By Stephanie Miller | Business Development Writer
Water For People continues to work to foster and effectively grow a sanitation marketplace appropriate to the rural Honduran context. Over the course of the last year, staff worked with microfinance institutions, masons and hardware stores to support the complete sanitation process – from toilet construction to purchase and installation. This January, Water For People and Credisol signed a cooperation agreement, which indicated that Water For People would provide Credisol with technical assistance regarding the sanitation markets and various types of sanitation technologies. Recently, the first day of training took place for the loan promoters from Credisol. The topic of the training centered on Sustainable Sanitation and included information on lack of sanitation coverage, use of latrines and the sanitation value chain. Different types of sanitation technologies, construction, materials, prices and social marketing techniques were also covered. The training included group practice activities on promotion and sales. Excitingly, a second working session is planned to reinforce the training on sanitation technologies.
Additionally, two water and sanitation specialists from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) visited San Antonio de Cortes in late March. The purpose of the visit was to converse with local stakeholders about the impact of the projects financed by IDB, including the 17 Communities Water System. Representatives from the 17 Communities water committee, the mayor and the municipal water and sanitation technician participated in the visit, and discussion topics included the challenges and successes of the project, the sustainability of the system and user satisfaction related to water services. The mayor and community members expressed their gratitude for the IDB’s support, emphasizing their appreciation for bringing water to some communities that had never had improved water service.
Similarly to the Credisol training, in April, Water For People held the first training for the loan promoters from our new micro-finance partner, Fundación Horizontes de Amistad, on sustainable sanitation technologies. Through the agreement signed with Fundación Horizontes de Amistad in February, Water For People will provide technical training to Fundación Horizontes de Amistad on sanitation technologies and the sanitation market. Seventeen loan promoters attended the training and these individuals will promote sanitation loans in eight municipalities within the departments of Cortés, Santa Bárbara and Yoro.
Finally, Water For People began annual monitoring of public institutions in San Antonio de Cortes. The monitoring was kicked off with training workshops to discuss the process, indicators and Akvo FLOW (a system used for the purposes of comprehensive water system monitoring and evaluation) with key local actors including the Municipal Association of Water Committees, the Local Supervisory and Control Unit, local education authorities, representatives of the municipal health center and the National System of Aqueducts and Sewers (SANAA). The workshops also had the objective of moving toward a culture of institutionalizing monitoring within local entities.
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