The project will work with the government of Ethiopia to increase water access by developing and/or rehabilitating 860 water points across project areas and stimulating the private sector to increase the supply of quality, affordable WASH products. Improved WASH products are to be available in communities, with an emphasis on improved sanitation services including latrine slabs.
Specific components of IR4 include:
The overall project WASH strategy was updated in this reporting period, and a more robust staffing structure put in place to improve performance of both hardware and marketing components of the project.
Growth through Nutrition completed construction and rehabilitation of 107 water schemes of which 89 (61 new and 28 rehabilitated) were commissioned to the community, ensuring access to clean water for 34,194 community members. To support effective management of the developed water points, Growth through Nutrition in collaboration with woreda water and health offices, organized and trained 159 WASH Committees (WASHCOs).
A total of 511 WASH business partners (sales agents, masons, and business owners) were trained on sales skills, concrete slab casting, basic business skill and point of use water treatment utilization and waste disposal. The business partners sold 1138 slabs providing access to improved sanitation to 5,613 individuals. The sale was low because of the significant delay to finalize the development and production of WASH marketing strategy and materials, and lack of availability of new sanitation products in the supply chain. A new plastic product, SatoPan, was introduced to the supply chain in March. Other new products were not introduced as planned as the USAID Transform WASH project was delayed in importation.
Growth through Nutrition finalized 54 feasibility studies to decide the source and scope of the construction work to be carried out for specific water schemes. 53 new water schemes were constructed and commissioned, benefitting from the newly constructed and commissioned water schemes. A total of 23 shallow wells, springs, and were also rehabilitated, rendering safe water supply services for a total of 44,890 people.
The project also provided capacity building training sessions on topics such as business management skills; point-of-use water treatment products and sales skills for point-of-use water treatment products; reaching a total of 382 relevant stakeholders with three WASH products introduced to the market through business partners. In total, 28,042 individuals gained access to basic sanitation through purchase of 5,992 basic sanitation and water treatment products.
Optimal Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) behaviors are among the immediate results prioritized under Growth through Nutrition activity’s work in Ethiopia, as they play an integral part in promoting health and nutrition as well as addressing the socio-economic development and dignity of the project’s beneficiaries.
The paper below is a summary of key research findings, lessons learned and program/policy recommendations from operation research studies conducted under the Growth through Nutrition and its predecessor ENGINE project. It also highlights some of the ways the project learning, research dissemination and capacity building activities have had a positive outcome of turning “research into action” and summarizes the way forward.
On the 11th of March, 2020 - Save the Children U.S finalized an internal mid-term evaluation of the project activity's overall performance using a quantitative research study and program review.
Handout on the progress of activities under IR4 between October 2016- March 2019(Improved Access to WASH Products and Services)
A study of key drivers and barriers to the use of WASH products and services in rural Ethiopia
The assessment aims to find driving factors and barriers to the use of three core sanitation WASH products: latrines, handwashing stations, and point-of-use (POU) water treatment technology
