Download Intersectoral Collaboration for Delivery of Community Water Supply

The Role of Civil Society
in the Sector in Improving
Sustainable Service
Delivery
PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE, WATER AND SANITATION,
PARLIAMENT, CAPETOWN, 24 MAY 2006
Presented by Victor Thoka
Director of Rural Development Services Network, and
Member of Masibambane National CSOs Steering
Committee
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OUTLINE
Analysis of the role of CSOs in provision
of social services, in terms of:
Key principles guiding CSOs involvement
Key areas of involvement
Key challenges faced by CSOs involvement
Initiatives to deal with these challenges
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Principles guiding CSOs involvement
• Combine Service delivery with developing
people – thereby building social capital
• Community driven, community – owned,
participatory and empowering approaches
• Deepen democracy and people ownership of
development
• Mainstreaming cross – cutting issues
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Principles guiding CSOs involvement
(cont.)
• Treat citizens as key role –players
(stakeholders and beneficiaries) and not
only as consumers
• Put emphasis on the process as on the
product
• Sustainability is the cornerstone of CSOs
participation
• Understanding the terrain much better
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Principles guiding CSOs involvement
(cont.)
• Being the conscience and voice of the poor
and the marginalized
• Social development is a social construct as
opposed to a technical process – thus,
dealing with subjects not objects
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Key areas of involvement
• PLANNING:
 Research; capacity building; information
desemination; policy advocacy; lobbying;
campaigning; monitoring and evaluation
Examples: Development of IDPs, WSDPs and
project development BPs; Training of ward
committees and community development workers
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Key areas of involvement (cont.)
• How does this improve Sustainability in
planning?
Build trust of the process by communities as
CSOs are seen as impartial facilitators.
Knowledge and experience in community
based approaches
Better product through better process
 Hold government accountable to electorate
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Key areas of involvement (cont.)
• PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
Appropriate technologies for remote rural
communities – less onerous O & M
requirements
Buying – in by communities
Linkage to local economic benefit
Happy communities, less vandalism
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Key areas of involvement (cont.)
• Sustainability in project management:
Experience in providing cost effective
services in remote areas
Maximum “cents in the rand” stay in the
community
Maximum participation, “ownership &
responsibility
Better product through better processes
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Key areas of involvement (cont.)
• INSTITUTIONAL AND SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT (ISD)
Understanding the political economy of
communities involved (empathy & trust)
Effective participatory techniques
Experience in community based approaches
Going the extra – mile (volunteerism)
Understanding behaviour change (H &HE)
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Key areas of involvement (cont.)
• Benefit to Sustainability in ISD
Institutional development grounded within
the local context
Integrated and holistic approaches in
training and education lead to all rounded
development practitioners
Informed communities and beneficiaries
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Key areas of involvement (cont.)
• OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
 Strong and effective communications with
communities through education and campaigns
 Effective stakeholder and beneficiary management
 Appropriate technologies to manage free basic
water allocation
 Effective and affordable solutions to sewage
system failures
 Effective cost recovery and cheaper WSP
arrangements
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Key areas of involvement (cont.)
• Benefit of O & M to Sustainability:
 Ensuring Community involvement in O &M
 Sound stakeholder and beneficiaries relations
through local knowledge and good communication
 Appropriate technical solutions
 Facilitation of affordable service levels
 Satisfied communities through better process
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Key challenges affecting CSOs involvement
• Lack of political will, especially at the local level
• Absence of policies and strategies to guide municipalities
at local level
• CSOs engagement often driven by cosmetic window –
dressing rather genuine intentions
• Lack of clarity on the role of CSOs
• Adversarial relations among traditional
authorites,government and CSOs
• Need for paradigm shift by both CSOs and Government
• Treating CSOs as an added – on, rather than a partner in
development
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Challenges affecting CSOs
involvement in service delivery
continues…
• Little budgets allocated to building the capacity of
CSOs despite the call for more budgets;
• Procurement policies not accommodative of CSOs
• BEE & BBEE policies have not benefited CSOs
sofar
• The Challenge of CSOs speaking with one voice.
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Innitiatives to address these challenges
• The development of a strategic framework by SALGA in colloboration
with CSOs and other partners
• Development of a five year activity plans by the nine provinces to be
mainstreamed into DWAF ‘s Water and Sanitation Five Year Plan
• Business Plans for the nine provinces completed
• National data-base for CSOs completed and the provincial ones in
progress
• Development of National Communication Strategy in progress
• Skills training and accreditation for CSOs started in certain provinces
• CSOs Summit next month to address some of the challenges.
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CONCLUSION
We need a political leadership to champion
CSO involvement. Together we can
contribute to a growing economy through
sustainable services.
I THANK YOU!
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