Development Methodology

The development methodology is premised on a community participation approach (CPA). This assumes that communities that are involved in all phases of the project are more likely to meet genuine need, use appropriate technology, be affordable and more sustainable. This is consistent with the demand-responsive approach of the GOV National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy (NRWSS)

The CPA has three phases:

1.	Preparation and planning phase (Involves planning, scheduling, material development and training)
2.	Implementation phase (Commune involvement, data collection and analysis, action planning and Commune RWSS Management)
3.	Review phase (Review Project activities, evaluation and decision making - types of service, ability to pay, technology used, service levels, financial arrangements and management systems)

Great effort is made to ensure that gender and poverty related issues are addressed in all phases of the process.

Some communes and district towns have more options from which to choose than others due to the water source, quality and cost. Some have access to ground water and tube wells, others have access to surface water sources while others have to rely upon rain water and catchment schemes. District Towns may also have access to piped water distribution schemes of different type and cost.

Within each commune and township the poor households are specifically considered for assistance in terms of both water supply and sanitation provisions. As part of prolonged local community habits, fish pond toilets are still being used in some places in the project area, and even in some cases open defecation still happened. All communes include a number of schools and these in particular are being targeted for assistance to ensure they have access to healthy water supply and latrine management. Schools are of significant importance as they are able to establish and disseminate hygiene, sanitation and water use practices to most effect.

Each of the communes cooperates in a ten (10) step program to decide on the best water and sanitation scheme for its needs.

Item	Project Steps	Timeframe	Process Steps
1	Commune Selection	Completed	Selection of communes with high levels of poor households, limited access to clean water and no donor involvement in the RWS sector.
2	Site Selection	2-4 Weeks	Optimum sites are selected using Project Selection Criteria and water source and supply information results from a commune level Preliminary Engineering Survey.
3	Community Analysis	4-6 Weeks	PRA trained field team and selected community members analyse the social and water and sanitation situation; a site engineering survey is conducted.
4	Water and Management Option Selection	1-2 Weeks	Detailed RWS scheme water and management options are presented to the community enabling households to make informed choices.
5	Feasibility/Investment Report	3-4 Months	A contracted consultant prepares a feasibility/investment report which is endorsed by the community, the Province and Project for consideration.
6	Design Study	4-5 Months	A contracted consultant prepares a design report which is referred to the community, the Province and the Project for consideration.
7	Tenders and Bidding Process	2-3 Months	Tender documents are produced, bids are solicited from interested firms and a contractor(s) selected with community input.
8	RWSS Scheme Construction	4-6 Months	A qualified contractor constructs the RWSS scheme as designed and endorsed by the community, The Province and the Project.
9	RWS Ongoing Scheme Operation	15-20 Years	The community selects and endorses a management and O&M system. Ongoing training and capacity building for scheme O&M staff and water users group.
10	RWS Review	Ongoing	Yearly reviews of scheme performance and financial viability. Complete Project review at the completion of the Project.

District Town Schemes adopt a modified process but retain all the essential steps.

Further information on any aspect of this project can be gained from the Project Contacts section of this document.