The document discusses monitoring, evaluation, resolution, and learning (MERL) approaches for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sustainability projects. It outlines how the four MERL elements should be incorporated throughout the project life cycle, from design to post-project management. Tools like surveys, frameworks, and case studies are presented to help integrate resolution, or addressing problems identified, into projects. The webinar series aims to close the "resolution gap" by providing resources for systematically resolving issues.

1. ADDRESSING THE RESOLUTION GAP
WASH Sustainability 3-Part Webinar Series
August 27, 2014

2. Program Life
Cycle
Monitoring
The process of using indicators to measure program changes over time. Post-implementation monitoring is undertaken after installation of the WASH service or program.
Evaluation The long-term systematic and objective assessment of an ongoing or completed project, program, or policy, and its design, implementation and results. Evaluations should be performed by an external third party.
Learning
The process of incorporating lessons learned into ongoing
practices to increase effectiveness and sustainability over time.
Resolution
The process of addressing problems identified through
monitoring and evaluation results.

3. Design Phase
Implementation
Post-Project Management and Operation
Resolution
Learning
Monitoring
Evaluation
Monitoring
Learning
Evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation
All four elements of MERL should be incorporated into the design phase, including roles, activities, and expectations for each
Monitoring and learning activities should be continuous throughout implementation. Evaluations should be conducted at critical milestones or upon an annual basis, followed by resolution activities to strengthen the project/program.
Responsibility of continued MERL activities will change during post-project management and operation. Monitoring should remain steady, while evaluation, resolution, and learning activities will be scaled down over time, as project outputs become institutionalized and live out their life cycle design.

4. Resources for Integrating Resolution
•Categories of Resources
•Contract Language
•Tools (including surveys, checklists, and frameworks)
•Manuals
•Case Studies

5. Contract Language
Water.org Cooperative Partnership Understanding Agreement
Water.org will share information with the partners about the results and recommendations of the audits. Partners should adopt all reasonable measures to incorporate the findings of the audits in future work within the specific program and across the organization’s policies and practices. In addition, Water.org will conduct additional due diligence for programs at its sole discretion if circumstances warrant further attention.

6. Tools: Surveys, Checklists, Frameworks
•Governance into Functionality Tool (GiFT) – CARE
•WASH Accountability Handbook – CARE
•Functionality of Rural Water Supply Services – SNV

7. Manuals
How to Make WASH Projects Sustainable and Successfully Disengage in Vulnerable Contexts – Action Against Hunger
Highlighted Recommendation
•Allocate funding to pay for regular monitoring of previous projects to feed into programmes

8. Case Studies
Presenters:
•Stephanie Ogden – CARE
•Ruud Glotzbach – SNV
•Noah McColl & Michelle Jackson – charity: water

9. The Governance into Functionality Tool (GiFT): Relating community governance and water point functionality
27 August 2014
WASH Sustainability Webinar Series
Stephanie Ogden
Senior Water Policy Advisor
CARE

10. A word on resolution
“Resolution is the process of addressing problems identified through Monitoring and/or Evaluation.”
•At the community level
•At the program level
•Within the WASH sector
•Building capacity to systematically address problems as they arise

11. Why the GiFT?
Poor performance in the WASH sector:
RWSN, 2010
Improve International, 2014

12. Anatomy of the GiFT
Comprised of 40 questions, in 7 key areas:
•Functionality
•Sanitation sustainability
•Scheme financing
•Management approach
•User group
•Accountability and responsiveness
•Follow-up actions

13. Cycle of Application

14. GiFT contribution to resolution
As a diagnostic tool:
Helps to identify particular elements of governance that have contributed to water system services failure
As a predictive tool:
Anticipates particular governance failures so we can proactively focus on those areas
As a capacity building tool:
Basis for dialogue with local government and communities

15. As a diagnostic tool
At the macro level
•Higher overall and individual governance scores correlate to higher functionality. Those communities with good governance scores are 68% more likely to have a functioning water point.
•In Mozambique, having women on WASH committees that have strong decision making roles has been repeatedly correlated with higher rates of functionality.
At the micro level
•75% functionality in Montepuez, Mozambique vs. 48% functionality in neighboring Namuno district
•Governance gaps in each community help to reorient re-training of WASH committees.

16. As a predictive tool
What is the expected sustainability of a community water point (or set of district water points) based on GiFT results?
•How can governance gaps be identified and addressed before water points fail?

17. As a capacity building tool
The GiFT application engages the community in the diagnosis process and subsequent discussion:
•Establishes community consensus on problems and defines clear direction and responsibilities for the community
•Increases accountability and pressure to address negative findings .
•Culminates in a set of goals to address governance gaps, towards which progress can be measured over time.

18. What’s next?
•Further work to refine the GiFT as a predictive tool
•Repeat GiFTs over time and after re-training of WASH committees, to gauge how interventions have impacted governance capacity among communities.
•Use of the GiFT in concert with other tools, such as the Impact of WASH on Women Tool (IWWT)
•Widen the lens beyond community governance

19. Bringing it back to Resolution

20. Assumptions
•Functionality over time used as a proxy indicator for sustainability
•Governance domains can be influenced individually, or in parallel, rather than in series
•Governance characteristics equally associated with all instances of water point failure within a community
August 27, 2014
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21. Where CARE has applied the GiFT

22. Key Findings: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
“Governance” was rated by community members and community leaders as the most important of four factors affecting long-term functionality (environment, technology, finance, governance)
Positive feedback on functionality: 86% functioning well, 9% functioning with difficulty, 5% not functioning
Positive feedback on governance and participation:
95% reported that all community members use the services equally and equitably
80% reported the committee and office bearers were elected by the community
83% of water schemes plan for operation and maintenance expenses
However, only 22% reported that they were able to cover the full costs of maintaining the infrastructure (revenues collected from users > expenditures

23. Thank you!

24. An impression of SNV work around functionality of RWSS
27th of August 2014 Ruud Glotzbach
SNV WASH Functionality of Rural Water Supply Services

25. Presentation lay-out
•SNV Global and FRWSS interventions
•The Level of Service concept
•SNV’s Functionality Rainbow
•Targeting all levels for systematic change and FRWSS practices
•Challenges
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26. SNV Global and its FRWSS interventions
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West and Central Africa
•Benin
•Burkina Faso
•Cameroon
•DR Congo
•Ghana
•Mali
East and Southern Africa
•Ethiopia
•Kenya
•Mozambique
•S.Sudan
•Tanzania
•Uganda
•Zambia
•Zimbabwe
Asia
•Bhutan
•Cambodia
•Lao PDR
•Nepal

27. Level of Service Concept
•Measuring Household Level of Services
No service
Sub-standard
Intermediate
High
•Household Level of Service indicator
Quality: ideally based on microbial and chemical testing
Quantity: liters of drinking water/person/day
Accessibility: combining distance, waiting, collecting, security
Reliability: reliably available throughout the seasons
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Basic within the national standards
Quality
Quantity
Accessibility
Reliability
Improved RWSS (JMP standards)
20 – 50 l/p/d
30 min
(100 -1000 m)
8/9 months/yr

28. SNV’s functionality Rainbow
28
There is limited benefit in rehabilitating a few non-functional
schemes or helping out a couple of individual water users’
committees.
Addressing the functionality of
rural water supply requires
a system approach.
The five components
of the functionality
rainbow address
all ‘phases’ of a
FRWSS

29. Targeting all levels for systematic change
29
1.National learning and harmonization
SNV Nepal shared local lessons and practices at regional and national levels. SNV is co-leading the Thematic Working Group on functionality that formulates recommendations for the Annual National Joint Sector Review. SNV works with the regional Monitoring and Support Office to align WASH mapping and RWSS ranking approaches across 15 Districts in the Mid West region.
Supporting national multi-stakeholder learning, sector development and harmonization of approaches, technologies, etc., for improved functionality

30. 30
2. WASH Governance
Improving provincial or district multi-stakeholder sector planning, monitoring and targeting of investments in rural water supply
SNV Laos has piloted Akvo FLOW in two District in Savannaketh province for water supply monitoring and mapping. Collected data was used to make functionality maps, which are available to Provincial and District decision makers.
The data sets and maps are currently used by decision makers to develop local functionality strategies and action plans.

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SNV Benin supported local councils and constructors to improve the quality of water facilities. Constructors were provided with a package of technical skills and workmanship training while District technical staff were trained in developing and enforcing construction standards.
Guidelines and quality standards for materials and workmanship were introduced. These were used for supervising the implementation of contracts that resulted in better construction quality.
3. Performance of implementors
Strengthen performance and benchmarking of
constructors to improve quality and transparency of construction services.

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SNV Rwanda was engaged to support AquaVirunga, a private Dutch/Rwanda water operator. SNV trained staff in leakage detection and repair, provided staff with communication skills to improve customer relationships and introduced good water governance issues, notably accountability. This led to increased timely settling of bills, which allowed the operator to improve services and even to expand to neighboring communities.
4. Performance of operators
Improving performance and benchmarking of service delivery by operators for improved water services to users.

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5. Post construction support
Setting‐up, validating and strengthening institutional support mechanisms at district level to increase access of operators to post‐construction support
mechanic (HPM) and District Water Office (DWO). The HPM need to attend within 48 hours and send their assessment report to the DWO, who then coordinates the final response. Development of institutional support mechanisms with specific roles and responsibilities is essential for sustained water supply functionality.
SNV Uganda capitalized on mobile phone
coverage surge. It launched a SMS based
hand pump breakdown system. Users
report Supply faults by SMS to pump

34. 34
SNV in East Africa is assisting with the establishment of spare part supply chains. This goes beyond having a hardware shop, selling spare parts. It is a dynamic process that starts with a simple market analysis, aiming at tuning supply and demand. Based on the analysis SNV assist suppliers with setting up a business model and we introduce the approach to actively market products and services. It means no longer sitting in the shop and wait for a customer, no instead follow an outreach approach whereby the supplier looks for customers.
5. Post construction support
Supply chain development and active product and service marketing

35. Challenges
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Consensus on definitions and parameters
< A “happy” user with a 8/9 months a year functioning water point >
Technology and pro-poor approaches
< Will technology change the ability of poor users to pay for services, a real one size fit >
Training of implementers
< Impact of project ad hoc learning/training provisions >
Getting the private sector on board
< The assumption that there is no money to be made in RWSS >
Proper designing of post construction support
< Post-construction support undermines private sector initiatives >

36. Thank you!

37. QUESTIONS?
Next webinar: A Framework for Action
September 17, 10:00-11:30am EDT