Building Momentum - Is Self-starter the New Self-sufficient?
September 8, 2011
By Ned Breslin
Every time I see Mayor Mendoza, I am greeted by his warm smile and a firm hug. When I saw him yesterday, however, the mayor of the Honduran municipality of San Antonio de Cortes had something important he wanted to discuss, something that he had been thinking about since I had last seen him eight months ago.
I first visited San Antonio in 2007, when we tested Water For People’s newly developed mapping and monitoring system with the World Water Corps, the volunteer wing of Water For People. Each visit to this progressive municipality brings new ideas and results — for example, I have been stunned by the roll-out of water meters to more effectively track water use and tariffs throughout San Antonio — and the people here like to think big.
Mayor Amner Mendoza Motiño, a tall man who seems to always be smiling, is on of those big thinkers. An agricultural extensionist by training and profession, Mayor Mendoza has only recently come into formal politics. I had last seen him in the nearby municipality of Chinda in January, when the mayor of that town was announcing that Chinda had reached full coverage for EVERYONE – every citizen had clean water and sanitation.
Yesterday, Mayor Mendoza asked me why Water For People had not signed a similar agreement with San Antonio, because he also wanted to achieve full coverage for EVERYONE.
The only response that I could muster was, “That’s a good question!”
As I have mentioned in a previous blog about lasting coverage, Water For People is modeling EVERYONE initiatives globally: meaning that everyone, including future generations, can and should have access to sustainable clean water systems.
This is not just an idea for us to brand. Rather, we believe this campaign can become a movement, focusing on lasting coverage, boosting low levels of coverage to full coverage, and setting up financial, technical, and managerial systems that will ensure that water poverty is truly eradicated — co-financing all around; 10 years of monitoring and support; services to all villages, not just those that are easily accessible and thus less costly.
What do you think?
The possibility of achieving full coverage can not be over emphasised, especially in developing countries. Access to safe water all the time will ensure sustainable economic development as the quality of life, thus productivity of all will improve. in uganda for instance, National water is doing its best, thanks to the MD, Dr. william T Muhairwe,though there are still a lot of challenges like:- coverage is limited by a lot of factors ranging from limited infrastructure to reach villages, lack of adequate funding, need for comprehensive capital investment especilly in the sanitation sector, cultural practices that limit locals from understanding the need for water preservation and optimum usage etc. The possibility of networking with people, organisations, donor agencies that share the same ideal- it is possible for all to access safe water will go a long way in boosting the services of water and sanitation in Uganda and will form a basis for training all people to jealously guard, maintain and sustain water facilities in Uganda. So let all sign up and volunteer to steer this cause in our communities, we shall all be winners.