Ex-Post Evaluation: Strengthening Communities through Integrated Programming (SCIP) Activity in Mozambique

Water point functionality and use: Four years after the activity ended, 65 percent of observed water points remained functional. Almost half of the water points tested positive for E. coli and 90 percent tested positive for fecal coliforms. This exposed communities to health risks, as only 16 percent of households reported treating their drinking water. 

Water point management: Most WPs had active water management committees in place, and community members reported a high level of satisfaction with these committees. Sixty-six percent of respondents reported paying WP fees, which often proved insufficient to cover operation and maintenance costs. Fewer households below the poverty line made these contributions. 

Sanitation quality and use: Fifty-two percent of households had access to a latrine, but only 15 percent had basic sanitation access, that is, access to an improved latrine that is not shared with other households. That level of basic sanitation was still higher than the 5 percent recorded at the activity’s (quasi-comparable) endline evaluation. Households below the national poverty line had significantly lower basic sanitation access than those above the poverty line. The evaluation team observed latrine quality as generally poor; only 23 percent of households had an observed slab. Respondents self-reported a low level of latrine use, and open defecation reportedly occurred in approximately 75 percent of the communities. Respondents reported financial and material barriers as the primary reasons they did not own a latrine. They aired frustrations about poor-quality materials leading to a continuous cycle of repair or replacement of latrines, especially after weather-related shocks.

Hygiene: Households reported high levels of handwashing with soap and water (64 percent); however, only 13 percent had observable soap and water. Of the 95 percent of households with a handwashing station, less than 2 percent had a fixed-in-place facility. The evaluation team rarely observed SCIP–promoted tippy taps, due to their reported lack of durability. Handwashing behavior did not appear to be normative.  

Resilience: While SCIP did not directly seek to enhance resilience, the evaluation team did assess impacts of cyclones Idai and Kenneth and flooding, which affected roughly half of respondents’ WASH facilities. Replacement and repair of handwashing stations took place at a high rate. However, communities struggled to repair damaged water points; less than half of respondents reported resolution of issues several months later.