Participatory quantification in the water and sanitation sector

Participatory learning and action (PLA) approaches can enable local people, rural or urban, to undertake their own appraisal, analysis, action, monitoring, and evaluation of water and sanitation services. Additionally, it can empower women, poor people, and disadvantaged people, giving them more control over their lives. However, participatory methods can take much time and often generate qualitative information that is difficult to compare and analyse. For this reason, the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) of the World Bank and the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre carried out a global study to design and test a new methodology, the Methodology for Participatory Assessment (MPA). This builds on the advantages of PLA approaches but also allows the results to be quantified, compared, and statistically analysed. This article outlines the MPA, its potential usefulness for both community members and organisations providing water services, and some of the concerns and problems associated with its use. [authors abstract]