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WATER COOPERATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND POVERTY ERADICATIONImage: Sanna-Leena RautanenAn irrigation channel in the Bhatakatiya municipality of Far West Nepal, which also leads water to a 30 kW hydropower plantnational recognition. It has made implementation four times fasterwhile making communities feel like owners, as well as significantlyimproving the quality of construction. The key is to allow themunicipality (woreda) to assume its central role as supervisor,while implementation responsibility lies with the community andthe financial flow is managed by a financial intermediary.During 2007-2013 the two Finnish-funded projects in Ethiopiahave provided improved water supply and sanitation to some 1.2million people at a cost of 36 cents per taxpayer per year. It hasimproved hygienic and health conditions, lowered mortality andimproved children’s opportunities to go to school. Women havealso gained more time for productive purposes and family welfare aswell as for wider participation in social development. The approachis also linked to the wider development objective of making administrationmore decentralized.In Ethiopia, Finland has partnered with the World Bank WaterSupply Program (WB-WSP) with the aim of enhancing the utilizationof successful bilateral Finnish project-based experiences on a nationalscale, such as institutionalization of the CMP model and establishmentof the One WASH National Program. Finland has also teamedup with UNICEF to pool funding needed for the Capacity BuildingPooled Fund for WASH, which was established under the UNICEFumbrella for the benefit of overall sector capacity development.KenyaKenya has been one of the main partner countries of the Finnishwater sector. The Kenya Finland Cooperation rural water supplyproject in Western Kenya was carried out in 1981-1996. In 2009Finland returned as a supporter through the WaterSector Trust Fund, partly initiated and influenced byearlier Finnish support.NepalThe first bilateral water supply project (Lumbini) inNepal started in 1990 and consisted of several phases.From its initial construction orientation, it developedtowards a more participatory approach involving promotionof gender equity and participation of local NGOs.The wealth of experience gained was valuable when theNepalese rural water policy was revised in 2004.The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project(RWSSP) in the Mid-West region of Nepal started in2008 and is planned to continue until 2018. A varietyof implementing options and water and sanitationtechnologies are being tested where the major implementingresponsibility lies at the village level. The roleof municipalities is mainly to support, follow, facilitateand build up village level capacities. The aim is todevelop a nationally applicable model where the localgovernment ensures democratic decision-making,promotion of human rights and improvement ofwomen’s conditions.In the Far West region of Nepal, the RWSSP startedin 2006. In addition to drinking water and sanitation, itpromotes small-scale hydropower and irrigation aimedat improving food security. The project promotes tech-[ 242 ]