Haiti Sustainable Rural and Small Towns Water and Sanitation Project

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The Sustainable Rural and Small Towns Water and Sanitation Project for Haiti will: i) increase access to improved water supply and sanitation in targeted rural areas and small towns in zones affected by cholera; ii) strengthen water and sanitation service delivery mechanism at the deconcentrated level; and iii) improve capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an Eligible Emergency. Implementation of this project will involve the following three components: component 1, institutional strengthening, capacity building and project management; component 2, water supply and sanitation; and component 3, contingent emergency response. The project aims to take a first step toward the effective use of government and donor funding, to build capacity, strengthen institutions and set a foundation for achieving longer term financial sustainability of the WSS sector’s overarching structure. The project will promote a shift from a project to a programmatic approach, pilot the deconcentrated strengthening of Regional Water and Sanitation Offices and contribute to the provision of operationally sustainable WSS service delivery to rural and small town populations, allowing for recovery of operational costs, and subsequent scale up beyond the targeted communes. This will include the promotion of a corporate culture favorable to the commercial management of service delivery. In order to eliminate cholera (and all other water and excreta-related diseases) from the Island of Hispaniola, sustainable financing is needed for the sector in Haiti, as well as delivery models that are financially viable and can be rolled out universally. The project will support the Government of Haiti’s first step toward this outcome over the coming decade and thus help the Government of Haiti attract additional Financial and Technical Partners to support its implementation.