Economics, Finance and Information Technology

Give a more longer term perspective of Economic trends and the Macroeconomic and Monetary Interdependence of the Global Economy. With the Background of this approach the blog will deal with the implications for Investment decisions. The author believes that China and the Asia Pacific Region are and will be the powerhouse for the global economic growth for years to come. It will also cover IT because of its momentum driver for economic growth.

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Water.org.; Delivering Water and Sanitation Solutions that are Sustainable

While drilling a well can be easy, delivering water and sanitation solutions that are sustainable in the long haul is not and involves a number of important components. Read below to learn about our program philosophy, which has been refined based on field experience gained over the past twenty years.

Local Partners

We believe people in developing countries know best how to solve their own problems. That's why we forge partnerships with carefully-screened, indigenous partner organizations that understand, and are part of, the local culture. The result: a solution tailored to the needs of each community, instead of a technological fix the community has no way of maintaining. More benefits:

Locally-based partners are better positioned to understand and navigate social, political, and economic issues impacting projects.
Locally-based partners have more savvy at leveraging local financial resources for cost-sharing in projects.
Local expertise exists to implement projects.
Working through local partners is more cost effective than maintaining expatriate staff.
Because Water.org is not tied to any single partner organization, we constantly search for and fund the organizations producing the highest quality projects.

Selecting partner organizations

Water.org's rigorous process for screening and certifying top quality partner organizations has been developed and refined over the past two decades. Primary elements include: (1) a preliminary screening; (2) field visits and evaluations of completed and in-progress projects; (3) interviews with the field staff of potential partner organizations, community leaders, and beneficiary households of water and sanitation projects; and (4) surveys including questionnaires completed by staff at the potential partner organization as well as by community members served through past and present projects. Water.org requires that the beneficiary communities are at the center of the project planning process and invested as stakeholders. Women in the community must play a significant role in the projects. Lastly, all projects undertaken with the community must be structured to complement existing programs and integrated into and coordinated with all political and social structures.

Community Ownership

Community ownership is at the heart of Water.org’s philosophy. Regardless of whether the project is funded entirely by a grant or involves WaterCredit (small loans for water and sanitation), community ownership is at the center. For a project to be truly successful, communities must be viewed and must view themselves as the owners of the project.

Communities with a water or sanitation need contact our in-country partner organization. Our partner organization evaluates the communities and makes recommendations on water and sanitation projects.

One of the first project activities is for the community to elect a local water committee. Because women disproportionately bear the burden of collecting water, it’s essential that the committee include female members. The water committees play a critical role in the project’s success.