Sustainability Planning and Monitoring

LOOKING BACK TO SEE FORWARDFigure 23 Benefits of household latrines as perceived by user groups in 37 communities(precentage of total mentions in focus groups)6%2%9%def34%ac22%b27%a - comfort/convenience/protection from rain and sun/save timeb - healthier/protection from disease/reduce diarrheac - clean/hygienic/no odor/clean home and environmentd - safety/protection from danger (animals and insects)e - privacyf - others (reduce animal morbidity/reduce expenditure for treatment of sickness/train children to use latrine)●promotion materials based on localperceptions (see Figure 23).Understanding problems and needs ofcommunities requires quality time andresources: Like other participatory techniques,MPA applications require time and well-trainedfacilitators. The quality of assessment resultsis influenced by the skills of the facilitators wholead this process in the villages. For this study,it took almost six months to develop a trainedteam of 17 members to apply this process in38 villages. The methodology also needs tobe tailored and adapted to the local situationto make the application easier and moreeffective.● Cost-effectiveness of participatoryassessments: Participatory assessments can bevery cost-effective when trained teams extendtheir work to other parts of the country or otherprojects. Also, when the participatoryevaluation is used as the basis for communitylearning and new investments planning, initialpreparatory costs yield high returns for projects.Specific findings onsustainabilitySustainability was assessed using four factors:System quality: quality of design, construction,materials, workmanship.Effective functioning: quality, quantity,reliability, and predictability of water serviceavailable.Effective financing: cost-coverage achieved foroperation and maintenance, regularity anduniversality of user payments.132