Sustainability & GFS
Acts for Water, Canada’s most sustainable water charity, has been installing Gravity Flow Systems (GFS) surrounding them with comprehensive water and sanitation hygiene training and supporting the flourishing of communities long term to see sustainable transformation for over 32 years now. We have constructed more GFS than any other NGO in the world and it’s the combination of the most inherently sustainable and expansive water systems (hardware), our deep history in a specific region, along with our comprehensive programming (software) that has enabled us to outperform the sector average by over 66% for communities transformed to the national standard of hygiene and sanitation.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: WHAT IS UNIQUELY SUSTAINABLE ABOUT ACTS?
#1. The scale and sustainability of the GFS (hardware). 25% of water systems fail within 4 years of installation. 70% of water infrastructure investment in Africa has failed. Our systems are functional after 30 years! A paid community-based Systems Operator, and an Area Service Provider agreement with the District enables ACTS to ensure a high level of functionality long-term. Regarding scale, the GFS covers an expansive area (transecting several villages), while bringing a tap within 0.50 meters of the household. No other water solution is able to provide that level of service for such a large population catchment (on average 15,000 people). This proximity directly influences the sustainability of the system as it reduces illegal tampering and private extensions. The hardware itself is an extremely resilient technology. With no moving parts, buried pipes, and a context-appropriate design, Gravity Flow Systems have been proven to be inherently more durable than any other water delivery technology.
#2. The High-level of stakeholders participation (software). The cooperative-type model for project implementation requires a very high level of stakeholder investment into the program. Over 400 volunteers build the project, and all the land is donated. We literally interact with–and engage–every level of stakeholder in the 12-month project implementation life cycle. From community members and local Village Health Teams to local Chiefs and Sub-County government officials, to the District Water Officer and District Administrative Officer (who is responsible for the entire district), through to the Ministry of Water and Environment (national level), all levels of stakeholders (whether it is community volunteers or a government official) actively participate in moving a community from the absence of critical WASH practices to becoming Open Defecation Free. The District contributes more to our WASH programming than any other NGO in the region. The community forms a Central Water Committee (CWC), which is governed by its own charter, equitably elected and trained by our staff to manage the system. The CWC collects user fees from the community which go to pay for a system caretaker who maintains the GFS. The CWC is a registered “Community Based Organization” (CBO), and maintains a set of books and records that are open and accessible to the community. We work on a capacity-building partnership with the CBO to support good governance.
#3. Market-based programming. WASH committees are trained, equipped, and supported to provide WASH supplies and services to their communities, which has proven to generate economic returns. We seek the means to use our network and resources to provide support to community-driven WASH cooperatives, enabling them to flourish and stimulate local, rural economies. Trading centres have flourished around past GFS systems that ACTS have installed. We are committed to supporting local cooperatives to provide services and goods to their local communities, and the water provides access to markets (i.e. flourishing trading centres) that previously did not exist. All of this adds to the sustainability of the water systems – as the more economically prosperous the community is, the more viable the water system is.