Project Proposal Name of the Organization: South Asia Partnership-Bangladesh Project Title: Community Managed WASH in South-western Bangladesh Project Period: January, 2015 to April, 2016 (1 years 4 months) Executive Summary: Bangladesh faces multiple challenges in the sanitation, hygiene and water sectors. Unfortunately the achievements of the sector are far behind than the actual need to meet the Project target within the stipulated time frame. Environment has coherent impact on health and livelihood change. Environment has also obvious affect on water, sanitation and hygiene. As such health, environment and sanitation are interlinked with each other. The ultimate adverse affect causes increased health hazards and poverty in coastal areas particularly in poor and vulnerable communities. South Asia Partnership-Bangladesh is implementing different projects where WASH activities are in-built such as Social and Economic Transformation of the Ultra-Poor (SETU) Project in partnership with CARE-Bangladesh, Enhancing Resources and Increasing Capability of Poor Household Towards Elimination of their poverty (ENRICH) Project funded by PKSF, Community Led Health Project (CLHP) funded by Hope International Development Agency (HIDA), Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Rights Project (ASRHRP) in partnership with Plan-Bangladesh, and implemented Remote Island Development Project (RIDP) in partnership with ActionAid Bangladesh, Participatory Actions towards Resilient School & Education System (PARSES-I&2) Project in partnership with ActionAid Bangladesh, Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (EAG) project funded by Leger Foundation, Jibon O Jibika Program (WatSan component) in partnership with NGO Forum, SHOUHARDO program in partnership with CARE-Bangladesh, and AILA affected schools restoration project in partnership with ActionAid Bangladesh. The main working approach of the organization is Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). The goal of this project is to “contribute to the improvement of human well-being and dignity through scalable water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion in Ranggabali Upazila of Patuakhali District of south-western Bangladesh”. The goal will contribute to the national goal for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and WASH-related PROJECTs. The 1 years 4 months project (January 2015 to April 2016) will mainly focus to the Vulnerable, marginalized, poorest of the poor community people especially the women and children at home and school and ethnic minority. In the CLTS approach, CBOs, Community Development Forum (CDF), village leaders, Teachers and Local Government Institution (LGI) will play the key role for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation to sustain the achievements of the project. The key implementation strategies of the project are sustaining peoples’ participation, demand responsiveness, integrated service package, Stakeholder Empowerment, Advocacy and Networking, Phasing out and program sustainability. Page 1 of 11 The project will have important focus to advocate the water declining issue of the targeted area in the policy level. Formal linking with Department of Public Health & Engineering (DPHE) will be initiated. This project will especially focus the ethnic community, disabled people, women and children. It will follow the participatory monitoring system with the participation of Community Based Organization (CBO), CDF, LGI, Community Clinic and local authority etc. Important deliverables: Access and practice of WASH in the targeted area will continue smoothly among the poorest, marginalized, vulnerable communities and school based children. Adequately capacitated - project staffs, CBOs, LGIs and Catalysts will be engaged and facilitate sustainable improvement in WASH activities through participatory empowering process. Community Development Forum (CDF) will be capacitated adequately for lobbying, networking and establishing WASH rights in different tires (Ward, Union and Upazilla) for poorest and vulnerable communities in selected coastal areas. CBOs, LGIs and other actors will be oriented on WASH related policy documents and will be responsive to the issues in delivering services to the poorest and vulnerable communities in the coastal area. Proper advocacy on safe drinking water, declined water table and salinity in the water of coastal area issues among policy personnel for considering it as national important issue. Another important aspect would be to reduce the water borne diseases and children at the school and community should also learn and acquainted with the health hazard diseases. 1. Background Context: The comprehensive WASH project has been planned to implement in 5 Unions of Ranggabali Upazila under Patuakhali District. Ranggabali Upazila has 12 Unions of which we have targeted 5 Unions with population of 99,582 and household of 24,896. According to the base line survey of our Community Led Health (CLH) project, average literacy rate in Ranggabali Upazila is around 48% which is less than national literacy rate; only 18% households are using slab latrine; Almost 82% population is habituated to defecate in open place; 72% household members are practicing unhygienic way of hand washing; 84% households don’t clean latrine regularly; 95% families use pond and channel water for cleaning utensils; 95% of the HHs haven’t own tubewell; and Most of the HHs collect water from long distance. There are 25 High Schools and 80 Primary Schools in the targeted Unions of Ranggabali Upazila where poor sanitation facilities exist. The targeted Upazila is situated in the remotest coastal area of south-western Bangladesh. The Upazila is now facing problem regarding salinity in the water. Deep tubewell is the only source of drinking water. Installation of deep tubewell is highly expensive. The area has also some large ponds. In some area, the pond water is used for cleaning utensils. Commonly the women and children are involved to collect their drinking water from distanced places. The literacy rate is not up to the mark of that locality and they are not also that much sound to address the hygienic issue and practice properly. Most of the schools haven’t suitable toilets for girls and boys. The students of the schools Page 2 of 11 are not used to follow the hygienic behavior practice. Sanitation of public and market places is not at all in place. Regarding sanitation coverage as per Department of Public Health & Engineering (DPHE) of Ranggabali Upazila, percentage of population is using improved sanitation facilities is only 18%, shared 35.5% and unimproved 25.5%. In the proposed working area, proportion of population using improved sanitation facilities is below the national average. Rationales: The sanitation coverage as per Department of Public Health & Engineering (DPHE) and base line information of our Community Led Health Project in Ranggabali Upazila of Patuakhali district is 30.68% which alarming considering the national average. For that reason, addressing the issue of sanitation coverage of that area should be foremost underpinning to meet for better life. The fact is the development activities by the NGOs has been started late in the Upazila. The people and community have been deprived in getting benefit in all respect compare to other areas in Bangladesh. Financial flows are insufficient to meet the PROJECT targets, especially in coastal sanitation which indicates that financial flows are less than 55% of needs. Due to this reason, Bangladesh is one of the off track countries to address the PROJECT. However, the SAP-Bangladesh’s ongoing interventions of different projects demands to have work for specific WASH project in a sustainable manner. The project activities can be implemented along with the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach in the proposed working area. Since long, water crisis is the pressing need to address immediately for the coastal area. Due to salinity in the surface water and deep level of pure drinking water, it is very difficult for the much people especially for the poor and vulnerable people to have easy access to the pure drinking water because installation of deep tubewell is highly expensive. In consequence of the situation, a significant portion of population of the locality is suffering from various water borne diseases and losing their productivity, time and money. Children are the most victim of that crisis. Their school attendance day is reduced, intellectual development is hampered and overall health impact is final result of that. The water crisis issue could be one of the important national level advocacy issues. Considering the deep level of pure drinking water, there might have enough scope to install deep tubewells and pond sand filters with pond renovation to ensure easy access to safe drinking water for the poor and vulnerable households. At the same time, a formal linkage can be developed with the Department of Public Health & Engineering (DPHE) to work on the issue of easy availability of pure drinking water. The Local Government Institutions (LGIs) and other formal/informal institutions would be capacitated properly to sustain the achievement attained during project implementation. The schools of the proposed working area are also left behind to address the sanitation issue. The toilet facilities for children especially separate toilets for girls are almost absent. Due to improper menstrual hygiene they are to absent from attending schools during that specific period of menstruation. Therefore, separate toilets can be constructed for the girls Page 3 of 11 and deep tubewells can be installed for easy access to the pure drinking water and for using in the toilets. Description of partners and stakeholders: Since inception in 1984, SAP-Bangladesh has been implementing different projects where WASH related interventions are inbuilt. Working at grass root level with community on WASH related interventions SAP-Bangladesh has learned that community awareness and active participation could prevent most of the water and excreta borne diseases. SAPBangladesh is implementing WASH related interventions in different projects with the support from different international donors and other partners. SAP-Bangladesh always encouraged the ownership and innovation of the community people in program process and thereby implementing the project interventions in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. South Asia Partnership-Bangladesh is implementing different projects where WASH activities are in-built such as Social and Economic Transformation of the Ultra-Poor (SETU) Project in partnership with CARE-Bangladesh, Enhancing Resources and Increasing Capability of Poor Household Towards Elimination of their poverty (ENRICH) Project funded by PKSF, Community Led Health Project (CLHP) funded by Hope International Development Agency (HIDA), Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Rights Project (ASRHRP) in partnership with Plan-Bangladesh, and implemented Remote Island Development Project (RIDP) in partnership with ActionAid Bangladesh, Participatory Actions towards Resilient School & Education System (PARSES-I&2) Project in partnership with ActionAid Bangladesh, Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (EAG) project funded by Leger Foundation, Jibon O Jibika Program (WatSan component) in partnership with NGO Forum, SHOUHARDO program in partnership with CARE-Bangladesh, and AILA affected schools restoration project in partnership with ActionAid Bangladesh. The main working approach of the organization is Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). Different activities like - hygiene promotion, household level hygienic latrines installation, CBO/LGI and staff capacity building training, renovation, advocacy, etc are important task of our approach. The task involved actors at different tires which include SAP-Bangladesh program staff, LGI representatives, School Management Committee (SMC), Project Implementation Committee (PIC) etc. Page 4 of 11 Proposed geographical location: Division Barisal District Upazila Patuakhali Total:1 1 Ranggabali 1 Name of Unions Population in the Targeted Unions Potential Beneficiary Targeted Beneficiary Char Montaz 26,920 18,844 13,460 Chalitabunia 33,650 23,555 16,825 38,747 27,123 19,374 23,930 16,751 11,965 24,545 147792 17,182 103455 12,272 73896 Chot Baisdia Boro Baisdia Ranggabali 5 roject duration: January 2015 to April 2016 (1 year 4 months) Target groups: Primary beneficiaries: Vulnerable, marginalized, poorest of the poor community people especially the women and children, persons with disability and ethnic minority. Secondary beneficiaries: LGI, School Teachers, CDF, SMC, other NGOs, relevant departments of Upazila which have a mandate and provision for WASH facilities for unserved and underserved community people. 2. Objectives Purpose Sustainable improvement of WASH and reduction of related risks of the coastal poor communities with special attention to the poorest, marginalized and vulnerable population Water Improve rights related understanding and access to safe water to coastal poor communities with special attention to the poorest, marginalized and vulnerable Policy level advocacy on salinity of water, use of deep tubewell and surface water and crisis issue Sanitation Increase access to the improved hygienic latrine with special attention to the ethnic, disabled and poorest of the poor Hygiene Increase hygiene behavior practice at personal, household, public place and institution level of project area Introduce lessons learnt from the implementation of the project activities considering the sustainability issue and introducing best practice knowledge Page 5 of 11 3. Indicators: Objective Indicators Improve rights related understanding and access to safe water to coastal poor communities with special attention to the poorest, marginalized and vulnerable population Policy level advocacy on salinity of water, use of deep tubewell and surface water and crisis issue Increase access to the improved hygienic latrine with special attention to the ethnic, disabled and poorest of the poor Increase hygiene behavior practice at personal, household, public place and institution level of project area Introduce lessons learnt from the implementation of the project activities considering the sustainability issue and introducing best practice knowledge 4. Project Design All informal and formal committees and relevant service providers considerate to work in favor of community people to respond their rights The project installed sufficient water options such as deep tubewell and pond sand filters. The issue of using deep tubewell and surface water created attention to consider as national policy matter Improved hygienic latrine installed in almost all household (individual and sharing) Hygiene behavior practice in personal, household, public places and institutional level has been increased significantly Lessons learnt have been befitted into project intervention Best practice learning associated into working field as it fit Approach The approach will follow a comprehensive WASH intervention accompanying with important learning that are extracted from implementation of the project activities at the early stage. The intervention will mostly coincide with the approach of Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), where CBOs, CDF and LGIs will play the key role for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation to sustain the achievements of the project. Main thrust of the project is to enhance the capabilities of the stakeholders so that the previous experience and achievements brings in more WATSAN and Hygiene benefits to the poor, hard-core poor, marginalized and vulnerable people in a sustainable manner. For the proposed working areas following strategy will be considered but intervention area will follow up the achievements of the project to sustain its effect. The key implementation strategies are as follows: Sustaining Peoples participation: Involve all stakeholders to identify further the strength and potentiality of people’s participation in sustaining the outcomes of the CLTS program implementation. Demand responsiveness: The approach emphasizes that communities themselves determine the water supply and sanitation infrastructure options that are needed as well as determine the optimum achievable hygiene education standard. Page 6 of 11 Integrated service package: The approach emphasizes that safe water supply, environmental sanitation and hygiene promotion needs would be addressed simultaneously in order for communities to realise the maximum sustainable health benefits of each component. Learning from implementation of the project activities at the early stage and best practice ideas will be fitted with CLTS intervention. Stakeholder Empowerment: The approach ensures significant capacity building of community (CBO, CDF), LGI and others for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation (PIME) project process. This process experience and resultant capacity would be utilized for analysis and participation in other initiatives for sustainable livelihood development. Advocacy and Networking: CDF and community will act as facilitator parallel with the different working committee to ensure WASH service and rights to the community as well as act to functioning of LGIs. Phasing out and program sustainability: Capacity and skills in CBOs, CDF, SMC, Children and committees at different levels during the project period will be strengthen and responsive, so that the interventions/community actions remain uninterrupted even when SAP-Bangladesh withdraws from the area. The capacity building initiatives will be interwoven in project interventions in such a manner that will help both implementation and effective monitoring of the entire process and enable easy handover of the program responsibilities to the local bodies. Project phasing In the proposed project area Ranggabali (5 Unions) the staffing pattern will be: one Project Manager, one Union Supervisor per Union, Three Union Facilitators per Union, one Community Development Officer, one Monitoring & Documentation Officer, one Project Engineer, one Finance Officer, one Office Assistant and one Night Guard. Support from Head Office level: Executive Director (10%), Program Director (15%), Program Manager (25%), Manager-M&E (15%), Finance Manager (15%), Manager-HR & Admin (15%) and Assistant Coordinator – Internal Audit (15%) Major activities that will be carried out in the proposed working area are – Base line and inventory for new area: A base line survey and inventory for Hard Ware will be carried out in proposed project area (Ranggabali-6 Unions). Community Situation Analysis (CSA) and preparation of new action plan: CSA will be conducted and accordingly action plan will be develop in CBO. Community Based Organization (CBO) and CDF formation: CBO and CDF will be formed in the project area. Community Capacity Enhancement: Capacity building through training of CBO, CDF leaders, Community catalyst, Community Technicians and WASH committee members at different levels. Page 7 of 11 Hardware Installation/renovation: Water options will be installed, renovation, repaired within the project period. Priority will be given to the access to safe water within shortest possible distance. Operation and maintenance of the existing latrines need pit emptying. Participatory Hygiene Promotion: Participatory hygiene promotion activities shall be carried out by the trained catalyst, adolescents, school teacher, religious leader and other interested actors in cooperation with CBOs, CDF and LGIs. Special attention will be given to promote the status with the schools, institutions and public places. Community innovated ideas and techniques will follow in Hygiene Promotion (HP) activities. The ethnic community and disabled people with especial attention to the women and children will be important consideration of this process. Advocacy and Networking: Regular events like-meetings, workshops, day observance, seminars with the active participants of relevant stakeholders will be organized so that voice from the grass root level through CBOs, CDF move to higher levels to take decisions and actions. The declined water table due to salinity in the water, issue will advocate with the policy makers. Linkages will be done with the relevant organization for hardware installation. Key deliverables Access and practice of WASH continued smoothly in the selected rural areas among the poorest, marginalized and vulnerable communities. Adequately capacitated project staffs, CBOs, LGIs and Catalysts engaged and facilitate sustainable improvement in WASH activities through participatory empowering process. CDF capacitated adequately for lobbying, networking and established WASH rights in different tires (Ward, Union and Upazila) for poorest and vulnerable communities in selected rural areas. CBOs, LGIs and other actors are oriented on WASH related policy documents and are responsive to the issues in delivering services to the poorest and vulnerable communities in rural areas. Child rights in WASH issue in the project area. Properly advocated on declined water table due to salinity in the water issue among policy personnel for considering it as national important issue. Linkages developed with Public Health Department. School hygiene is properly practiced in all schools of the project area. Entrepreneurship developed with the soft loan support from micro-credit organization. CDF performed leading role to follow up WASH activities in the intervened WASH working area. 5. Cooperation With Other Stakeholders Local Government Institute (LGI) will be one of the important key actors and integral part of this process to forward the WASH activities and sustaining its effect. DPHE will also be important part of the process to advocate the specific technology design considering the geophysical context. However, linkages will be built up with other relevant organizations who are working for ensuring water and sanitation related needs, Upazila level government departments, informal and formal organization who are associated with this process. The water crisis issue will be one of the national advocacy issues and lobby with Page 8 of 11 policy makers, relevant stakeholders, and networks. Coordination will be made with the School Management Committee (SMC) to ensure the school hygiene issue in schools. Linkages will also be done with different financing institutions (micro-credit) to encourage development of entrepreneurship and making available of sanitary materials. 6. Resources Human resources: For proposed project area of Ranggabali total human resource is 31 such as 1 Project Manager, 6 Union Supervisors, 1 Finance Officer, 1 Project Engineer, 1 Monitoring & Documentation Officer, 1 Community Development Officer, 18 Union facilitators, 1 Office Assistant and 1 Night Guard. Financial resources (taka): budget summary: Sl. No. 1 2 Direct Program Cost: Jan 15-dec 15 Jan16 to April 16 Grand total Remarks 349,000 559,900 43,500 349,000 603,400 720,800 5,470,000 37,800 3,560,000 758,600 9,030,000 13,681,000 850,000 14,531,000 944,600 26,100 970,700 6 Inception Activities: Staff Capacity Building: Community Mobilization for WASH behavior change (increased sanitation, hand washing, and availability of safe water at HH level) Water supply: Addressing sanitation and hand washing Raise awareness and build capacity of communities, Local partners 7 Strenghten the local governments 249,700 100,500 350,200 8 School WASH Program 315,000 225,000 540,000 144,000 - 18,000 - 162,000 22,434,000 4,860,900 27,294,900 9,627,200 2,085,600 11,712,800 648,000 162,000 810,000 3 4 5 12 Provide assistance to Union to display vital WASH information Sub Total Total Direct Program Cost Wall paintings/billboard set up at community strategic locations Community Development Officer - 1 13 Total Staff Salary 14 Adminstrative Cost 15 Overhead 7% on Actual Cost 9 10 11 Grand Total 1,632,000 1,632,000 768,400 182,100 950,500 2,289,063 37,398,663 510,342 7,800,942 2,799,405 45,199,605 Page 9 of 11 7. Risk Assessment and Management Salinity of water in the coastal area – Advocacy to policy level, donor and government level to install deep tubewells to ensure pure drinking water. Lack of inter-linkage with WASH activities and other interventions (Livelihood) is a risk for institutionalizing the informal organizations (CBO) and sustaining the project activity – Linking other interventions with WASH activities. Drinking water unavailability of round the year – Piloting of other technology such as Pond Sand Filter (PSF). 8. Monitoring and Evaluation The project approach will promote and install participatory monitoring mechanism at all levels of the program process starting from community level institutions up to SAPBangladesh Head Office. This monitoring will keep the implementation process on track and filtration of learning gained through implementation of program will be incorporated in strengthening the program. Baseline study will be conducted at the outset of interventions in the program area. Monthly meeting and reporting thereon at the community institution level to review progress in the context of planned activities. The information collected by SAP-Bangladesh field staff from community institutions/groups will be consolidated, analyzed at the area office for review of activities performed by area staff and impact thereon for onward passing to SAP-Bangladesh Head Office. Compiled information of activities will be shared in Bi-Monthly coordination meeting at SAP-Bangladesh Head Office. Community level program impacts will be shared with the community level stakeholders, in institutions in the light of planned activities through program monitoring/review by using the existing monitoring chart and registers, posters or any other innovative tools etc, validate, share and update by the Hygiene Promotion (HP) catalyst /front line staff. SAP-Bangladesh Head office team will pay an extensive field visit for smooth implementation of the project. Feedback sessions will be arranged at field office level along with the respective field team after each visit. Visit report findings will be shared with management and accordingly provide the necessary support to the field team. The frequency and data flow will be as follows: Monthly area based progress and review meeting. Quarterly HQ based progress and review meeting. Half yearly program review meeting will be held in field level as well as HQ level. Field team and HQ team will prepare action plan and submit to the respective supervisor as per project need. Monitoring Groups, Community Catalysts and Field Facilitators will collect Field Level Data on a daily basis and transfer to the Monitoring & Documentation Officer. Monitoring & Documentation Officer then input the data into computer, validate and generate MIS report and submit to the Project Manager for action. SAP-Bangladesh HQ team will review the report on quarterly basis and submit to WAB as per prescribed time schedule. Submitted by:________________ Syed Nurul Alam Executive Director SAP-Bangladesh Page 10 of 11 Page 11 of 11