The strategy titled "Accelerating Rural Water Access in Uganda" focuses on increasing household water connections through community organizing and market-based approaches. It emphasizes engaging community influencers and organizing participatory assessments to understand specific water needs. For example, creating local community forums allows residents to prioritize their water access requirements and establish lasting agreements for better management.
Another aspect involves developing market-based operation and maintenance (O&M) systems. This includes creating partnerships with private sector stakeholders, establishing sustainable pricing models, and training local technicians. Such initiatives ensure regular maintenance and emphasize the importance of water system sustainability through workshops and mobile payment systems.
Finally, fostering community-managed water systems involves setting up governance structures, creating training programs, and developing management manuals. Empowering communities to manage their water systems, supported by funding opportunities and community-led monitoring, ensures accountability and ongoing improvements.
The strategies
⛳️ Strategy 1: Implement community organizing initiatives
- Identify key community influencers and organize introductory meetings
- Conduct participatory community assessments to understand water needs
- Facilitate community forums to discuss and prioritise water access needs
- Establish a community water committee for ongoing dialogue and feedback
- Develop community agreements for household water connection responsibilities
- Organize educational workshops on the benefits of household water connections
- Encourage local leadership to champion water access initiatives
- Implement a community pledge system to foster ownership and commitment
- Utilize local media for awareness campaigns on community water access
- Leverage traditional communication channels to reach all community members
⛳️ Strategy 2: Develop market-based operation and maintenance (O&M) systems
- Conduct a market analysis to identify viable O&M service providers
- Create partnerships with private sector stakeholders for O&M services
- Establish a pricing model for O&M services that communities can sustain
- Train local technicians to provide O&M services to the community
- Set up a subscription service for regular O&M check-ups at household levels
- Implement a feedback system for continuous improvement of O&M services
- Develop a mobile payment system for O&M services to ensure ease of payment
- Initiate pilot programs for market-based O&M systems in select communities
- Host workshops on the importance of regular water system maintenance
- Monitor and evaluate the O&M system's effectiveness and community satisfaction
⛳️ Strategy 3: Foster community-managed water systems
- Establish local governance structures for managing water systems
- Create training programs for community members on water system management
- Develop a community manual on managing and operating water systems
- Formulate a water access plan that integrates community input
- Seek funding opportunities for enhancing community-managed systems
- Implement community-led monitoring and reporting systems for accountability
- Use storytelling to share success stories and best practices within communities
- Launch a 'water champions' initiative to motivate sustained management efforts
- Set up community savings groups to fund water system improvements
- Regularly review water system performance with community stakeholders
Bringing accountability to your strategy
It's one thing to have a plan, it's another to stick to it. We hope that the examples above will help you get started with your own strategy, but we also know that it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day effort.
That's why we built Tability: to help you track your progress, keep your team aligned, and make sure you're always moving in the right direction.
Give it a try and see how it can help you bring accountability to your strategy.
