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ater

ducation

and

nstitutional

evelopment

intervenes. It is also important to contact local men’s

and women’s leaders and municipal authorities. These

contacts were key to initiating the implementation of

the Naranjo river basin project.

During the project, dimensions of human reality

and social circumstances emerged that were diffi-

cult to predict at the planning stage. The language,

restrictions on the participation of women, short-term

expectations, the existence of conflicts, commu-

nity motivation and the strength of the municipal

authorities, among others, were factors that forced

adjustments to the project. These factors transformed

the project into an exercise of reorganization, intro-

duction of changes and constant learning.

The understanding of political will is often simpli-

fied as a matter of convincing the mayor. However,

historical evidence shows that success depends more

on perseverance with a fixed idea and clear objective

than it does on the characteristics, interests or voca-

tions of the authorities. Success is contagious and, in

this case, the efficacy of the organization processes

and the training in some municipalities captured

the political will of others. The existence of the

MANCUERNA organizations suggests the sustain-

ability of that political will.

Although it was possible to use the natural inter-

ests of civil society and the authorities in water and

its management as a topic, it was also necessary to

provide the tools required to transform those inter-

ests into processes and results. Making those tools

accessible to communities was another factor in the

project’s success.

Informed dialogue

Preconceived ideas, prejudices and interpretations or

personal interests can act as distractions with more

weight than the objective elements of the issue.

In this context, the study on the state of water in

the basin provided a valuable input to standardize

participants’ knowledge of water and its manage-

ment. The study of the results as a baseline shows

that distractions were diminished to enable a focus

on the objective analysis of the situation and the

development of alternatives.

Empowering women

In the reconstruction of a project experience it is

common to find arguments or testimonies about the

active role of women in the proper use of water for

productive purposes and in everyday life.

In a social organization like the basin, with traditional

roles for men and women and a privileged position for

men, it is usual to find intolerance and discrimina-

tion towards the participation of women. Empowering

women will remain a challenge for organizations and

future initiatives. These initiatives should bring posi-

tive results for everyone and place women on a higher

development level without returning them to the subju-

gated roles of the past.

urban associations in each of the eight municipalities of the upper

Naranjo River Basin, as well as the associations represented by each

municipality government to elaborate policies, programmes and

projects for coordinated water management. This effort involves

community associations and municipalities to ensure water resources

are recognized as a cross-cutting issue. It has been supported by the

implementation of participative diagnostics to establish the guide-

lines of municipal water policies that trigger multiple processes – of

which we are now seeing the initial results.

The objectives of the association at the top of the Naranjo river

basin have been to take measures to operationalize water policies;

seek agreements on the management of waste solids, water contami-

nation and recovery of water recharge areas; and promote productive

special uses of water resources. All this is done through dialogue and

cooperation between key stakeholders including authorities, society,

associations and public institutions.

Institutional arrangements

A key example of this cooperation can be found in the joint efforts

between universities, non-governmental organizations, private

sector companies and government institutions. A decision was

taken to conduct learning and demonstration projects (PADs),

working together with communities and institutions in the sector.

This process is aimed at enabling the systematization of experi-

ences, knowledge transfer and construction methodologies that

can be replicated in different regions in western Guatemala, inter-

relating these efforts with the Municipal Water Tables Dialogue.

The strategy needs to incorporate, among other elements, monitor-

ing systems and the prevention of critical situations; sustainable

management of natural resources; access to water, sanitation and

primary health services; communication systems; and access to

sources of income.

Since ancient times people have expressed their appreciation of

water through their culture. Today, that cultural aspect is comple-

mented by a political connotation and focused on the representative

participation of society. This new participatory model, through a

number of workshops and meetings with stakeholders in Spanish

and native languages, seeks to understand reality; identify the

cultural changes needed to integrate and strengthen the legal and

institutional framework for management; and enable the continuous

exchange of information and local knowledge.

The PADs are based in the concept of Team Learning Projects.

PADs open up protected areas for the construction and adapta-

tion of knowledge to solve complex problems such as those of

IWRM. They provide an answer to the complexity of development

processes and the need to create spaces that promote sustainable

human development.

Committee strategies involve the formation of an interdisci-

plinary, inter-agency and intersectoral team, which looks for

professional members from the technical, social sciences, admin-

istrative and economics fields. A key component of the strategy

is the sensitization and training of key actors in civil society and

the municipal governments, to enable the creation of a favourable

attitude and the development of knowledge and skills to intervene

in water resources management.

Knowledge: the base of intervention

Experience shows that developing an effective IWRM strategy begins

with deepening understanding of the reality on which the strategy