USAID/Liberia County Sanitation Activity Co-Creation Workshop

Description of the Activity:

The latest USAID investment in the water and sanitation (WASH) Sector is designed to improve and expand access to sanitation (specifically toilets) with the goal to ultimately eliminate open defecation (OD) in five counties: Bong, Grand Bassa, Lofa, Montserrado, and Nimba. USAID identified a partner to implement the project which would adapt a market-based model to ensure access to affordable toilets through four key result areas: 1) improved sanitation governance, 2) key sanitation behaviors adopted, 3) sanitation market strengthened, 4) financing for sanitation increased. To ensure consensus building and collaborative project implementation, USAID contracted CollaborateUp with a subcontract to CIS. The specific purpose of the co-creation workshop was to generate consensus among participants about ways to improve sanitation using market-based approach. CIS planned and facilitated the Workshop, including 90 participants from government officials, donor partners, and CSOs. Encountered Problems and Corrective Actions : The lack of good internet connectivity in Liberia meant that CIS could not conduct the Workshop outside of Monrovia with virtual participants. CIS therefore divided the Workshop into two phases, with local CSO and sub-national leaders participating in the Gbarnga Workshop, whereas the USAID Washington Team joined the Workshop in Monrovia with the central government officials and donor community.

Some key findings included:

• Limited funding for sanitation has resulted in lack of governance and enforcement of sanitation practices.
• Lack of advocacy and absence of WASH champions within the national government have resulted in the government often overlooking WASH activities in the national budget. The WASH Legislative Caucus and WASH Commission have so far failed to secure adequate funding for WASH in the national budget.
• Improved sanitation would require access to sanitation materials (like toilets). However, the cost of raw materials coupled with government tariffs has made it difficult for poor communities to afford quality toilets.
• WASH interventions are almost exclusively funded by donors, whereas the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has been absent in the conversation. MIA is the authorized entity of government to enforce laws and ordinances across the country.
• WASH data are collected and kept at individual institutional levels. The absence of data sharing and resource alignment have resulted in limited information on the actual cost of implementing sanitation activities.