This report is a case study of the Ethiopian Achefer Woreda Water Supply, Hygiene, and Sanitation programme, implemented by the Organisation for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA), and supported by WaterAid (WAE). The report is based on a 4-day visit to the project by a joint WAE-ORDA team in December 2006, 4 months before the project was due to be handed over to the community. The report suggests that certain elements might have helped to make Achefer a success: the unique combination of circumstances and approaches in terms of the ORDA/WAE partnership and the project’ position in relation to other work in the region; the small, grassroots staffing model; and the holistic nature of the project components.

Although the report states that it is not an in-depth evaluation, and rather sets out to highlight processes, reflection on the successes of these processes provide insight into the impact of these processes on the community. According to the report, base-line surveys, participatory evaluation exercises, and mid-term reviews since the project’s initiation in 2004 suggest that Achefer was a success story, outperforming many of its project targets.

According to the report, an integrated approach to hygiene and sanitation promotion was key to the successes of the project. The project team believes that community acceptance has been the single most critical strength of the project, which they attribute to the inclusion of traditional coffee ceremonies to bring people together and establish a sense of trust. The project team believes another innovation was the filming of the successes of the community hygiene and promotion work to be shown on the project television set. The short films document the challenges people have overcome, and record positive changes in order to motivate and inspire others in the project area. In addition, the use of flags, sweets and other incentives were used to encourage latrine building primarily, but also hand-washing systems, and compound cleanliness.

The following are some of the components of the project which contributed to it's success:

WaterAid website on November 6 2008.