End of Project Evaluation - CHIVI Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project(CHIWASH)

The Red Cross movement , United Nations (through UNICEF) and several other development agencies have identified Zimbabwe as a country where consolidated efforts are required to meet the MDGs (UN Millennium Development Goals) especially those related to water, sanitation and hygiene promotion. In this regard the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) under the Global Water and Sanitation Initiative (GWSI) obtained an EU grant that was provided through the ACP-EU water facility third call to fund the implementation of the Chivi Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project – CHIWASH. The Zimbabwe Red Cross implemented the project in 16 wards of Chivi District, whilst the British Red Cross and the Finnish Red Cross were partners and co-donors to the total project cost.

The project whose main objective was to contribute to sustainable improvement in health and well-being for vulnerable people in Chivi district through improved access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation was implemented over a four year period that started in August 2011. It consisted of three key components that included the software, hardware and the capacity building components. The hardware aspects of the project mainly focused on rehabilitation of boreholes as well as drilling new ones. In the area of sanitation, the project had supported the provision of household and institutional latrines. Software aspects entailed training of water point committees, village pump mechanics, latrine builders and hygiene promoters while capacity building component sought to enhance the capabilities of Red Cross staff as well as staff from implementing partner organizations to effectively execute their roles on the project.