New roles for rural water associations and boards in Honduras

Transcription

1 The Water and Sanitation Program is an internationa partnership for improving water and sanitation sector poicies, practices, and capacities to serve poor peope September 2004 Fied Note Decentraization of rura water and sanitation services New roes for rura water associations and boards in Honduras With a new move towards decentraizing water and sanitation services in Honduras, municipaities, community water boards and associations of users need to have the capacity to fufi their obigation in deveoping community participation and demand to provide high quaity services. This fied note presents exampes of severa initiatives of communities, municipaities, the centra government, NGOs and internationa aid agencies to promote the organization of rura communities and associations of water users in Honduras.

2 Actua coverage of rura infrastructure is around 70%, or amost 2,500,000 peope. Of these ony a third has continuous access to water and ess than 14% reguary chorinates its drinking water. Background Decentraization in the water and sanitation sector in Honduras As in most Latin American countries, the water and sanitation sector of Honduras is going through a decentraization process that induces profound changes. New reguatory, technica, panning and poitica authorities are being created and existing ones overhaued. Whie the objective has been to create an environment where higher quaity services can be deivered by more responsive actors, aternatives for sma towns and rura areas have not received the same attention in reforms as the arger cities. It is cear from experiences in both deveoped and deveoping countries that organizing rura users with representative oca water boards and joining these oca boards into water users associations can provide essentia eements for mutua support and sustainabiity of quaity services. There are some 4,500 rura piped water suppy systems in Honduras with 1,200 users on average. Around 250,000 more peope are served by rura wes and hand pumps. With the recenty approved Water and Sanitation Sector Law, responsibiity for operating, maintaining, disinfecting, and repairing these services are deegated to municipaities and oca water boards. A rura water suppy systems are run by the communities themseves, usuay through ocay eected water boards. Actua coverage of rura infrastructure is around 70%, or amost 2,500,000 peope. Of these ony a third has continuous access to water and ess than 14% reguary chorinates its drinking water. Despite important efforts in the ast two decades to expand water infrastructure to unserved thousands, many piped water suppy systems have shown to be of imited sustainabiity. In some cases, poor project panning (no attention to users demands, wiingness to pay and technica abiities), poor construction and materias, and ack of adequate training have caused piped water suppy systems to run deficienty or coapse atogether ong before their panned 20-year span is up. During the 1990 s, severa NGOs, and the Government of Honduras as we, began to execute strategies to improve the sustainabiity of municipa and rura water services. Better training, improved designs, and retrofitting of chorinators were a used to improve the quaity of systems, services and drinking water. But perhaps the most significant and innovative changes made were in the strategy of organizing the communities themseves. The nationa government made it easier for oca water boards to adopt standardized by-aws and thereby become ega entities for operating their piped water suppy systems, and a the major NGOs, internationa cooperation agencies and deveopment banks adopted these common toos as part of a strategy to strengthen oca water boards or Juntas Administradoras de Agua (JAAs). However, it soon became cear that the next ogica step in pursuing the sustainabiity of rura water and sanitation services was the organization of associations of water boards, which provide many of the key eements that cannot be suppied by nationa government or actors externa to the communities, or any amount of outside funds. This fied note describes six experiences in Honduras showing the roe of water associations and their inks at the oca, municipa, regiona and nationa eve. Each seeks to unite the efforts of users in different ways but a towards the goa of improving, expanding and sustaining water services, especiay for the poor. Initiatives at oca eve The abiity of centra governments to finance or provide safe rura water and sanitation services is decreasing. Their financia, technica, administrative and ogistica support is focused on more popuated cities and towns and much ess in disperse, distant rura areas or even in the urban ow-income neighborhoods (barrios). The poor wi continue to be unserved if centraized institutions without incentives or capacity were soey responsibe for extending access to the poor. One effective option is supporting community water boards and associations of water users to fufi functions in panning, impementing and managing both water and sanitation services and even in providing technica support to their neighbors and other poor rura communities. New aws have 2

3 New roes for rura water associations and boards in Honduras reorganized the sector and finay carified the roes of different actors, incuding rura water boards and their regionaized associations. The experience of FUNDAPAT: Vountary contributions, the private sector and a revoving fund The Fundación Agua para Todos (Water for A Foundation, or FUNDAPAT) was created in 1992 by initiative of the United Nations Chidren s Fund (UNICEF) and the Tegucigapa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIT), the Association of Communications Media (AMC) and the Nationa Autonomous Water and Sewer Service (SANAA). Together, they aunched a specia fundraising campaign to expand water services in ow-income peri-urban shanty towns of Tegucigapa, the capita city of Honduras. Many famiies in the city that did not have forma water services were actuay spending up to 40 times per iter what their richer neighbors paid for SANAA service, but they had no choice but to buy very ow quaity water from private vendors. SANAA and UNICEF had aready estabished the specia Executing Unit for Deveoping Barrios (shanty towns), responsibe for financing innovative water projects to bring safe, economica service to the urban poor. Trough this new initiative, FUNDAPAT, actuay raised money from the more fortunate househods connected to the SANAA water system by encosing a specia receipt to water customers that aowed them to round-up their monthy bi and make specia donations to the FUNDAPAT fund. Friendy governments ike Taiwan aso supported the fund. To date, FUNDAPAT has coected Lps. 10 miion 1 (more than ten times its origina seed fund) through fundraising and interest on certificates of deposit. In the past five years, FUNDAPAT has made financing avaiabe to urban and rura communities throughout the country for new or expanded water and sanitation infrastructure. Some of the most unique aspects of the FUNDAPAT program incude: Since 1993 has managed to estabish a capita seed for financing more than 104 compex piped water suppy projects, improving the access of the water to poor communities, benefiting 105,100 peope. According to an Evauation Report from UNICEF, the FUNDAPAT- SANAA-UNICEF program was abe to mobiize in the period Lps 25,9 miion in water and sanitation projects in poor communities, from which 17% came from community cofinancing, 37% from the revoving fund from the repayment of the oan via tariff set by SANAA, previousy agreed with community, 30% counterpart from SANAA and 16% from UNICEF for technica assistance in the impementation of the program, incuding the production of training 1 Equivaent to US$ 549 thousand doars. Given the constant devauation of oca currency with respect to the US Doar, figure does not represent the actua growth in terms of HON Lempiras. Exchance rate in 1992 was Lps 5.49 for US Doar, current exchange rate is Lps for US$ Doar according to Honduras Centra Bank. materia, workshops and hiring educators. A funds are provided as no-interest oans for some materias directy to the communities. Moratory rates are extremey ow. A repayments go to a revoving fund in order to make FUNDAPAT more sustainabe and to benefit additiona communities. The projects are executed with the active participation of the benefited communities, vauing their contribution on the base of the manua abor and oca materias (sand, bricks and wood) provided by the communities themseves, for the construction of the projects. Funds are provided directy to communities, which are then responsibe for directy contracting construction services and supervising their work. 3

4 JAPOE s environmenta and agricuture training work with viages that share their watershed has expanded into basic technica assistance to those viages in water system administration, operation, maintenance and drinking water quaity. The communities assume the administration, operation and maintenance of the systems through oca water boards, coordinating efforts to guarantee the sustainabiity of the projects. The oans, community financing and a participative decision-making process open to a wide range of technica options, create a strong sense of ownership on the part of users, which in turn creates more sustainabe projects and enabes repayment of oans. Lessons earned FUNDAPAT has provided at east three important essons to the sector: The private sector has much potentia both as a source of resources and of transparency. There is much potentia synergy to be created among the private sector, the government, internationa aid agencies and civi society. It is a program that can hep define and channe information to communities, and generate demand and promote wiingness to pay for safe, reiabe water and sanitation services, as we as contribute to improve reimbursement of capita costs. FUNDAPAT: Goas, project cyce and administrative structure Goas Contribute to improved access to safe water and sanitation services and technica assistance to poor communities Promote users participation through community socia-economic assessments and panning Organize and train oca Water Boards for system operation and maintenance Provide sanitary education for behaviora change Promote oca source water protection Support the organizationa deveopment of counterparts Promote and channe the participation of the private sector Project cyce 1. Communities request support 2. SANAA carries out community panning and feasibiity studies 3. FUNDAPAT s Board of Directors approves projects 4. UNICEF tenders bidding for materias 5. FUNDAPAT does purchasing - FUNDAPAT funds cover materias ony 6. FUNDAPAT deivers materias to SANAA offices 7. SANAA supervises construction, providing an engineer and trainers 8. SANAA recovers oan repayments, which are turned over to the FUNDAPAT Revoving Fund FUNDAPAT administrative structure 4 members from Tegucigapa s Chamber of Industry and Commerce: President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer JAPOE: An independent water board protecting municipa water resources In 1992, the municipaity of Jesus de Otoro, a 25,000 peope mid size municipaity ocated in centra west Honduras, faced a serious chaenge. Their water system had coapsed, and the municipaity that had managed service for 30 years had saved no funds to repace it. Through a referendum, more than haf of the town voted to repace the municipaity with an eected water board, charged with managing a new water system to be partiay rebuit with centra government subsidies. In 1995, the Jesus de Otoro Water Board (JAPOE, in Spanish) was egay incorporated and mandated to: Operate, maintain and repair the municipa system serving 1,245 connections (a separate service not managed by JAPOE benefits an additiona of 300 househods). Deiver high quaity, disinfected water 24 hours a day in their jurisdiction. 4

5 New roes for rura water associations and boards in Honduras Coect and manage tariffs for system operation and future expansion or repacement. Manage an environmenta fund to protect the Rio Cumes watershed that suppies the Jesus de Otoro piped water suppy system. A of these mandates are being met with high quaity service by JAPOE, and some of them merit specia attention here. In order to ensure the sustainabiity not ony of infrastructure but more importanty of the service, JAPOE itsef requires tariffs to be sufficient not ony to cover routine operation and maintenance costs, but aso to set aside 30% of the monthy payments in certificates of deposit for future system repacement. To date, JAPOE maintains a separate account with more than US$55,000 on deposit. At the end of the minima 20-year design ife of the system, JAPOE expects to have around US$ 300,000 in the specia account, more than enough to guarantee private, nationa or internationa oans for a new system or to serve as oca counterpart funding to reduce subsidized grants to repace infrastructure. JAPOE s work is sti more innovative in protecting their water source. The Rio Cumes watershed serves Jesus de Otoro and about 2,400 peope in 6 smaer rura communities upstream from the main town. Popuation pressures and inappropriate and use threatened the river s quaity and fow. With guidance from the Swiss Agency for Deveopment and Cooperation (SDC), Jesus de Otoro estabished in 1995 an environmenta fund into which a portion of every connections monthy tariff (US$0.06) and 1% of the municipaities annua budget are reguary paid. This fund has accumuated more than US$30,000, incuding additiona grants from NGOs and internationa agencies ike SDC. From the Fund, JAPOE has financed: Mapping of the 3,000 hectare watershed, incuding and use, risks and conficts. The entire watershed has been marked in the fied, and warning/ informationa signs have been instaed on a roads through communities within the watershed. Contracts with producers in the watershed for payments on a scae guided by appropriate and uses (highest for mature forest protected, through young forest, new growth forest, cean (coffee) agricuture and owest paid for agroforestry). Payments average $45 a year to each of 70 producers. Speciaized training in sustainabe hiside agricutura practices in a communities within the watershed. JAPOE s environmenta and agricuture training work with viages that share their watershed has expanded into basic technica assistance to those viages in water system administration, operation, maintenance and drinking water quaity. The NGO Cathoic Reief Services (CRS) has supported JAPOE since the beginning, especiay in sustainabe agricuture, training and organizationa deveopment. Current chaenges to JAPOE incude the instaation of a new gas chorination system donated by Spain, doubing the amount charged to tariffs for the Environmenta Fund, expanding watershed protection components to the viages in the other watershed that serves the sector of the town not managed by JAPOE, and consoidating reationships with the municipaity and regiona deveopment organizations active in the same communities. 5

6 COMASY serves as a cearinghouse for viages to be aware of funding opportunities and to hep them compy with the different technica, financia and socia criteria of donors. Organizations at the municipa eve Members of the Yoro Municipa Water and Sanitation Committee (COMASY) COMASY: A municipa water and sanitation committee Soon after Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the Mayor of Yoro, in the northern province of the same name, faced compicated institutiona reations with centra government ministries and programs, and a mutitude of NGOs, internationa agencies and oca water boards active in his jurisdiction. There was itte coordination and dupicity of efforts in some viages and no attention to others. Benefiting from SANAA s regiona office, on the strongest regiona offices nearby, and thanks to the support of an especiay active SANAA Regiona Director, in 2000, the Yoro Municipa Water and Sanitation Committee (COMASY) was created and assigned the responsibiities of: Coordinating with a water and sanitation actors working in Yoro. Estabishing minimum tariffs for a piped water suppy systems in the jurisdiction, by type of service. Supporting the Municipa Environmenta Unit (UMA) in protecting watersheds. Estabishing norms and criteria for technica, training and administrative activities for actors and community water boards. Estabishing and supervising a chorine bank. Additionay, a these goas have been reached, COMASY has: Mayor of Yoro or his representative SANAA-USAID project representative The Municipa Environmenta Unit Regiona Ministry of Heath office The Nationa Forestry Corporation Estabished a permanent ine item in the municipa budget for basic operations; carried out reguar microbioogica, physica and chemica water quaity monitoring in a piped water suppy systems within their jurisdiction. Trained 80% of the rura community water boards in Yoro. Estabished a minimum tariff of US$1.60 for the most basic water services (higher in more compex piped water suppy systems). Created a centra information system on water boards, systems and services in their jurisdiction, and managed the overa panning of investment in the town and outying viages by identifying and prioritizing water and sanitation investment projects. The roe of COMASY as an intermediary between nationa, internationa and NGO programs and oca communities is especiay noteworthy. COMASY serves as a cearinghouse for viages to be aware of funding opportunities and to hep them compy with the different technica, financia and socia criteria of donors. The monthy meetings of The NGO Word Vision The NGO Doctors without Borders Regiona SANAA office Representative of Municipa Association of Water Boards of Yoro (AJAMY) COMASY are attended by a wide variety of members (see box above). COMASY s most important chaenge is to incorporate fu-time staff to respond to the increasing demand of community water boards, NGOs and internationa agencies. Currenty, COMASY has an office, office equipment and a secretary suppied by the municipaity, but no promoter. Member agencies and municipa UMA staff provide support when they can. AJAMY: The municipa association of water boards Buiding on the success of COMASY in Yoro, SANAA began to reaize that organizing a the rura water boards in a municipaity had positive resuts for SANAA s work and the mode was adapted in other areas. In Yoro, as a compement to the Mayoraty-based COMASY, SANAA stimuated the association of the rura water piped water suppy systems in the jurisdiction as we. Thus was borne the Municipa Association of Water Boards of Yoro (AJAMY), and began an informa nationa strategy by SANAA to estabish 6

7 New roes for rura water associations and boards in Honduras simiar rura associations in as many municipaities as possibe. The goas of AJAMY and a simiar Municipa Water Associations (AJAMs) are to: Defend the interests of rura community water boards. Serve as a ink between the municipaity, Municipa Water and Sanitation Committees (ike COMASY) and rura water boards in its jurisdiction. Promote citizens participation in the buiding, operation and management of water and sanitation infrastructure. Some of the achievements of joint COMASY and AJAMY efforts incude: Standardizing training, operations, maintenance, and disinfection methodoogies. A chorine bank administered by AJAMY and supervised by COMASY. 34 of 80 water boards in Yoro reportedy chorinate their piped water suppy systems. AJAMY manages a budget for technica assistance and mutua support. 5% of the tariffs coected by each community water board is transferred to AJAMY. AJAMY and COMASY periodicay audit rura water boards. AJAMY supports individua communities in reducing nonpayments and in service suspensions to moratory househods. Loca water boards report AJAMY and COMASY support in: - Faciitating paperwork and requests to sector agencies. - Professiona support for egaizing viage water boards. - Buiding 17 new projects. - Rebuiding 21 piped water suppy systems damaged by Hurricane Mitch in Buiding atrines in 40 communities. - Eaborating 25 feasibiity studies for new piped water suppy systems ooking for financing. Some of the chaenges now faced by AJAMY and COMASY incude: carrying out an inventory of micro-watersheds and drinking water sources in their jurisdiction; readjusting the municipa tariff structures to be ess onerous to the smaest communities; incorporating futime staff and promoters into both COMASY and AJAMY; and fighting the quasi-ega permits for expoiting forests in vita watersheds that the nationa Forestry Administration Service (COHDEFOR) insists on granting. Indeed, the ack of invovement and responsibiity of COHDEFOR in COMASY is a common compaint throughout the municipaity. The roe of the state In 1993, SANAA and the officia US Aid Agency (USAID) began the Operation and Maintenance Technician Training Program (TOMs, in Spanish) in recognition of the need to decentraize the management of rura water services to the owest possibe eve and provide technica backstopping to oca water boards. It quicky became obvious that Municipa Associations of Water Boards (AJAMs) were a ogica counterpart in this effort. Especiay active TOMs have 7

8 Communities and COCEPRADIL seect, supervise and pay private sector services directy. heped organize new AJAMs (50 to date, out of 298 municipaities in the country). Unfortunatey, the AJAM strategy is not refected in SANAA s priorities, as evidenced by: The ack of nationa funding for the TOMs program (from a high of 50 with USAID funding, their numbers are down beow 25 TOMs nationwide today). The ack of guideines and funding to enabe the existing AJAMs to fufi their potentia as mutua support agents, training intermediaries and technica and panning bodies. Indeed, many AJAMs have fatered after initia enthusiasm because TOMs have not been maintained in their area and because other SANAA staff and mayors do not reay know how to foment and respond to demands from organized associations. Under the new sector reorganization aw, SANAA and its future successor have cear mandates to provide technica assistance to municipaities and rura communities. One possibe scheme being discussed is for municipaities or groups of municipaities ( mancomunidades ) woud finance and support a municipa TOM for their jurisdiction and SANAA woud provide some esser number of TOMs for technica backstopping, training and quaity assurance of their municipa counterparts. Hopefuy an institutiona commitment wi evove, because good exampes of the potentia impact of Associations of Water Boards are to be found in Yoro and in at east two other bodies created by NGOs, COCEPRADIL and AJHASA, discussed beow. Organizations with regiona impact COCEPRADIL: The Centra Committee Pro-Water and Integrated Deveopment Cathoic Reief Services (CRS) was aso key in the organization of one of the most successfu regiona associations studied here, the COCEPRADIL. In 1988, 18 communities in four municipaities in the southern region of Lempira made a joint proposa to CRS for support in buiding a arge water system. The enthusiasm generated by this first effort ed to the incorporation of additiona communities in three more municipaities. Eventuay, each of the oca water boards formaized their association as COCEPRADIL, with the individua boards functioning as the Genera Assemby and a Directorate that now has ega status, permanent staff and significant achievements. To date, these incude: 160 rura water systems buit and administered by users. 380 training events for 12,200 peope. Strengthening of 160 water boards through 10 speciaized events. Loca management of 42 microwatersheds, 25 of these with Management Pans, 50 hectares reforested and the rest with natura regeneration pans. A 100-person training center. Campaigns for atrinization, heath education, sustainabe microirrigation, adut iteracy and education, home improvements, rura credits, gender awareness, management of a nationa park and more. COCEPRADIL has grown to the point that CRS has trained and equipped it to be argey an independent partner, with its own staff and promoters. Indeed, COCEPRADIL has in recent years been both a contractor for services ike water quaity monitoring paid for by member communities, and has signed agreements as an executor with government and internationa organizations. For exampe, COCEPRADIL now has the technica capacity to promote and supervise the execution of new water piped water suppy systems in rura communities. It has experience in contracting speciaized services for design and construction. Communities and COCEPRADIL seect, supervise and pay private sector services directy. At the same time, COCEPRADIL has in different opportunities signed agreements with the Honduras Socia Investment Fund (FHIS) and other donors. In the case of FHIS, it is widey recognized that COCEPRADIL has executed some of the best investments FHIS has done recenty through their Water Quaity Program for Dispersed Rura Communities. COCEPRADIL s roots in the communities, awareness of water quaity and hygiene issues and participative project panning and execution have enabed them to deveop projects that carefuy nurture and direct communities demands towards sustainabe investments. 8

9 New roes for rura water associations and boards in Honduras COCEPRADIL is widey recognized as an important motor for deveopment in Lempira, one of the poorest regions of Honduras and Latin America. Their exampe as a egaized, independent, mutipe-municipaity body deivering high-quaity projects has been repicated in other areas of Honduras. The fina case to be discussed has aso had important impact at the municipa eve, but has expanded to incude entire provinces and a nationa effort. AHJASA: The Honduran Association of Water Boards Unti the Honduran Association of Water Boards (Asociación Hondureña de Juntas Administradoras de Agua AHJASA), was estabished in 1990, no programs existed specificay for providing foow-up, technica assistance and training to water systems, wes and handpumps aready in operation. As a resut, the great majority of users were not chorinating their drinking water, many were operating with serious deficiencies and an unknown but significant number had coapsed or ceased to provide any service at a. In that year, the nationa NGO Agua para e Puebo, the United Nations Chidren s Fund UNICEF and the Nationa Rura Water Association (NRWA) of the United States began assisting 17 rura piped water suppy systems in southern Honduras to verify if there was oca interest in forming Centra America s first Association of Water Boards. After a 10- month study, it quicky became the first municipa association and the starting point for AHJASA. AHJASA now has neary 500 communities in 8 of the country s 18 provinces paying membership (10-15% of househod tariffs coected), representing some 380,000 peope. Loca water boards are organized in municipa associations and 8 departmenta associations. In turn, these ast form the nationa association. Each eve has its eected representatives organized as a board of directors for their area. AHJASA has tried to use the departmenta associations as the panning and technica assistance base for AHJASA, and usuay have at east one fu-time AHJASA promoter in each departmenta association. AHJASA has even buit a training center in Nacaome, south of Honduras, on and donated by the municipaity and with funds from the Nationa Rura Water Association. AHJASA offers its members: On-site technica assistance in administration, finances, operation, maintenance, repair, chorination and source water protection for members. Non-member communities are never refused attention by request, but ong-term accompaniment is offered to members. Technica assistance and support in designing and seeking financing of piped water suppy systems expansion and repacement. Departmenta or municipa associations se chorine, chorinators, residua chorine/ph testers, and administrative and accounting forms. Soon they wi aso se new and rebuit water meters. Professiona support for egaizing member water boards. Financing Associations ike AHJASA The main obstace facing AHJASA is how to make the association grow whie obtaining sufficient outside funds to meet the corresponding increase in demands from the bases. AHJASA charges from 10-15% of tariffs coected by each community as membership fees, but this is usuay used for training at the departmenta association eves, and is insufficient even for that. One staff member and one promoter are aso paid through profits from AHJASA s 15 chorine banks, but the association wi aways depend on some eve of outside funding. Associations in the US, ike the Nationa Rura Water Association, serve as modes for AHJASA but these aso depend on strong subsidies (up to 75%) from their own state or federa governments. Mutua support between member communities. AHJASA currenty has seven promoters and three staff members, with pans to add four more promoters this year. In the fied, AHJASA maintains 15 chorine banks and has pans to tripe that number this year, and use them for seing spare parts and formats as we. AHJASA aso ses their own tabet chorinator mode and other imported modes. AHJASA has one goa the other organizations studied do not incidence in nationa poicies. Recenty, AHJASA was named to head an advisory 9

10 Loca mechanisms and organizations pay a key roe in the batte against poverty. Departmenta Associations affiiated with AHJASA: Oancho 91 member systems Chouteca 40 members Fco. Morazán 46 members Yoro 69 members Sta. Barbara 30 members La Paz 108 members Vae 70 members Coon 22 members AHJASA maintains 7 offices in Nacaome (Vae), E Triunfo (Chouteca), E Progreso (Yoro), Marcaa (La Paz), Catacamas and Juticapa (with NGO Agua para e Puebo). committee of the civi society formed by the new Nationa Water and Sanitation Commission (CONASA), the maximum government authority estabished under the recent sector reorganization aw. In this position, AHJASA has been active in brining water boards, internationa agencies and government authorities together in diaogues to discuss the chaenges rura water boards face and to promote issues ike water quaity. Chaenges for AHJASA incude: Maintaining a budget through membership fees, saes and donations. Coordinating with the new Municipa Water Board Associations (AJAMs) formed by mayors and SANAA. Expoiting their comparative advantage as the ony Association of Water Boards organized at the departmenta and nationa eves. AHJASA initiatives in training, seing chorine, residua chorine readers, reactants, water meters and formats for water board administration and accounting are a positive efforts to meet a growing demand for improving service and deivering safe water. Concusions The essons earned from the cases documented in this fied note are the foowing: Decentraization of water and sanitation services must respond to oca demands. The presented exampes indicate that the success of these management modes has resided when the necessities of panning, execution and operation and maintenance of services are addressed at the oca eve. Loca mechanisms and organizations pay a key roe in the batte against poverty. Athough the decision to decentraize the panning, reguation and provision of services might come from centra government, in order to succeed, the fina mode shoud address needs, responsibiities and benefits of a stakehoders invoved. Recent efforts by NGOS, internationa agencies and the centra government have recognized that oca eaders shoud drive user associations, and use community demands to define work pans, training and investments. The FUNDAPAT mode has obtained its own sustainabiity through the recovery of its financia seed via tariffs. Aso, the corporative handing of the foundation has obtained an increase in its seed funds over time. At the eve of the subprojects, the expost support provided by the SANAA to the oca water board and the community cofinancing has obtained the recovery of the seed funds and the sustainabiity of the water services after three years of financed the projects. The centra government shoud create a cearer vision and commitment to ong-term technica backstopping for municipaities and rura communities, as mandated by the new sector aws. It may be necessary to transfer some of these responsibiities to municipaities for organizing and supporting rura water boards in their jurisdiction. Nationa and regiona associations ike COCEPRADIL and AHJASA shoud define their reationship with the new sector structures and programs ike the TOMs and municipa mandates for managing water and sanitation in their jurisdiction. This coud prevent conficts and maximize impact by compementing structures and responsibiities. The foowing tabe summarizes some of the goas and impacts of the initiatives studied. 10

11 New roes for rura water associations and boards in Honduras At oca eve At municipa eve At regiona eve FUNDAPAT JAPOE COMASY AJAMY COCEPRADIL AHJASA Type of Organization Financier Water Board Municipa Municipa Association Muti municipa, representative Municipa Associations & Federation Leve of intervention Nationa Loca Municipa jurisdiction Municipa jurisdiction Regiona - (partiay covers one Department At municipa eve 8 departments & nationa scope Water service provider Highy deveoped provider of rura water and sanitation services. Mutua support Invoved in cross support to feow associations Highy invoved in cross support to feow associations Highy invoved in cross support to feow associations Technica Assistance Highy invoved in technica assistance to oca water boards Highy invoved in technica assistance to oca water boards Investment panning Strong skis and resources avaiabe for investment panning Strong skis and resources avaiabe for investment panning Strong skis and resources avaiabe for investment panning Skis and resources avaiabe for investment panning Financing Resources avaiabe for funding Area of incidence Recognized high municipa coverage Regiona, with imited coverage nationwide. Loca contracting Strong abiities to contract and impement services Strong abiities to contract and impement services Monitoring water quaity Strong abiities to monitor WQ through independent abs Strong abiities to monitor WQ through independent abs Strong abiities to monitor WQ through independent abs Watershed protection Systematic approach toward incuding watershed management as part of impementation of WSS Systematic approach toward incuding watershed management as part of impementation of WSS Watershed management consideration in training modues and technica assistance 11

12 Latin America and the Caribbean Region Word Bank Office, Lima. Avarez Caderón No. 185, San Isidro, Lima 27, Perú. ABOUT THE SERIES: WSP Fied Notes describe and anayze projects and activities in water and sanitation that provide essons for sector eaders, administrators, and individuas tacking the water and sanitation chaenges in urban and rura areas. The criteria for seection of stories incuded in this series are arge scae impact, demonstrabe sustainabiity, good cost recovery, repicabe conditions, and eadership. References Fundación Agua para Todos, FUNDAPAT Edificio Cámara de Comercio e Industrias de Tegucigapa, Bouevard Mirafores, Tegucigapa, Honduras. Phone: (504) Fax: E-mai: aguaparatodos@ccit.hn Water Board of Jesus de Otoro, JAPOE Jesus de Otoro, Intibucá and c/o Cathoic Reief Services, Apdo. Posta 257, Tegucigapa, Honduras. Phone: (504) Municipa Water and Sanitation Committee of Yoro, COMASY, and the Municipa Association of Water Boards of Yoro, AJAMY Municipaity of Yoro, Yoro. Phone/Fax: (504) , , Unidad de Proyectos Especiaes, SANAA Apdo. Posta 437, Tegucigapa, Honduras. Phone: (504) Centra Committee Pro-Water and Integrated Deveopment of Lempira, COCEPRADIL Candearia, Lempira, Honduras. Phone: (504) E-mai: cocepradi@yahoo.com and c/o CRS in Tegucigapa. Honduran Association of Water Boards, AHJASA Barrio San Rafae, 1ª cae, frente Restaurante Pekín contigua a Agua para e Puebo. Apdo. Posta 1690, Tegucigapa, Honduras. Phone/Fax: E-mai: ahjasa@optinet.hn and c/o Agua Para e Puebo, Apdo. Posta 1690, Tegucigapa, Honduras. Phone: (504) , E-mai: apuebo@cabecoor.hn Phone: (511) Fax: (511) E-mai: wspandean@wordbank.org Website: September 2004 WSP MISSION: To hep the poor gain sustained access to improved water and sanitation services. WSP FUNDING PARTNERS: The Governments of Austraia, Begium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Itay, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerand, and the United Kingdom, the United Nations Deveopment Programme, and The Word Bank. Acknowedgements: This pubication of WSP-LAC was made possibe by generous contribution from the Swiss Agency for Deveopment and Cooperation (SDC). WSP-LAC woud especiay ike to thank a the peope and institutions in Honduras that through their testimonies have enriched this document. Prepared by: Anthony P. Brand, Consutant to the Word Bank Water and Sanitation Program. Revisions by: SDC: Thomas Wader WSP-LAC: Francois Brikke, Martín Ochoa, Jorge Luis McGregor, and Beatriz Schippner. The findings, interpretations, and concusions expressed are entirey those of the author and shoud not be attributed in any manner to The Word Bank, to its affiiated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the companies they represent. Design adaptation by: Fabioa Pérez-Abea Photography: WSP - Honduras Printed in Perú by: INDEART SAC