Community Commitment

Our projects would not be successful without the strong commitment of the people in the communities we support. They are involved in every step of the planning, implementing, and financing of their projects. Communities are also responsible for the long-term operation and maintenance of their projects, so it is critical that they be involved in all stages of the work.

Community involvement does not mean informing the community of decisions made elsewhere. It means facilitating a participatory process by which every community member, men and women and people from all socio-economic classes, can analyze the situation and jointly plan the most appropriate solutions. Our project beneficiaries are treated with dignity and respect so that in the end, they can be empowered to solve their own water supply and health problems. This is the core of the Water 1st philosophy.

Formation of a water committee

Often, the first step in involving the community in the project is in creating a sound organizational structure in the community through the formation of an elected, representative water committee. Among other duties, this committee facilitates the health education program and determines the work schedule for construction. At the end of project construction, this committee oversees the day-to-day maintenance of the water system and collects the monthly user fees needed to pay for the operation and maintenance of the water system. Committee members receive training from our local partner organization so they are equipped to serve in this very important role.

Construction

Our projects involve simple, proven technologies where spare parts are locally available, and community members provide all the manual labor for water project construction. Construction of the water systems is not easy. Construction means carrying sand and stone for making concrete from far away river beds, digging miles of pipeline trench, or building access roads for drilling rigs. This work is done entirely by hand with simple tools and is in addition to their normal daily tasks of farming and carrying water home.

Finances

Communities also make a financial commitment to the project. They pay for all of the operation and maintenance costs of the water system. Households pay an affordable monthly water bill, just like we do here. Funds are then available to purchase materials for maintaining the water system. MORE

Some of our beneficiary communities share in construction costs, taking out loans for water points and toilets which are repaid over one- to four-year periods. These repaid loan funds are then revolved and used to fund loans for additional water and sanitation projects. See our India and Bangladesh pages for more information on our revolving loan programs.

Hygiene education

Through hygiene promotion, community members also commit to learning about ways in which they can change their behaviors to utilize their new water systems and be healthier. MORE

Operation and maintence

Finally, the communities we support make a commitment to maintaining their new water system. Local technicians or caretakers are elected by the community and trained by our local partner organization to operate and maintain the water system. MORE