We take you on a journey through highlights of our focus countries, collected for the IRC Annual Report 2018.
Published on: 01/08/2019
"We need to change the point of view of national and municipal authorities that costs are the main factor when prioritising where to invest. The main factor should be meeting the SDGs and ensuring that everyone has access to water and sanitation services, and stopping the exclusion of those who have been excluded for many years." - Pedro Ortiz, co-ordinator of the executive secretary CONASA (Consejo Nacional de Agua y Saneamiento; National Water and Sanitation Council)
Pedro Ortiz's comment refers to the efforts to address the water and sanitation needs of people living in what are called 'dispersed rural areas'. These are small and remote settlements that have so far fallen off the radar when planning for reaching people with WASH services in Honduras. Providing services in these settlements is a challenge, but also a must if the country is to reach universal coverage.
The results of a pilot study we conducted with Water For People, showed that there are models to serve these areas in an effective way. Plus, the cost of service provision in these areas is not significantly higher than in larger and more concentrated rural villages.
Based on these findings we helped formulate policy guidelines on roles, responsibilities and approaches for service provision in such areas. These guidelines are currently awaiting formal approval by CONASA. Once approved, they will act as guidelines to provide services for people who up to now have remained largely excluded and unattended.
1 Purchasing power parity (PPP) is a popular metric used by macroeconomic analysts to compare economic productivity and standards of living between countries.
2 Water coverage percentages refer to services that are at least basic = improved source within 30 minutes round trip collection time.
3 Sanitation coverage percentages refer to services that are at least basic = use of improved facilities which are not shared with other households. These definitions applies to all country infographics.