Published: 02 August 2006
African Water Partnership
Hundreds of thousands of people in Africa have access to more reliable water supplies this year thanks to a UK partnership which combines the expertise of industry, Government and civil society.
Partners for Water and Sanitation (PAWS) - whose member organisations range from engineering companies to law firms, water companies to NGOs such as WaterAid & Tearfund, and from a trade union to Government Departments - was established in 2002 to share the knowledge and resources of the UK with developing countries to help reduce poverty and improve quality of life.
The aim of the partnership is to contribute to achieving international development targets relating to poverty reduction through sustainable access to clean water and adequate sanitation - particularly the Millennium Development Goal for Water and the equivalent target for sanitation agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in South Africa in late August / early September 2002.
The focus of its early work has been Africa, where the challenges are the greatest.
Achievements during 2005/06 include:
· The improvement in water quality for over 50 towns across Uganda through partnerships with the country's water industry
· The development of a strategy which is delivering a more effective water and sanitation service in South Africa
· A twinning scheme which has extended the provision of customer care to 350,000 people in Zululand and uThungulu
· The establishment of water consumer associations in three small towns in Benue State, Nigeria
· Supporting development of a water quality strategy in Benue State, which is now improving the water and sanitation for 340,000 people
Work on the ground is demand driven, responding to the needs identified by the countries themselves. Each partner organisation has a unique set of skills and expertise, which are directed to those areas of need.
Work is carried out alongside existing water and sanitation programmes with an emphasis on capacity building to ensure projects are sustainable and can be replicated elsewhere.
There are plans to expand work into Ethiopia over the next year.
Environment Minister Ian Pearson, welcoming the partnership's fourth annual report, said:
"PAWS continues to evolve, providing a solid platform where partners from Government, civil society and business can work together with the people within Africa to develop sustainable solutions in the delivery of water and sanitation services.
It is particularly encouraging to see the partnership making progress in translating words into actions within its partner countries.
This is an important contribution towards meeting the Millenium Development Goals targets for water and sanitation and I look forward to the continuing progress by the partnership in providing support, building capacity and developing sustainable solutions in partner countries".
Further information
Partners for Water and Sanitation (PAWS)
WaterAid
Tearfund
Millennium Development Goals for Water and Sanitation
Monitoring the Goals
World water assessment programme
Millennium indicators
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