Initiatives for Watsan Improvement through Networking Support

Initiatives for Watsan Improvement through Networking Support

FIELD is implementing the IWINS Program (Initiatives for Watsan Improvement through Networking Support), an initiative aimed at improving Watsan through networking support. This program is being conducted in Pasuruan City and Regency, which are urban and satellite areas of Surabaya. There are significant capacity advantages in the two involved PDAMs to support the expansion of water services in these areas. Stimulating the necessary demand to accelerate the improvement of water and sanitation issues is a primary concern. There is a general lack of awareness about the importance of adequate basic sanitation, particularly concerning public health.

One reason for choosing this location is the central role of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in the local community. FIELD-IWINS will integrate the practical experience of "Field Schools" and pesantren outreach activities into an innovative package involving community-level Islamic women’s groups to mobilize demand and implement Watsan Field Schools. In addition to a series of informal and formal meetings between pesantren, the community, local government, and the private sector, a multi-stakeholder Watsan forum will be established to ensure the program's sustainability.

This program aims to improve urban poor communities' access to clean water supply and adequate sanitation facilities through the development of communal water and sanitation systems and community-based Watsan education in the Pasuruan area, thereby enhancing community members' quality of life. The objectives are to:

• Increase community understanding in Pasuruan so that they can explain the interconnection between having access to clean water and enjoying an improved quality of life;
• Develop safe water supply and sanitation system improvements in the targeted areas, including community participation;
• Build community capacity to organize themselves to maintain and manage sustainable and economically viable community clean water supplies and adequate sanitation systems;
• Build community capacity to lobby and leverage government and private sector support for community clean water supplies and adequate sanitation systems.
• Create program support from local government and the private sector for community Watsan development through a multi-stakeholder forum.

The main expected outcomes of this project include:

• 900 people in 3 pesantren gain access to improved sanitation through the construction of new systems in their pesantren.
• 6,000 people in 12 communities in Pasuruan City and Regency gain access to good drinking water supply that has been built and operated (6) and sanitation systems (6).
• At least 3 clean water supply systems and/or sanitation system improvements have been built with the support of CSR and/or local government.