Community Empowerment Strategy of Swajal

In the Water and Sanitation Sector, the women are the main stakeholders. Empowerment of women is a major element in realizing the intended objective of sustainable health & hygiene through improvement in water supply and sanitation services. Initially, Health & Environmental Sanitation Awareness (HESA), Women Development Initiatives (WDI) and Non Formal Education (NFE), the primary tools for bringing about women empowerment in the project were implemented independent of each other. I, as Director of ATI, Nainital, which had the onus of Community Development Trainings, was actively involved with the project. The ATI and PMU had deliberated and finalized community empowerment strategy. In the revised strategy all these activities (HESA, WDI, NFE) were implemented in tandem as per the demand of the community. Salient features of Strategy are given below:

• The village was divided into manageable geographical clusters (in foothills and Bundelkhand regions, one cluster not exceeding 100 households and in hills not exceeding 30 households).
• In each cluster, a multipurpose women’s cluster group was formed drawing one woman from each household in the cluster. These cluster groups become the focal points of action in the village. The membership of this cluster group was of two types; one who were willing to indulge in saving and credit activity and the others who are interested only in realizing the benefits of safe water and sanitation. The members who were willing to indulge in savings and credit activities were free to form one or more self-help groups (SHGs) within the cluster.
• A representative body of all the cluster women groups was formed at the village level and known as “Swajal Saheli Samooh”. The members of cluster groups were free to prefix of suffix any name to the “Swajal Saheli Samooh” and SHG.
• The role of SO was to facilitate in identification of learning needs of the cluster groups a vis- a vis HESA, WDI, NFE in the overall framework of water supply and sanitation and decide the -required interventions in consultation with the cluster group.
• A menu of activities was suggested by PMU and their norms for the use of community/SOs to choose from them as per need and demand of the community. The SOs were actively encouraged to show initiative by suggesting activities other than those already mentioned in the menu.
• The cluster group plays a leading role in determining, planning and implementing these activities. The activities taken up with the objectives of empowering the community, especially women, who were the main stakeholders, so that their ability to make decisions may be enhanced, they were able to participate effectively in the planning and implementation of the project and the overall quality of their lives was improved.
• Special emphasis was given to build the capacity of the cluster groups in understanding the importance of Healthy Home Surveys and conducting these periodically, discuss the findings in community wide meeting and document the behavioral change. The community was involved in setting of objectives, targets and strategies for health & hygiene improvement in the village based on the finding s of Healthy Home Surveys.
• The facility of Private Rural Initiatives Programme (PRIP) grants was admissible to any number of SHGs in a village (earlier it was two SHGs per village) who fulfill the conditions prescribed for the same.
• There were only three CAPs (Community Action Plan) instead of nine:

1. Technical Plan, which incorporates the Construction of water supply scheme, Latrine and Drainage and VEAP Plans.
2. Contribution and Management Plan, which incorporates the M&E, O&M and Cash and Labour Contribution Plan.
3. Community Empowerment Plan, which incorporates the HESA/WDI/NFE plans.

The strategy can be replicated in WATSAN sector as well in other development sectors. The guiding principle should be to take up integrated approach for community development activities, which lead to women empowerment and increase their ability to make decisions and improve their stake in decision-making.

Dr. R.S. Tolia,

Ex. Principal Secretary & Commissioner

Forest & Rural Development,

Government of Uttaranchal