Inaugration of WASH facilities

SNV and its partners facilitated the building of the disability-sensitive market centre and school WASH facilities.

Sustainable Sanitation Transformation in Urban and Peri urban areas (SSTPU) project inaugurates its first Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region, Hawela Tula Sub city on 01 July 2015.

SNV and its Southern region implementing partner Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) facilitated the building of the disability-sensitive market centre and school WASH facilities. The facilities will contribute to increasing access to improved sanitation and hygiene coverage among school community, market attendants and the neighbouring community.

These facilities have been linked with biogas digester. The energy produced will be used as a source of energy and fuel for the embedded services such as cafeteria and the school laboratory.

The bio slurry or compost, on the other hand, will either be used by the school garden or sold for the neighbouring farmers.

Girma Gimbo, representing the Mayer of Hawassa City Administration said, "The facilities serve multiple purposes. The WASH facilities will have greater impact on hygiene and sanitation at schools and market centres, minimise environmental risks and job creation."

The market centre WASH facility provides toilet, urinal, handwashing, shower and shop services to increase community access to WASH facilities as well as cafeteria services to sustain the service.

The organised youth took the full responsibility of managing the day-to-day activities of the WASH facilities while the responsibility of managing the facilities at school rests on the school community.

"WASH facilities user guide will be developed and shared to the 12 market centres and 16 school WASH facilities managing bodies in the 12 small towns. This document will address issues of facility management in detail" remarked Gadissa Hailu, SSTPU manager, SNV Ethiopia.

Birhanu Eshetu from the regional Bureau of Finance and Economic Development (BOFED) called upon the community to use the facilities sustainably and appropriately. "This valuable facility will contribute to increasing improved sanitation coverage in the Ethiopia. The experience should be replicated into similar areas to improve sustainable impact on environment, sanitation and hygiene" added Birhanu.

Regional government and sub city officials, school WASH club members, teachers and the Hawela Tula sub city community representatives attended the inauguration ceremony.

SSTPU is implemented in Tigray, SNNPR and Oromia region with matching fund from EU and SNV and implemented by seasoned local partners the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter Church Aid Commission (EOC-DICAC), Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus Development Social Services Commission (EECMY-DASSC), KMG Ethiopia and Relief Society of Tigray (REST).

SNV Ethiopia is responsible in the overall coordination of the project and providing technical support.