Project background: SNV Uganda is implementing a three-year project – Sustainable Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene for All (SWaSSH4A) – with Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) funding of €1,500,000 (€1.665.000 inclusive of co-funding). SWaSSH4A started in November 2022 and builds on two successful phases of “Improving Water Supply Sustainability” IWAS I 2014-2017 and IWAS II 2019-2021. The project covers four districts in the Lango sub-region of Northern Uganda: Lira, Alebtong, Dokolo and Kole.

As indicated in the project Logical framework, SWaSSH4A contributes to the sustainable reduction of poverty, vulnerability, and inequality in Alebtong, Dokolo, Kole and Lira districts (impact level) through increased sustainable access to inclusive, climate resilient and safe water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services in the rural areas of the Alebtong, Dokolo, Kole and Lira districts (outcome level).

SWaSSH4A uses a Climate-Resilient Rural WASH (CRRWASH) approach, which is area-wide, assisting local governments in realising the human rights to water (supply) and sanitation, improving the climate resilience of services and reducing vulnerabilities of rural populations to water-related risks. The project strengthens WASH governance, rural service providers’ performance, and infrastructure construction and rehabilitation quality. Preventive maintenance ensures a reliable water supply and ultimately saves money. By strengthening consumer supply chains and financing, SNV develops rural WASH markets and supports evidence-based behavioural change.

The five-component CRRWASH approach is mirrored in the output areas that SWaSSH4A plans to achieve, in addition to a sixth learning one, while aligning to national approaches and systems and the underlying strategic documents:

• Output 1: Strengthened inclusive WASH governance, in particular around Gender, Equity, and Social Inclusion (GESI) and climate resilience in Alebtong, Dokolo, Kole and Lira districts.
• Output 2: Improved operation and maintenance of water supply services in the rural areas of the Alebtong, Dokolo, Kole and Lira districts
• Output 3: Improved quality and pace of rehabilitation of water points in the rural areas of the Alebtong, Dokolo, Kole and Lira districts
• Output 4: Increased availability of affordable and durable sanitation products and services for rural households in Alebtong, Dokolo, Kole and Lira districts
• Output 5: Increased outreach and quality of sanitation and hygiene behavioural change interventions in Alebtong, Dokolo, Kole and Lira districts
• Output 6: Improved coordination, learning and documentation

The specific targets at outcome level are:

• 237,500 additional people with access to basic drinking water supply in compliance with quantity, quality, accessibility, and reliability norms
• 50,000 additional people with access and use of basic sanitation (JMP definitions)
• 40,000 people gaining access to basic hand washing with soap (JMP definitions)

Within the 6 output areas, SWaSSH4A aims to achieve:

Output 1:

• Score 2 for all four districts and 2 for at least 22 of the 34 SWSSBs (using SNV´s score card approach) in quality and regularity of multi-stakeholder alignment and coordination on climate resilience and WASH at district and sub-county levels (District Water and Sanitation Coordination Committee-DWSCC and Subcounty Water Supply and Sanitation Boards SWSSBs)
• Score 2 for all 4 districts (using FGD with female members and non-members of the DWSCC) on participation and influence of women
• Score 1 for all 4 districts (using FGD with female members and non-members of the DWSCC) on influence of person with disability.
• At least 102 women in leadership positions in the 34 SWSSBs and 12 on the DWSCCC.

Output 2:

• At least 80% of the 950 Water Sources have functional committees (with 30% of committee members being women) At least 80% of the 950 Water Source Committees (WSCs) have active, capable caretakers (a total of 1,900 caretakers- per each of the 950 water sources)
• At least 80% of the 140 Hand pump mechanics- HPMs are capable and equipped to perform their roles (assessed through Hand Mechanics Associations and their members).
• At least 760 water points (out of 950) under the project have downtime below threshold value (from household survey & endline survey results).

Output 3:

•  At least 140 boreholes rehabilitated across the four (4) project districts; as per the pragmatic data/progress reports.
• Number of water and sanitation contractors in the 4 districts with good understanding of climate resilience of WASH infrastructures, measured through Focused Group Discussions (FGD) during endline survey,

Output 4:

•  At least 10 trained masons and 2 hardware shops active in sanitation hardware and services through baseline and endline survey results.
• At least 1 affordable (basic) sanitation option per district, through baseline and end line survey findings.
• At least 2500 households have durable latrines (baseline and end line survey data)

Output 5:

•  At least 237,500 people reached with sanitation and hygiene messages (baseline and survey results).
• Sanitation and hygiene behavioural change messages are recalled in similar levels by different social groups (men/women, age groups, wealth groups, ethnic groups) in all the four project districts (from baseline and endline survey data).
•  At least Number of districts and sub-counties with capacity to steer sanitation and hygiene behavioural change interventions at scale and with quality.
• All the 4 districts and 34 sub-counties have technical capacity to steer sanitation and hygiene behavioural change interventions at scale and with quality (through self-assessment by DWSCC and SWSSB).

Output 6:

•  At least 7 national, regional events supported and attended by the project (from secondary data- e.g. events reports).
• The project team is represented/participated in at least 3 Sector Working group (SWG) meetings with learning objectives held (based on progress reports).

 Midline Survey and assessment of governance and capacity related Indicators

At the onset of the project (May 2024), the underlisted governance and capacity related indicators were assessed using a standardised scorecard approach:

1. Progress in the capacity of local governments or line agencies to steer sanitation demand creation processes, with quality, in their area.
2. Progress in the capacity of local government or line agencies to steer the development of rural water supply, with quality, in their area.
3. Progress on the influence of women, in rural WASH programmes (logical framework indicator 1.2)
4. Progress on the influence of people with disability in rural WASH programmes (logical framework indicator 1.2)
5. Progress towards professionalised and viable post-construction support mechanisms for rural water supply
6. Strength of systems and organisation of the Sub- County Water Board
7. Performance of the Board on maintenance and water safety
8. Progress towards financially sustainable water supply services at WSC level
9. Improved performance and accountability of WASH contractors (for infrastructure and software)
10. Progress of responsible line agencies to institutionalise BCC for WASH
11. Progress in availability of affordable sanitation options for the poorest wealth quintiles
12. Progress on the influence of poor households in rural WASH programmes
13. Progress in the affordability of water supply tariffs to the poorest wealth quintiles
14. Quality and regularity of multi-stakeholder alignment and coordination on clim