Free Flow

[

] 242

ater

ooperation

, S

ustainability

and

overty

radication

national recognition. It has made implementation four times faster

while making communities feel like owners, as well as significantly

improving the quality of construction. The key is to allow the

municipality (woreda) to assume its central role as supervisor,

while implementation responsibility lies with the community and

the financial flow is managed by a financial intermediary.

During 2007-2013 the two Finnish-funded projects in Ethiopia

have provided improved water supply and sanitation to some 1.2

million people at a cost of 36 cents per taxpayer per year. It has

improved hygienic and health conditions, lowered mortality and

improved children’s opportunities to go to school. Women have

also gained more time for productive purposes and family welfare as

well as for wider participation in social development. The approach

is also linked to the wider development objective of making admin-

istration more decentralized.

In Ethiopia, Finland has partnered with the World Bank Water

Supply Program (WB-WSP) with the aim of enhancing the utilization

of successful bilateral Finnish project-based experiences on a national

scale, such as institutionalization of the CMP model and establish-

ment of the One WASH National Program. Finland has also teamed

up with UNICEF to pool funding needed for the Capacity Building

Pooled Fund for WASH, which was established under the UNICEF

umbrella for the benefit of overall sector capacity development.

Kenya

Kenya has been one of the main partner countries of the Finnish

water sector. The Kenya Finland Cooperation rural water supply

project in Western Kenya was carried out in 1981-1996. In 2009

Finland returned as a supporter through the Water

Sector Trust Fund, partly initiated and influenced by

earlier Finnish support.

Nepal

The first bilateral water supply project (Lumbini) in

Nepal started in 1990 and consisted of several phases.

From its initial construction orientation, it developed

towards a more participatory approach involving promo-

tion of gender equity and participation of local NGOs.

The wealth of experience gained was valuable when the

Nepalese rural water policy was revised in 2004.

The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project

(RWSSP) in the Mid-West region of Nepal started in

2008 and is planned to continue until 2018. A variety

of implementing options and water and sanitation

technologies are being tested where the major imple-

menting responsibility lies at the village level. The role

of municipalities is mainly to support, follow, facili-

tate and build up village level capacities. The aim is to

develop a nationally applicable model where the local

government ensures democratic decision-making,

promotion of human rights and improvement of

women’s conditions.

In the Far West region of Nepal, the RWSSP started

in 2006. In addition to drinking water and sanitation, it

promotes small-scale hydropower and irrigation aimed

at improving food security. The project promotes tech-

An irrigation channel in the Bhatakatiya municipality of Far West Nepal, which also leads water to a 30 kW hydropower plant

Image: Sanna-Leena Rautanen