Projects on improving access to safe water and sanitation: Project “Safe sanitation, health and dignity” and Projects of the ELA Program

Projects’ participants

Ukrainian network MAMA-86: Kyiv Central office and 9 regional branches: MAMA-86-Artemivsk, MAMA-86-Mykolaiv, MAMA-86-Nizhyn, MAMA-86-Nova Kahovka, MAMA-86-Sevastopol, MAMA-86-Ternopil, MAMA-86-Feodosia, MAMA-86-Yaremche, MAMA-86-Poltava. Overall National project coordinator — Kyiv Central office of MAMA-86.

Main partner

Women in Europe for a Common Future — WECF, the Netherlands and Germany.

Donors

French Foundation Ensemble, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Co-financing of the Program Empowerment and Local Action ( ЕLA), funded by MFS Program of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ELA Program is implemented by Women in Europe for Common Future) — WECF in the EECCA region. MAMA-86 is participating in ELA Program from January 2008.

Thematic issues

Sanitation (wastewaters and solid wastes), Water Supply, Water and Health, Organic Agriculture, Capacity building at local level.

Period of implementation

Project "Safe sanitation, health and dignity" 10/2007 — 09/2010

ELA program projects are 1year projects started in January 2008:

1st ELA project of MAMA-86 — "Community empowerment and local actions on Sustainable sanitation for Safe water and Sustainable development of rural and peri-urban areas of Ukraine" — 1 January — 31 December 2008.

2d ELA project of MAMA-86 — "Ecosan promotion in Ukraine by local actions and legal framework development" — 1 January — 31 December 2009.

Project area: rural community, garden and dachas cooperatives, peri-urban areas and city microdistricts of cottages in 9 regions of Ukraine, where MAMA-86 is working: Kyiv, Artemivsk, Mykolayiv, Nizhyn, Nova Kahovka, Poltava, Sevastopol, Feodosiya, Yaremche.

Target groups

• People (rural communities, members of gardening — dacha cooperatives, dwellers of peri-urban and city areas without connection to centralized Water Supply and sanitation systems;
• Local authorities;
• Experts on WSS, Hygiene and Health, scientists, mass media.

The main goal: to improve access to safe sanitation and water supply by raising awareness and capacity building of poor local communities and cooperation of stakeholders to implement environmentally friendly, economically affordable and efficient ecosanitation technologies in 9 project areas. Projects will contribute to the sustainable implementation of MDG 7, 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the target regions and show ways to improved living and health conditions for the poor and rural population of Ukraine. Replicable demonstration projects on cost reduction, income generation, and environmental protection will be implemented in 9 projects areas for poverty elimination.

Projects’ tasks

• To enhance public knowledge about water and health, principles of sustainable development of water sector, wastewater management and ensuring hygienic welfare as the basis for welfare and health, modern ekosanitary approaches and technologies to address problems of sanitation, green gardening, organic farming at individual household and local communities;
• To build local capacity to mobilize communities to solve local problems of sanitation and water, to train local trainers on ecosan and environmentally friendly technologies for 9 project communities;
• To implement model of ecosan technologies to spread in 9 project areas;
• To improve access to sanitation conditions of more than 1000 citizens by building of:
  1. dry toilets for 61 private households,
  2. dry toilets for 2 schools,
  3. filters for cleaning «gray» sewage to 9 households and 2 schools,
  4. facilities for composting organic households waste.
• To improve water supply in 3 towns by the study and analysis of local problems, and discuss their solutions. Preparation of Water Safety Plans for 3 schools and localities.

Expected results

• 2 schools and 61 private dry toilets will be built in 9 regions;
• 300 residents of 61 households and 200 students of two schools improve access to sanitary conditions;
• 1.000 villagers benefit and have better knowledge of environmentally sustainable facilities;
• 9 MAMA-86 branches and 50 local citizens improved their skills in project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and hence can continue sensible environmental projects;
• 500 students and teachers of 3 schools will participate in the studies of local sources of drinking water, development of maps of nitrate contamination of drinking water sources in 3 locations, communities, 3 villages discuss water safety plans for 3 schools and local communities;
• Information about the proposed measures reached 1 million inhabitants in Ukraine;
• Based on the results of pilots implementation MAMA-86 partner organizations and 500 local citizens will actively participated in policy making on local, regional and (inter)national level.

Obtained Results for the period January 2008 — June 2009 for directions:

1. Safe sanitation

By April 1, 2009 32 ekosan private toilets were built, 21 ekosan private toilets were under the construction. In Nizhyn 1 «gray water» filter water was built.

2. Safe Water

• During 2008 students of 19 schools in 7 project areas monitored well and surface water for nitrates. Water from 339 wells, 28 captations and streams and 10 rivers and canals was tested. The information on water quality was provided to local residents, authorities, SES. Nitrate monitoring results of 2008 were included into MAMA-86’s publication «Nitrate contamination of the drinking water sources in Ukraine». Maps of nitrate contamination of wells were done for 3 villages. Results of children water monitoring in the village Korsunka of Novo- Kakhovsky rayon Kherson oblast, v. Machuhy Poltava rayon and city Nizhyn became the basis for discussion of the drinking water supply of the local schools.
• Inventory of Solid waste allocations was started in 5 communities.

3. Sustainable Agriculture

• Poltava Regional Centre of sustainable rural development began work by conducting seminars and trainings on organic farming and sustainable ecosan technologies. MAMA-86- Nizhyn is continuing work of the Infocentre on organic farming, which was created in 2004.
• Training on composting of organic waste and implement recommendations on safe disposal and secondary use of human excreta were organized in 8 regions started and in accordance with the "WHO recommendation on the safe use of wastewater, excreta and domestic water".

4. Citizen’s Capacity Strengthening

• To conduct information and educational work MAMA-86 published 45 info materials on sanitation, hygiene and water.
• 3 national training-seminars on the construction of dry toilet, composting organic waste and natural treatment of «gray» wastewater for the MAMA-86 staff were organized. In each regional team is now 1—2 on ecosan trainers, who consult and participate in the implementation of pilot projects locally.
• In 2008, base line studies have been carried out in 8 project areas.
• During this period, 84 publications and interviews in national and local mass media were made on issues of sanitation, safe drinking.

These projects are proceeding with ecosanitation promotion in Ukraine and are based on previous practical experience and knowledge gained in the MAMA-86’s Water Campaign and a joint previous project with WECF «Cooperation for Sustainable Rural Development».

Contact:
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