Rising temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events in East Africa are impacting community livelihoods, the regional economy, and access to improved water and sanitation. Against this backdrop, USAID launched Planning for Resilience in East Africa through Policy, Adaptation, Research and Economic Development (PREPARED) in 2012, to help build the region’s capacity to plan and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate.
The Isuku Iwacu Activity (also known as Rwanda Rural Sanitation Activity) is a four-year rural sanitation project awarded on September 2, 2016, and estimated to be completed by November 9, 2020. The Activity is being executed by a consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) headed by SNV, and includes World Vision International and Water for People.
Partnering with the Government of Rwanda and local communities, USAID is working to enhance private-sector involvement in rural sanitation markets to help the nation achieve 100 percent improved sanitation coverage by 2020. Meeting this goal means overcoming a number of challenges, including a shortage of sanitation supplies and contractors; a lack of construction professionals involved in household sanitation; the need for a variety of latrine models that function in unique geographies and take consumer preferences and water access into account; and limited financing options.
The Planning for Resilience in East Africa through Policy, Adaptation, Research, and Economic Development (PREPARED) Project was a five-year initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of East Africa economies, transboundary and freshwater ecosystems and communities targeting three key development challenges of East Africa: : climate change adaptation, biodiversi
The livelihoods of East Africans largely depend on access to and protection of their natural resources, including wildlife. When those resources are threatened, poverty grows. Rising temperatures, fluctuating rainy seasons and extreme weather events affect many in the region, especially those engaged in agriculture, fishing and pastoralism. These factors diminish incomes and impair access to food, health care, electricity, safe drinking water and sanitation services – undermining and potentially reversing development progress.
On June 14, representatives from USAID projects in East Africa met at the Wilson Center to discuss the Planning for Resilience in East Africa through Policy, Adaptation, Research and Economic Development (PREPARED) project, which worked to strengthen the East African institutions that provide sustainable access to clean water and sanitation services.
WALIS is bolstering the ability of African leaders, donors, and stakeholders to use data and analyses to shape WASH strategies, plans, and budgets. WALIS provides technical, programmatic, administrative, and logistical support to improve the capacity of African water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector. DAI Global leads the WALIS Team that includes engagement with multiple partners and key investors in Africa’s WASH sector.
Rwanda remains one of the world’s poorest countries, though its progress since the 1994 genocide has been remarkable. Between 2011 to 2014—just three years—poverty dropped from approximately 60 percent to 40 percent. Between 1990 and 2015, the country reduced the under-5 child mortality rate by two-thirds and achieved an extraordinary 85 percent decline in maternal mortality. Rwanda has an abundance of water resources, but improvements to water access remain slow.
In 1990, the East African nation of Ethiopia stood among the nations in most dire need of water development. Seventeen years of war had left its government and systems in disarray. Only 11 percent of its more than 48 million people had access to piped or other improved water sources; the rest used unimproved sources such as unprotected wells and carted drums. Predictably, Ethiopia and countries in similar straits suffered through high rates of communicable, pandemic, and vector-borne disease, child mortality, and other challenges tied to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
The objective of the Rwanda Family Health Project (FHP) is to increase the use of district-level facility and community-based family health (FH) services. For the purpose of this activity, “family health” includes an integrated package of services related to family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH), HIV/AIDS, maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH), malaria prevention and treatment, nutrition, and safe water and hygiene.
