MWP-E Strategy & Policy Document
In Ethiopia MWA members and partners have been working together since 2004 to support local organizations and communities in the provision of safe water, hygiene and sanitation to one million people. To date almost 500,000 people have been served in the five regions of Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, Benishangul Gumuz and SNNPR (Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region). By increasing the capacity of local partners, including government and NGOs, the Millennium Water Program, MWP, is bringing about permanent change through exposure to new methods, formal and hands-on training and confidence building. The MWP works to reduce dependency and promote local governance.
From a modest beginning and seed money through USAID’s GDA program, the MWA has been able to leverage funds totaling US $19.7M. The major donors who have supported the program in Ethiopia are USAID Ethiopia, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (CNHF), and Global Environmental Technology Facility (GETF). Many other donors have contributed significantly through our implementing agencies
While funding is vital for MWP work, the community is a crucial partner in the intervention process for the provision of clean water and basic sanitation. Their contributions are significant and take the form of the provision of time and resources. Specifically, communities provide monetary and labor contributions as well as assuming ownership and responsibility for the operation and deployment of water and sanitation services.
Read more: MWA’s Success in Ethiopia
The MWP’s work in Ethiopia involves programmatic collaboration with eight international NGOs, including seven MWA members, and five indigenous NGOs. Three times a year the implementing agencies and other stakeholders meet to evaluate the projects, to share lessons learned, and to discuss and debate best practices, national standards, uniform indicators as well as monitoring practices. This sharing of ideas is beneficial to all involved and contributes to the overall goal of scaling up these programs to achieve close to full coverage in several regions of the country.
Interventions with which MWA members have been working include water retrieval methods such as boreholes, shallow wells and spring catchments. Sanitation facilities have been constructed at schools, with special emphasis on latrines and hygiene education. MWA member CARE has acted as host for the Secretariat. Additional partners include Catholic Relief Services, Food for the Hungry, Lifewater International, Living Water International, WaterAid, Water Partners, and World Vision.
