r - part - usaid

Developnent Agency-
Prosate and facilitate camunity participation in rural.
water system design, operation and maintanance, to
increase the longevity and efficiency of these systems
(USAID 1984.p.vi).
The docunent draws on the recommendations of previous
consultant reports and outlines procedures to promote village
involvement (fbid: Rznex J, p.1 of 7 ). Responsibility far these
activities was assigned to the new Planning Unit of WDA wlrich
was to hire a fuLl time Somali sociologist and four socio-
logical field assistants [Xbid: Annex G). The work program for
the Planning Unit included:
- The implenentation of community meetings and training for
villagers to enable them to sustain Local participation
in data collection, constructian and maintenance,
- Support to village water committees to help them promote
and organize community participation in the operation and
maintenance of the water supply system.
- The establishment of linkages between villagers and
social sexvice agencies in areas such as health,
education and economic development.
This program was carried out on a very reduced scale by
Planning U nit staff and short term LBTI social scientists, They
met with village water committees during monitoring visits but
were not able to adequately implement the three community
participation program components. The reason for thf s failure
was that the covenants agreed to by the GOS were not respected:
no Somali socialogist was employed and field staff were not
hired. By November 1985, only one individual with na background
In social science or community development, was available for
field activities.
Effective implementation of cornunity participation
activities was also hampered by long delays in the arrival of
equipment, pumps, pipes and other construction materials.
villagers whose expectations had been raised and who had made
substantial contributions of labor, animals and cash were often
forced to wait for more than a year to have a pump installed.
Similar delays occurred in the constrricticn of water
distribution systems and some villages still lack completed
storage tanks and troughs. These delays and the lack of WDA
support for community participation in well management have had
a negative effect on local institutional development.
In spite of the failure to strengthen and expand community