Completed
Background: Malawi is one of the countries with the highest urbanisation rates. With a population of about 662,000 (2008), the city of Blantyre is the largest in Malawi. Between 1998 and 2008 the city experienced a population increase of about 32%1. The continued influx of people combined with decades of inadequate urban planning, has led to rapid spread of informal settlements with deplorable living conditions. The major problems include overcrowding, inadequate housing and lack of basic services, in particular water supply and sanitation. The Centre for Community Organization and Development, CCODE, has been instrumental in the active dialogue between community groups and city authorities in Blantyre in their joint quest for solutions to problems affecting the urban poor in the slums surrounding the city. As a result of this process, in March 2009 the City Authorities have allocated approximately 15 hectares of land to the implementation of a pro-poor, integrated urban development intervention. The project presented here specifically concerns the practical implementation of sustainable, pro-poor water and sanitation within the overall context of this joint initiative between City Authorities and Civil Society for improving the living conditions of the urban poor in Blantyre.
Objectives: The objectives of the project are: 1) to improve the living conditions of a population of urban poor from the slums surrounding the City of Blantyre, Malawi, by facilitating access to water supply and sanitation in the form of a special revolving loan fund for water and sanitation investments for the urban poor; and 2) to demonstrate and stimulate interest in the combination of water, sanitation and housing as an integrated approach to urban development in a context of rapid urbanization and the problems associated with urban slums. Description: The main outputs of the project are grouped into two components. The water and sanitation development component involves the detailed design and implementation of individual household water and sanitation facilities for 500 households (water connections, Ecosan toilets and soak-away pits for the drainage of household wastewater). Additionally, the access to water and sanitation of another 1000 urban poor households will be facilitated through the establishment of a special revolving loan fund for the urban poor specifically for household water and sanitation investments. The second component, concerning community development and monitoring & evaluation, includes mobilisation of the beneficiary communities, and training on hygiene, as well as the operation and maintenance of the water and sanitation facilities developed under the project. The monitoring and evaluation, as well as the dissemination of the lessons learnt under the project, will also be carried out under this component of the project.
Cost and Financing: The total cost of the project is estimated at € 814 897. The project will be financed by the AWF € 610 790 (74.95%), the CCODE € 44 572 (5.47%) and in kind contributions of the direct Beneficiaries of €159 536 (19.58%). The duration of the project is 36 months from the date of Grant signature.
Justification: The project is in line with the AWF strategy, focusing on strengthening the financial base for water and sanitation development. At the same time, the project contributes to the demonstration of integrated urban development as a way of addressing several of the problems typically associated with informal squatter settlements and slums. While drawing on the active involvement of civil society and community groups as a key element for sustainability, the project furthermore demonstrates a strong and well incorporated social and gender component.
Recommendation: It is recommended that an AWF Grant not exceeding € 610 790 be extended
to the CCODE, in Malawi for the purpose of implementing the project as described in this report.