Community Water Points Program (CWP)

September 1, 2003 - August 31, 2004

Please note this is a closed archived program.

It is estimated that only 20 percent of the rural population of southern Sudan has access to clean, safe water. For several years, the north-south conflict has hindered the ability of communities to access consistently water for basic human needs. With the recent culmination of a comprehensive national-level peace treaty, attention can now be turned to the local level to focus on long-standing community and regional conflicts. As south-south peace building activities increase (through Pact?s Sudan Peace Fund as well as other activities), factors such as water access are emerging as important indicators for sustainable peace. In addition to tribal, interethnic and small militia conflicts, the expected return of more than two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the south puts a strain on collective resources and increases the challenge to social stability. The digging of community boreholes is an essential factor in implementing sustainable local-level peace initiatives.

Pact's approach

Pact is working with Sudan Production Aid (Supraid), a local Sudanese NGO, to dig 20 boreholes serving an estimated 20,000 people in the Bahr el Ghazal region of southern Sudan. The goal of this project is to increase water accessibility, in an environmentally responsible way, at the community level and to strengthen the community?s ability to manage public water sources in a just and transparent manner. The project will also seek to increase Supraid?s capacity to initiate and direct water access programs in southern Sudan.

In the interest of ensuring community investment and sustainability of the project, Supraid will provide assistance to locally selected Community Management Committees that will take up the management of the newly constructed/revitalized water facilities, helping them to:

• speak effectively on behalf of their communities
• manage funds raised for the maintenance of the water points
• organize and supervise operation and maintenance of activities (e.g., operation, prevention and corrective maintenance).

By the end of this one-year activity, Supraid will have an increased capacity to work with Community Management Committees, will have adopted models for implementing environmentally sensitive programs, and will have provided more than 20,000 people with much needed access to clean water. Communities will also be strengthened through the participatory project, thereby decreasing sources of local-level conflict and improving the health and sanitation of families and children.

Interim results

• In consultation with community members and local authorities, Pact and Supraid have selected and begun drilling in borehole sites throughout Twic and Gogrial counties. To date, 15 boreholes have been completed, significantly increasing access to potable water for rural communities in Bahr el Ghazal. Pact has also assisted Supraid in the purchase of new borehole drilling equipment, greatly enhancing its capacity to provide water access to underserved communities even after the completion of the present grant.
• In order to improve the water management capacity of both Supraid and the Community Management Committees, Pact has conducted several trainings on topics such as environmentally sound design, organizational development, and community empowerment and mobilization. These activities will contribute to the effective use and maintenance of the newly renovated/constructed boreholes, and the realization of project goals.