Community self-financing of water and sanitation systems project : midterm evaluation report

CARE/Indonesia's Community Self-Financing of Water and Sanitation Systems Project (CSFW) operates currently in West Java, East Java and Nusa Tenggara Barat. The project is meant to provide access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation by means of community financing and participation. The major activities consist of the design of the system in conjunction with the villagers, training of villagers and construction of the system, financial counselling, operation and management training, and health and hygiene education. Communities are obligated to pay 100% of system costs, while CARE provides technical assistance and logistical support. Some of the problems encountered were a misunderstanding of the need for timely maintenance, insufficient technical assistance, limited involvement of women, and insufficient health and hygiene education in regard to the system utilization. Key success factors hinged on the identification of an influential and trusted community leader. Financing was obtained in a variety of ways, with varying degrees of success. Regular monitoring of sites was found to be important, to ensure proper control of construction quality, operation and maintenance, as well as financial oversight to ensure that loans are repaid and that the revenues are properly handled.