Community Projects || Institute of Water and Sanitation Development

Community Projects

Millions of people from the developing world live on less than US$2 a day, and suffer from chronic hunger. For these people, the basics of water and sanitation are in short supply, and good health and hygiene practices can be less understood, and sometimes unaffordable. IWSD conducts WASH community projects with the aim of building the capacity of communities/institutions and help millions of people to access water and sanitation and create an enabling environment for better health and hygiene. Given the myriad of issues affecting livelihoods (including poverty) in both Urban and Rural areas, IWSD works closely with partners (in both Urban & Rural WASH settings) to support innovative approaches and expand existing ones so that they reach communities who are most in need.

During implementation of projects IWSD documents the processes and packages it so that in informs the WASH knowledge hub, contributes to advocacy actions and improves policy.

The most recent community project implemented by the IWSD is “Enhancing Community Health through Strengthening Local Capacities for improving the Quality of Drinking Water in Epworth” (2018-2019). For more information

Back in History Community Projects

Year	Area of Operation	Type of Project	Description of major activities and results	Client

2013 - 2015	Chiredzi, Chipinge and Nyanga	Building Disaster Resilient Communities in Zimbabwe	Implementing demand driven/zero subsidy sanitation, community based management and hygiene promotion in rural areas to achieve zero Open Defaecation villages and disaster resilient communities. Catchment management to promote improved water quality, improved water allocation and efficient technologies for water extraction and conveyance	IRC funded by USAID
2013	Chegutu, Sanyati, Binga, Hwange	Rural WASH	Implementing rural water, sanitation and hygiene project with a focus on Free Open Defaecation villages. The project used Participatory health and hygiene Education and community Health Clubs as a vehicle for behavior change	UNICEF/DFID
2011- 2012	Binga and Hwange Districts	ZIMCATS	IWSD in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe and Mvuramanzi Trust Implemented a project that sought to contribute to the reduction of morbidity, mortality and risks in cholera and other WASH related diseases amongst most vulnerable population through the rehabilitation of water points, promotion of open defecation free villages (ODF), new/pilot sanitary facilities and health and hygiene education and promotion in order to contribute to equitable and sustainable provision of water, sanitation and hygiene services in the two districts of Binga and Hwange	UNICEF
2006-2011	Chipinge, Zaka, Chegutu, Hwange, Bulilima, Mangwe Districts	ZIMWASH	IWSD and Mvuramanzi Trust implemented a five year project that aimed at addressing the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) needs in the context of cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe through health and hygiene promotion and education in rural wards of Chegutu, Chipinge, Zaka, Bulilima, Mangwe and Hwange Districts focusing on food security, gender and the OVCs.	European Union through UNICEF
2009	Chegutu, Chipinge and Zaka Districts	Cholera Focused PHHE	Addressed the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) needs in the context of cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe through health and hygiene promotion and education in rural wards of. Trained 250 health and hygiene promoters and 36 school health masters in PHHE for the promotion and strengthening of 30 health clubs which were used as a strategy to roll out PHHE within the communities.	UNICEF
2010	Harare Peri-urban areas	Biosand filter project	This project assessed the effectiveness of the technology and its acceptance in the community. Biosand filter is a device, which is simple to operate and maintain.	Child Health Foundation (USA)
2008-2009	Harare peri-urban areas	Research project on Solar Water Disinfection	Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) The project specifically aimed to assess the change in health reasonably attributed to the provision of solar disinfected drinking water at the point of use, assess the relationship between solar disinfected drinking water and selected health indicators (including morbidity due to non-bloody diarrhoea and dysentery, weight loss, mortality, growth rates, productivity, care-giver burden, and school attendance) and the demonstration of the effectiveness of SODIS at household level. 1000 HH benefited.	EAWAG (Switzerland)