Kenya, Sub-Saharan Africa  Show on interactive map

Aug 2009 to Jan 2011

Safe Water Network from USA, International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), PureFlow, Sterling Micro and HOPE Worldwide Kenya

IDRC

Charles Warria

The Safe Water Kiosk Project is a collaborative effort between five
organizations: Safe Water Network from the USA, IIRR, PureFlow, Sterling
Micro Development Consultants and HOPE Worldwide in Kenya. The project
partners work in a consortium that combines expertise in water treatment
technology, a business model, community health education and mobilization
to improve the health of communities through the provision of safe drinking
water using sustainable low-cost water purification systems.

To improve the health of communities through provision of safe drinking water, while using sustainable low cost water purification systems.

To realise optimal behavior change among the local actors and community members, within the shortest possible period. IDRC were keen to use this as a pilot for the application of OM to a community-based business approach involving many stakeholders and strategic partners.

Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation

Significant successes were realized in the OM adaptation, especially on the achievements of outcome challenges. OM helped to introduce a paradigm shift which helped communities and entrepreneurs realise that to achieve results we need to change attitudes, to look at things we are doing and what we need to change to do things right. Clean water was available and within their reach but only once attitudes were changed.

On the other hand, OM posed certain challenges around re-orientation. Initial understanding of OM was slow and it took a series of trainings to bring all the stakeholders on board with the new idea, and to build in local ownership of the approach. Initially there was slightly more focus on entrepreneurs. The initial involvement of the community was less than expected and they had to be retrospectively brought in. It may have been better to have started from a community perspective and then talked to the entrepreneurs.