And water flows : 16 years of SNV-Nepal's involvement in community water supply and sanitation programme

This report presents an overview of the development of the Community Water Supply and Sanitation (CWSS) Programme and SNV-Nepal's involvement from 1977 to 1993 and has as an objective to assist SNV-Nepal with future requests for assistance. Chapter one details the history of the CWSS Programme in general and outlines its components. It describes the set-up of the programme; its objectives which emphasize the reduction of the burden on women in collecting water, and the active involvement of women at all levels; and the role of the Host Organization and agencies involved. Chapter two outlines SNV-Nepal's involvement in the CWSS Programme through the years and analyzes its policy based on CWSS reports and SNV criteria. A review of the Programme's achievements and constraints in chapter three points out that the main achievement in sanitation was awareness raising of the importance of sanitation and health rather than the improvement of the hygiene situation but that the importance of the participation of women became more and more self-evident. Chapter four discusses the question of whether renewed SNV input in the CWSS Programme is needed and concludes that in future SNV-Nepal needs more precise goals and conditions before entering a project. In assessing SNV-Nepal's 16 year involvement in the CWSS Programme the report concludes that while there were shortcomings in encouraging self-reliance and on the social level, its criteria to serve the `poorest of the poor' and to pay special attention to women had been met.