The principle of subsidiarity is at the core of the Helvetas Program for Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Services (PWS) in Cameroon. The responsibilities for provi-sion and operation of water supply schemes are allocated to Municipal Councils and community-based Water Management Committees.

Helvetas in Cameroon supports rural communities in the realization of water supply schemes in their villages. The technology adopted during implementation is such that completed schemes are operation- and maintenance-friendly. Close to 500 schemes were realized in Cameroon since the inception of the program in 1964, with the majority of them in the Northwest and Southwest Provinces. A survey of these schemes in 1998 indicates that up to 90% are still functioning; few problems concern maintenance. The village project committees were regularly assisted by Helvetas. The challenge remains in transferring the monitoring to local institutions. Previously, hygiene and environmental sanitation were not fully integrated in the activities.

Program for Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Services (PWS): With the decentralization, the Municipal Councils – local government units at the lowest level – became responsible for local development and have to be empowered for basic service provision to the communities. They shall decide about the degree of delegation of responsibilities down to the village level regarding the provision of safe water – including its protection and accompanying hygiene and sanitation measures. Service providers from the private sector are assigned to deliver quality services. The program places pri-ority on the sustainability of water supply schemes by applying efficient operation and maintenance activities, establishing water resource management procedures, and in-troducing hygiene and environmental sanitation measures.

Model for implementation: The model adopted for the implementation of PWS puts the Municipal Councils at the forefront as the contracting authority. Helvetas acts as a facilitator in the process by providing financial and technical assistance to the councils through support service providers. A council sector strategy is elaborated; capacity building tools are prepared and applied to enable all stakeholders involved to play their expected role effectively and efficiently. The council oversees activities in the communities represented at the council level by their Water Management Committees (WMCs). The councils to participate in the first phase of this program from 2004 to 2006 were selected through a transparent process.

Fields of intervention: These include the operation and maintenance of water supply schemes as a priority, water resource management with focus on catchment area pro-tection, water supply production (major repairs, rehabilitations, extensions, and the construction of new schemes) as well as hygiene and environmental sanitation as a compulsory field to accompany any other field chosen.

Program orientation: PWS adopts a working approach that helps to strengthen local councils in their development cooperation with the civil society, the private sector, and communities. It also gives Helvetas the opportunity to reinforce the commitment and cooperation between the stakeholders while observing the basic principles of self-help and self-reliant development. With complementing activities from the Council Support Program (CSP) run by Helvetas in the PWS area, council capacities are enhanced in the line of strategic planning, roles and responsibilities, gender, human rights, local owner-ship, and Good Governance.


SELECTED REFERENCE LIST

Where Helvetas is specifically engaged in rural infrastructure:

• Bhutan, Suspension Bridge Program (SBP) – mandated by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Swiss Federal Government
• Nepal, Water Resources Management Program (WARM-P); Demand-led Rural Infrastruc-ture at Local Level (DRILL) – Helvetas programs, mainly supported by the Department for International Development UK (DFID); Trail Bridge Sub-Sector Support Program (TBSSP) – mandated by SDC and DFID; Rural Access Program (RAP) in consortium with WSP International – mandated by DFID
• Philippines, drinking water supply projects as part of the decentralization support program which is linked with development projects – Helvetas program
• Sri Lanka, collaboration with NGOs in imple-menting community-based infrastructure initiatives such as drinking water supply and sanita-tion projects, shallow wells, culverts, footpath, toilets and low-cost housing projects – Helvetas programs
• Vietnam, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, promotion and dissemination of SODIS allowing the rural population to access clean water – funded by the Swiss private retailer MIGROS
• Benin, rural roads construction and mainte-nance (PASR) – mandated by the Danish development aid DANIDA; construction of health centers, water and sanitation projects (PSS) – mandated by SDC; support to councils in water and sanitation (PACEA) – Helvetas program
• Burkina Faso, construction and maintenance of rural roads (PR-Est) – mandated by SDC
• Cameroon, sector-specific program for Sustainable Water and Sanitation Services (PWS) in combination with a strategic planning project for local governance (CSP) – Helvetas programs
• Lesotho, rural water supply project applying a pooling or sector-wide approach – mandated by SDC
• Mali, promotion of the private sector engaged in water supply and sanitation (ASP-Eau) – Helvetas program; institutional support of the wa-ter sector through capacity- and competence-building (PAI-Eau)– mandated by SDC
• Haiti, drinking water and sanitation program (EPA) – mandated by SDC