for grievance redress in the WASH sector, and process of integration of improved workflows with national system for improved efficiency and mechansim.
• 2 power factor correction panels purchased for governorate to improve their plants’ power usage and reduce amount of fines, and peer-to-peer training implemented by staff of one utility company for 3 other partner governorate utility companies for the installation of the panels.
• Long-term multi-session ISO 50001 Energy Management Training provided to 1 partner governorate with 1 shadow governorate, for 2 plants’ ISO 50001 certification through the project.

To achieve the objective and outcomes of the project based on identified gaps and lessons learnt by stakeholders, the project trains, coaches, and mentors stakeholder representatives, including staff of the four Governorate Administrations and the local Water and Sanitation Companies, to:

1. Design and implement a citizens’ engagement and communication model to enhance transparency and accountability, wherein:

• Community Score Card (CSC) methodology is introduced and validated with the 4 governorates and implemented by the project experts in 8 districts through: definition of indicators, survey, SWOT analysis, participant analysis of indicators, action plan definition, steering committee selection.
• CSC action plans in 8 districts are followed up on and monitored with the local steering committees and the project for their implementation and eventual re-scoring of indicators.
• Implementation of training of facilitators and training of trainers, and 4 mentoring sessions for local governorate and utility staff on CSC methodology and facilitation skills (soft skills, communication, facilitation, conflict management, CSC process and methodology, and TOT)
• Community Score Card (CSC) methodology is implemented by local facilitators, mentored and backstopped by project experts in 8 additional districts through the same steps, and followed up by the local facilitators.
• Public awareness toolkit is produced with and for the Governorates and utility companies with 4 tools:
  (1) Standard Service Providers’ Guidelines for Citizens Particiaption – to institutionalize communication and cooperation between CSOs and local communities, and service providers and local government,
  (2) Citizen’s Guide for WASH Projects and Services – to systematize regular disclosure of information to users and citizens regarding their rights and obligations for ensuring sustainability of WASH services
  (3) Household Maintenance Manual – updated and disseminated to help citizens fix simple plumbing issues at home to save water losses,
  (4) Guideline for interactive events to promote awareness to adults and children on use of sanitary facilities in communities with newly established sanitation access.
• Training to women citizens on fixing plumbing issues at home and provision of small toolkit.

2. Analyse the current local complaint system and design and implement a responsive complaint system combined with a customer satisfaction tool specifically for WASH, wherein:

• Desk review and workshops with set working groups of governorates and utilities on current complaints mechanism workflows to define gaps and key complaints in the WASH sector
• Definition of optimal and revised workflows, validated by the governorates and national entities
• Integration of revised workflow at governorate level together with national level for optimized use of data for efficient grievance redress
• Handbook produced allowing Governorate administrations to run and monitor the re-designed complaints system
• Governorate staff with a role in the complaints’ chain have been trained in the functioning of the revised complaints’ mechanism and handbook
• Trainings to governorate and utility staff on: process re-engineering; communication and time management skills; change management and results-based management; evidence-based planning; chain collaboration.
• Training to assistance secretary generals on change management and results based management
• Design and implementation of Customer Satisfaction Monitoring Module training to 100 staff
• Training to front-office and call center staff on Customer Satisfaction “Service with a smile”.

3. Provide technical assistance to the Water and Sanitation Companies in the four target Governorates for sustainable investment and O&M planning and monitoring, wherein:

•  Working together with the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities on analyzing the new Water and Sanitation Strategy for the impact on utilities at regional level and engaging and implementing stakeholder meetings and roundtables for developemnt of issues papers on relevant subjects for implementation/clarification of strategy
• Developing a plan with Dutch Water Partners and Utility companies regionally for priority topics to engage in peer-to-peer learning and technical assistance, including specific points of approach for each topic (NRW, Asset management, GIS, Energy)
• Energy audit analysis of 4 regional utility companies and recommendations for future energy use
• Develop proposals for energy saving options at utility companies and supporting technical assistance
• Technical assistance in training 2 regional utility companies in ISO 50001 Energy Management certification
• Basic training for all 4 utility companies on ISO 50001 Energy Management certification
• Supporting obtaining of ISO 50001 certification at 2 plants.