Rainwater Harvesting Capacity Center

In-house progress report of RiPPLE reveals good performance creating enabling ground for the implementation of the “RHCC and WaSH Integrated Projects”. The report indicated that though the “RHCC and WaSH Integrated Projects” agreement was signed recently in early September 2012 (Please refer http://www.akvo.org/rsr/project/398/update/1823/) between RiPPLE and the Federal Ministry of Water and Energy, RiPPLE has long been busy implementing various tasks which are part of the project since January 2012. The five years project has a vision of ‘creating a dynamic water-centered knowledge driven centre focusing on pro-poor RWH and WASH services for sustainable WASH intervention’. As it is clearly put in the project document, conducting participatory assessment and analysis of best practices on 3R is one its strategic objectives. As a prerequisite for realizing this objective, RiPPLE has so far worked on the selection of research areas and research partners as well as the preparation of ToRs including initial communications with partners. The report also points out important steps conducted as part of the production & distribution of communication/technical materials. Content development and design works on three communication materials focusing on ‘sand storage dam, rock catchment and RWH practices in Ethiopia are already underway for possible printing in a few weeks time. Another important area of achievement, according to the report, is in the field of networking and alliance building. This issue, that emanates from RiPPLE’s culture of working closely with researchers and practitioners in Learning and Practice Alliances (LPAs) at regional and Woreda levels as well as in Forum for Learning on Water and Sanitation (FLoWS) at national level; has been implemented at its best. A case in point, according to the report, is the July 20, 2012 FLoWS (you may refer: http://www.akvo.org/rsr/project/392/update/1675/) whereby two presentations with relevance to RHCC were presented and discussed upon by all participants.

In a bid to create awareness among media professionals about the whole project, an exposure visit was also organized for 20 media professionals drawn from local and national media agencies. This group of journalists was taken to RWH intervention sites on sand and subsurface dams for multiple uses around the Dire Dawa area. The journalists on their part have made coverage of the interventions via electronic and print media outlets. Concerning the selection of implementing partners, four new partners in addition to the existing two have already been identified while two more are under scrutiny.
Another major stride mentioned in the report is the provision of capacity building trainings to NGO's/CSO partners. With the support secured from the Water Boards, RiPPLE has organized and provided a three days training on important issues such as bacteriological test, physico chemical test, sanitary inspection and disinfection, as well as on working with Delagua water quality testing instruments. The trainees comprised experts from various offices of the Dire Dawa Administrative Council and Meta Woreda, HCS and Environmental Protection Authority.

Partial view of uncompleted Dawa Eresa subsurface dam Photo credit: Eskinder Feleke-RiPPLE