According to WHO/ UNICEF estimates, approximately 60 percent of Indonesia’s rural population lacks access to proper sanitation facilities. Bathing and washing clothes in rivers and open defecation expose people to disease, contaminate ground and surface water, and degrade land and living areas. Women and children are particularly at risk.

IRD has worked in Java and Sumatera to address these issues in rural communities and their schools. In Aceh, IRD helped 40 communities to build 90 communal latrines, 297 household latrines, 13 bathing/washing stations, and latrines in 12 schools with funding from the Latter-Day Saint Charities and UNICEF. In Yogyakarta, IRD constructed or upgraded sanitation facilities in 275 primary schools with funding from UNICEF and the US Department of Agriculture.

IRD utilizes a community-based approach, with strong community involvement in the identification, planning, and implementation process, including management and maintenance. Our goal is to facilitate cost-effective, sustainable solutions that maximize the number of beneficiaries and can be easily maintained for years to come.

IRD begins by meeting with local government, village heads, and community leaders to ensure all stakeholders understand the activity and have the opportunity to get involved. Volunteers are requested to participate in the initial mapping and data collection exercises. Once IRD completes further in-depth, independent data collection through home visits and focus group discussions, it presents the resulting community profile in a community meeting for feedback.

The community decides the strategic placement for the sanitation facilities, model, and type, as well as how they themselves will be involved in the construction of the facilities.

A core group of volunteers is established in each village to organize and oversee the community’s involvement in the program. Members include the village leader, religious leaders, women’s leaders, healthcare providers, school principals, and youth representatives. The core group works with IRD to finalize the recommended sanitation solution for presentation to the community. The core group is also responsible for health and hygiene promotion, monitoring project progress, and maintaining village-level water and sanitation facilities.

A water sanitation committee is formed under the core group. This committee is responsible for coordinating and participating in the implementation of the project as well as the ongoing maintenance and operation in each village after project completion.

The community is involved in the construction of the facilities to the maximum extent possible. Each village core group organizes a “Gotong Royong,” through which it recruits fellow villagers to undertake basic tasks such as digging, molding, brick installation, roofing, and flooring. IRD provides the necessary tools that stay with the village after project completion, and IRD staff mentor the community throughout the process.

If more technical expertise is required, IRD will engage local professional contractors through a transparent, competitive tendering process. All stakeholders are represented in the bidding and selection process.

IRD provides training to the core groups and water sanitation committees throughout the process. Training for the core groups cover such things as community facilitation, health and hygiene promotion, basic construction, plumbing, and monitoring.

The water sanitation committee receives more technical training to equip them with the capacity to operate and maintain the public facilities. IRD also works with the committee to become a more formal institution that has a constitution, by-laws, and management policies and is recognized by the district government. To strengthen this institution, the committee receives management and organizational training including administration and financial management.

A tarriff system is adopted to ensure cost recovery for operation and maintenance expenses and is managed by the water sanitation committee. Each household’s tarriff is based on its level of consumption and collected on a regular basis. In some cases, the communities may decide to implement a sliding scale where poorer and/or women-headed households may pay less and commercial entitites may pay more. However, this is for the communities to decide.

Another important component of sustainability is the communities’ use of proper health and hygiene practices; without proper hygiene, communal and household water points can easily become contaminated. Each village core group has members who are trained by IRD in health and hygiene promotion. These members in turn teach their neighbors and encourage the use of these practices throughout the community.

The core group and the water sanitation committee also receive training in monitoring and evaluation. Once the project is completed, they will conduct their own monitoring to ensure that the water facilities are being used and maintained properly, that the community continues good hygiene practices, and that this knowledge is being passed on to the next generation. IRD staff will also return after project completion to evaluate the quality of the project’s continued operation.