Southeast Asia Newsletter - June 2018
Water.org Hosts Inaugural Philippine Water and Sanitation Forum
Water.org Philippines held its inaugural Philippine Water and Sanitation Forum on May 10th, 2018 at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Manila. In keeping with the program theme, “Accelerating Impact Through Collaboration”, the event showcased best practices from sector leaders and facilitated learning, networking, and cross-sector information sharing on the current issues related to the water and sanitation crisis in the Philippines. More than a hundred participants from different divisions of government, private companies, and NGOs alike shared their knowledge on the ongoing and proposed collaborative water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiatives.
The program began with an overview of the water and sanitation situation in the Philippines. Presentations by Water.org team members highlighted the value of Water.org programs, most notably its innovative WaterCredit Program. An overview of the model, its global and local impact, and key testimonials on the WaterCredit program implementation were shared by some of Water.org’s largest partners (ASA, NWTF, and TSPI). Other Water.org initiatives, such as but not limited to WaterConnect, and the ongoing partnership with UNICEF, were also discussed.
Representatives from government financial institutions, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the provincial government of Palawan, presented ideas on how different financial institutions play a crucial role in financing the infrastructure requirements needed for WASH. The following panel focused on the need for capacity building to water service providers in order to scale WSS with representatives from WaterLinks, WaterConnect, and the Philippine Association of Water Districts (PAWD). The third and largest panel of the afternoon focused on different WASH behavioral change initiatives. Representatives from the Department of Health (DOH), UNICEF, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepED), and the local government unit of Milagros, Masbate shared their respective success stories and the challenges in changing the Filipino behavior towards water and sanitation. Mr. Jose Tecson, one of the head consultants for the National Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan, ended the day with the preliminary findings of the Plan and the projected areas of reform needed in the Philippine WASH sector.
Key takeaways from the day’s discussions were reiterated in the closing remarks by Water.org Philippines Country Director, Mr. Carlos Ani, who highlighted the need for better and more efficient collaboration amongst the different WASH sector players.
For event materials, including presentations and photos, click here.
Photos: (Top) Panelists
discuss important water and sanitation issues. (Bottom) Water.org’s Philippine
Country Director Carlos Ani discusses the day’s success with sector
stakeholders and promotes collaboration in achieving shared goals.
From shame to success: Mrs. Supeni’s journey to safe sanitation
The residents of the Kedung Ngingas Hamlet in the Kolong Village in the Bojonegoro Regency thought that having a having a bathroom, equipped with latrines and a septic tank, seemed to be a luxury. Mrs. Supeni also thought this and never imagined that she could have a bathroom and a toilet in her house.
Supeni’s journey to her own bathroom and toilet is long. A year ago, Mrs. Supeni and some other residents of her hamlet received toilet equipment aid from the government, consisting of latrines and concrete frames. However, Mrs. Supeni could not afford to build the bathroom and decided to continue defecating in a hole in their garden, with no lighting, running water, or walls to protect them from animals or other people.
Even though she was afraid of animals attacking her family at night when defecating outside, the embarrassment she faced when guests visited her home was the final push she needed to build a bathroom for her house.
Mrs. Supeni has been a member of Koperasi Mitra Dhuafa (KOMIDA) and serves as the chairwoman of her community. One day, a KOMIDA branch manager visited her home and was surprised to see that she did not have a bathroom or toilet although she a latrine and concrete frame for a septic tank. He offered her a sanitation loan to build a bathroom and toilet. Mrs. Supeni and her husband applied for the sanitation loan amount of Rp 2500.000 and was finally able to build a bathroom for her family.
After she pays off her sanitation loan, Mrs. Supeni plans to apply for a water loan to buy a water-pump. Although the Mrs. Supeni family already has their own bathroom, they still need to bring the water manually using a bucket from one of the two public spring wells near them. The closest well is 500 meters from their house. Mrs. Supeni plans to install the water-pump and distribute the water using the pipes directly to her house. Mrs. Supeni’s face lights up when she imagines that day when she and her family do not need to carry the buckets of water.
To learn more about KOMIDA, please visit http://mitradhuafa.com/
Photos: (Top) With
the help of loan from KOMIDA, Mrs. Supeni constructed her own bathroom. (Bottom)
Mrs. Supeni still has to manually fetch water for her bathroom from a public
spring well. She hopes to apply for a water access loan after she repays her
sanitation loan to install a water pump at the spring and connect her home to
it.
Helping the effects of tidal flooding: The dedication of the local water supply and sanitation provider (BPSPAMS) Tirta Sari Mukti
Tidal flooding seems to be the daily occurrence for the Pekalongan people who reside close to the coastline. The high water table and land subsidence has reduced water absorption and increases the negative impacts of the tidal flooding. In the midst of tidal flooding, the village continued living their normal lives, but the officers of the drinking water and sanitation provider (BPSPAMS) Tirta Sari Mukti were concerned about the supply and access of safe water in the village.
BPSPAMS was established in 2009 through the PANSIMAS I Program committed to provide the access to clean water for the people in 5 hamlets in Jeruksari Village. However, BPSPAMS Tirta Sari Mukti was only able to provide access to clean water to 3 hamlets due to limited availability of raw materials. To meet the needs of the remaining 2 hamlets, BPSPAMS Chairman Mr. Wahmidin initiated to raise the funding from the third party to develop their water supply system.
Facilitated by the BPSPAMS Association of Pekalongan and Water.org, BPSPAMS Tirta Sari Mukti met the banking party, PD BPR PKK Pekalongan, to submit a financing proposal for a loan aimed at BPSPAMS. To date, 9 BPSPAMS offices in Pekalongan Regency have received the financing from the PD BPR BKK Pekalongan. Almost all of the financing proposed by BPSPAMS is intended to develop water networks and services. The loan amount of Rp 50.000.000 was utilized to support the procurement of one new water pump at the cost of Rp 80.000.000. The remaining Rp 30.000.000 was taken from the BPSPAMS savings account or was donated by the community members. Since the procurement of the new water pump, BPSPAMS Tirta Sari Mukti has fulfill the clean water needs for the 656 customer families.
The service improvements and additional household connections increase the income of BPSPAMS Tirta Sari Mukti. On average, the monthly gross revenue of this local water provider is around Rp 16.000.000. From this revenue, the amount of Rp 1.800.000 to pay for the loan installment to PD BPR BKK Pekalongan. According to Chairman Wahmidin, the financing from PD BPR BKK Pekalongan is a form of investment with a good purpose: to ensure the clean water access for the people in Jeruksari Village. They hope to access this financing in the future as they aspire to continue connecting the remaining hamlets in Jeruksari village.
To learn more BPR BKK Pekalongan, please visit http://bprbkk-pekalongankab.co.id/
Photos: (Top) The
BPSPAMS Tirta Sari Mukti team with Water.org Southeast Asia Senior Regional
Manager Eva Taravilla. (Bottom) The aftermath of coastal flooding in the village.
Lament for a Bathroom
Mrs. Reni has been a member of Koperasi Mitra Dhuafa (KOMIDA) for 5 years ago. She lives with her husband and two teenaged sons. Reni is a member of KOMIDA and had availed ten loans from KOMIDA in the past, mostly for her calf trading business. She shared that the most impactful loan for Reni’s family was the sanitation loan. Reni and her husband admitted that they had never had their own bathroom or water access in their entire lifetime. To fulfill their daily clean water needs, Reni and her family would walk to and from a spring located about 600 meters from their home or to a neighbor’s well. Reni and her husband were used to this—for generations, their families had lived in these same conditions.
A few instances had occurred that pushed Reni’s family to avail the water and sanitation loan. One time, a KOMIDA officer was making a regular visit and asked to use their toilet. Reni was ashamed to admit to him that there was no toilet in their house. Again, when Reni’s oldest son was getting married, it became problematic that there was no bathroom for his in-laws to use when they visited. Finally, when Reni’s youngest two sons came to them crying because they were embarrassed that their house didn’t have a bathroom or water connection, Reni and her husband knew they needed to do something.
After learning that KOMIDA provides a water and sanitation loan, Reni and her husband applied for a loan of Rp. 4 million and the installment around Rp. 97,500 per week in 50 weeks or a year. This money was utilized to repair the well, buy the water pump, and build a modest bathroom made of bricks and cement in her house. With the water access flowing directly to her bathroom, she does not need to carry out the water from the village spring or their neighbors’ wells. Reni’s courage in availing financing to build her own bathroom inspired other members of KOMIDA in Balong Hamlet to follow her example.
To learn more about KOMIDA, please visit http://mitradhuafa.com/
Photo: Reni shows how she
used to collect water from a neighbor’s well before she got a household
connection.
