The challenge Indonesia has one of the lowest rates of urban sewerage coverage in Asia, causing widespread contamination of surface and ground waters. As a result, the country has experienced repeated local epidemics of gastrointestinal infections and has the highest incidence of typhoid in Asia. On Sulawesi, many women spend up to two to three hours fetching water several times a day from the nearby rivers. The river water is unsafe and causes diseases such as diarrhoea, skin problems and hepatitis. Lack of water also has an economic cost as it limits the range and amount of crops that can be grown, both to feed the family and for selling surplus produce.
CARE has been facilitating the construction and maintenance of water and sanitation facilities in rural areas of Indonesia since 1978 and in urban areas since 1994, assisting more than one million people in 2000 communities. However considerable need remains. A review in 2001 showed that in 19 districts in Sulawesi, around 3,400,000 people were without adequate safe water and sanitation.
CARE’s response
The SWASH project is a five year intervention that builds on CARE’s previous work in Sulawesi. It aims to strengthen the capacity to achieve improvements in health through the equitable and sustainable management and use of clean water, use of safe sanitation facilities and improved understanding of beneficial hygiene practices.
SWASH partners with local communities, civil society and local governments to develop water supply systems and sanitation facilities and includes an intensive program of hygiene education to ensure that better facilities lead to improved health. It is supported by the establishment of Provincial Technical Counterpart Teams, District Technical Counterpart Teams, Municipal Technical Counterpart Teams and urban City Forums.
There are four interrelated components:
Installation of community designed, constructed and funded water and sanitation facilities
SWASH facilitates the installation of clean water supply facilities as well as private, and where necessary, public latrines. The target communities and local governments provide contributions of up to 40% of construction costs, either in cash or kind.
The establishment, training, and capacity building of Village Committees
Communities are helped and motivated to be involved in all stages of the development through community based committees. Village Sanitation committees coordinate latrine siting and selection of appropriate and affordable designs. They receive training in all aspects of management and maintenance of the latrines. Women are particularly encouraged to take on leadership roles in the committees as they are the primary users of water in households. The committees work closely with the Technical Counterpart Team, consisting of government employees from at least the local Health, Public Works and Rural Development Services.
Hygiene education
Hygiene Behaviour Change campaigns, focusing on women, emphasise the importance of hand washing, food protection, and other healthy domestic hygiene practices. Peer education is encouraged and supported.
Establishment and training of City Forums
Urban City Forums are comprised of formal and informal community leaders, local non-government agencies, informal religious leaders, professional associations, local chambers of commerce, private businesses and academic institutions. They assess and influence urban development issues, environmental problems prioritising the supply or non-supply of water and sanitation services and policies, as well as develop strong linkages with district and local government officials.
All components of the program work together to provide and strengthen water and sanitation facilities and good hygiene practices, ultimately helping Indonesia to achieve it’s Millennium Development goals of increasing access to clean water and decreasing water-borne diseases.
Sector : Water and Sanitation
Location : 3 districts in Gorontalo ; 4 districts in Makassar and Maros, Sulawesi
Donor : Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Project Period : May 2004 – December 2009
Page last updated October 22, 2008
SWASH Project undertaken with the financial support of the Government
of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA).
SWASH Project
réalisé avec l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada agissant par
l’entremise de l'Agence canadienne de développement international
(ACDI).
