EWB-USA Program Sustainability. Goal of Presentation: To assist project teams and partnering...

EWB-USA Program EWB-USA Program SustainabilitySustainability


Goal of Presentation:

To assist project teams and partnering communities in making projects that are sustainable, from program adoption through assessment, design, implementation, monitoring & evaluation and closeout of the program.


Presentation Outline:

• Why is project sustainability important?• Characteristics of Sustainability in a developing community application• Lessons Learned • Example questions to address sustainability from project onset• Successful project commonalities

Why is Sustainability Important?

Our MissionEWB-USA supports community-driven development programs

worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating

transformative experiences and responsible leaders.

Our VisionOur vision is a world in which the communities we serve have the

capacity to sustainably meet their basic human needs, and that our members have enriched global perspectives through the

innovative professional educational opportunities that the EWB-USA program provides.



SUSTAINABILITY CRITERIA*• Performance• Resource Efficiency• Environmental Emissions• Economics• Social/Cultural aspects• Resilience

* Adapted from Dr. Anu Ramaswami, 2010

EWB-USA EWB-USA Program Program

SustainabilitySustainability

1. PERFORMANCE

Will the system perform as well or better than similar systems in the country or region, used by current populations, other EWB-USA Chapters, or other NGOs?



1. PERFORMANCE

Example problems

• Bio-sand filters that work in theory but not at the site

• Water supply – yield is not what was expected



1. PERFORMANCE

How can a chapter address this?

• Learn what works in the region

• Alternatives analysis• Mentor, Advisor,

Independent Reviewers• PM and TAC reviews• Monitoring and evaluation



2. RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

Physical environment, locally and globally

Water Air Land Energy Human



Example Problems:

Chapter drills well and installs a pump, that dries up wells in neighboring community.

Latrine project adversely affects the quality of the groundwater that another community depends on for drinking water.





Cradle to grave analysis of inputs and outputs at a local, regional and global scale.




3. ENVIRONMENTAL EMISSIONS

Long term impacts on our natural resources – soil, water, and air with respect to quality and quantity

Considers all life that depends on those resources – plants, animals, humans, etc.

Does not damage the surrounding local ecosystem beyond its regenerative capacity.




Example problem

• Water diversions for drinking water purposes dry up a surface stream killing off microorganisms that are critical in maintaining the overall health of the stream that is depended on by local wildlife.





Take your analysis of environmental sustainability a step further. Will the impacts on the natural resources lead to unintended consequences to the balance of the ecosystem?



4. ECONOMICS

Community Ownership of project from inception. Full Cost pricing for operation, maintenance, repairs and expansion. If the system can’t pay for itself, it certainly can’t exist in the future.



4. ECONOMICS

Example problem

A chapter assists a community to install a water system. Solar panels used for pumping. Solar panels are stolen and the community can not afford to purchase new ones.



4. ECONOMICS

Example problems

Slow sand filters are given to half of a community with no financial contribution asked from the community members. The remainder of the community and neighboring communities will now not purchase the filters. They are waiting for the filters to be given to them.



4. ECONOMICS


Ask yourself the question – can the community afford to operate, maintain and eventually replace the system that you are implementing without outside assistance? If the answer is no, you should look for an alternative solution.



5. SOCIAL/CULTURAL ASPECTSPreserve stable social structures and cultural values and wisdom, while also promoting social equity in a participatory manner. The project must be the highest priority of the community, not the Chapter or the NGO. The services provided by the project must be shared with all and without prejudice.



5. SOCIAL and CULTURAL ASPECTS Example problems

The chapter started an improved stove project because they observed heavy smoke in the homes. The new stoves were not adopted by the community members because they did not want to change their cooking.

The chapter implements in home taps for the community, but in doing so eliminates an important aspect of the social culture of women gathering water at a community source.



5. SOCIAL and CULTURAL ASPECTS

How does a chapter address this?

• Listen to the community members – remember the program is community based

• Do not make assumptions – most likely your concerns are not the priority concerns of the community.

• Depend on your NGO to tell you the shortcomings of the planned approach

• Do not start implementation without a detailed agreement with the community

• Education



6. RESILIENCE

The project must be able to withstand challenges to its viability. This includes internal issues, such as community committee strife, to external pressures, such as climate change.



6. RESILIENCE

Example Problem

Plans for a water project with two neighboring communities of different political parties and a long history of conflict. Project was never sustained because each community damaged each others systems.



6. RESILIENCEHow can a chapter address this?

Take the time to build relationships

Acknowledge the small snap shot you are getting of community life and appreciate the how things change with time


SustainabilitySustainabilitySome Perspective

Are there hard and fast rules for analyzing the sustainability of a program? No

Should the chapter give equal weight to all of the sustainability characteristics? Not necessarily. Many times, economic and cultural/social sustainability will take more attention of the chapter than the other characteristics.



LESSONS LEARNED – Your Own Project Experiences!

• Rwanda – Water PipelineA neighboring community dug out the pipelines

that had been installed and the project community feared that the neighboring community would try to inject poison into the system.

- Lesson learned: What is the relationship among neighboring communities, what is the political history and cultural dynamics of an area, such as the Hutu/Tutsi genocide in Rwanda



LESSONS LEARNED – Your Own Project Experiences! (Cont.)



ADDRESSING EACH SUSTAINABILITY CHARACTERISTIC:

Example: A Chapter has just adopted a brand new program from EWB-USA. What should the chapter be looking for to ensure sustainability of the project?

Facts:Water Supply ProjectPossible Sources – Borehole and ?Water Quality – Unknown, but said to be bad.Climate – Not SpecifiedNGO – NewCommunity Capacity – Unknown

For each Sustainability Characteristic, what questions should be asked?




1. Performance – What are all possible water sources? What is performance of other water systems for all alternatives in country and region? What community and nearby projects have failed, and why? Does chapter have Technical Lead/Professional Mentor experience applicable to project? What metrics should chapter have to document project success? What local technical experts can meet the chapter at the site?

2. Resource Efficiency – What is the water quality of different sources? Effect of different power sources (renewable/non renewable)? Has a full life cycle analysis been completed of options? Will there be any waste from the system?

3. Environmental Emissions – Is water being removed from an ecosystem? What are the impacts? How will these be mitigated?

4. Economics – Is a water committee in place? Are fees being collected for water system or electrical system? Is community willing to contribute a portion of the cash, materials and labor? Can all materials be sourced locally?




5. Social and Cultural Aspects – Is this the number one priority project for the community? Will everyone have access to the project? Are tiered price levels a possibility in community? Is the NGO a good partner to assist chapter? What education will chapter provide community, and in what format?

6. Resilience – How long have similar systems lasted in similar situations? Is this a new technology or a well-proven one? What external (climate change, extreme events) and internal (water committee corruption) pressures will project have, and how will chapter minimize risk?


SustainabilitySustainabilityTHINGS SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS HAVE IN

COMMON:

• Eyes on the ground: engaged and involved local NGO

• Team addressed both the technology and behavioral aspects of project.

• Thorough problems assessments were conducted.

• Solid lines of communication between project team and community (telephone, email, NGO, etc.)

• Project team members were able to speak the local language, or translators were sourced from the area.

• Project engaged the locals during every project phase (pre-program adoption, assessment, design, implementation and monitoring & evaluation).


SustainabilitySustainabilityTHINGS SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS HAVE IN

COMMON (Cont.):

• Project team had multiple mentors/members experienced in the relevant disciplines (hydrogeology, hydrology, structural, electrical, geotechnical, water, public health, etc.)

• Design was not finalized until functioning committee structure with fee collection system was established, & community cash contribution (5-10%) was in the bank.

• Team returned to the site for years after project was completed on monitoring & evaluation trips

• Reasonable construction schedules with contingency were developed

• Community led construction activities

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EWB-USA Program Sustainability. Goal of Presentation: To assist project teams and partnering...

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