Accessing capacity Building Initiatives for Caretakers of Rural Water Supply, Sena District

Abstract

A much-discussed criterion for evaluating development NGO activities concerns the "sustainability of their projects - that is, their ability to remain viable after external support ceases - and their replicability - the degree to which groups not directly assisted by the NGO take up NGO projects on their own. If the benefits of NGO work cease when the resources do, the NGO is merely providing “aid”, if the benefits continue past the period of NGO involvement, “development” has been initiated (Korten 1990). This study examines the issue of sustainability of the water system through training on operation and maintenance in the Sene District. World Vision International Ghana established Ghana Rural Water Project as its branch for water activities in 1984/85 just after the long drought period in 1983. Ghana Rural Water Project was set up to provide potable water or drill boreholes for rural people (World Vision assisted communities) to combat the guinea-worm disease. The major concern of this water project is to guarantee sustainable systems in the beneficiary communities. It is against this background that World Vision Ghana Rural Water Project (WVGRWP) is incorporating a major training component in the programme. The process of sustaining projects depends on both the donor agency and the beneficiary communities. Training enhances the skills and build the capacity of selected volunteers, it has therefore, been identified as very vital to the effort towards sustainability. The general objective of the study is to find out the link between training and maintenance in the process of sustainability of the water project in the Sene District. The findings revealed that Ghana Rural Water Project between 1994 - 1996 drilled 134 boreholes in 74 communities and had conducted 1st level training for all the selected volunteers from the beneficiary communities. It is the policy of the organisation to encourage women to be part of the trainees, so almost in every community there is a female trainee. From the study it was realised that before the training programme, the communities relied on pump technicians from outside the district. The maintenance charges by these technicians and the cost of non-available spare parts were so exorbitant that most communities abandoned their faulty boreholes. Thus, the issue of sustainability ended when the boreholes broke down. After training, all the 30 selected volunteers could repair and maintain the borehole without any supervision, and this has reduced maintenance cost and also ensured regular flow of water. Analysis showed that 22 trainees have also trained one or two people to replicate the knowledge and skills acquired. The knowledge, Attitude and Practices of the trainees have changed as a result of training received. The laissez-faire attitude of the people has been neutralized, and the people have acquired the culture of maintenance to support community projects. Projects have now been seen as theirs and no more government projects and so must be taken care of. Community management and the state of the water system has not been up to expectation according to the findings. There is a recommendation that management committees must relate to each other very well in order to ensure good community participation in the crusade for the sustainability.