We are happy to share our progress report! This is also available as brief. Even amid many changes in Nepal over the past year, we did very well and reached most of our targets. The past year, in our case Nepali Fiscal Year Four (FY04), mid-July 2016 – mid-July 2017, was eventful year with the state restructuring process and local elections. RWSSP-WN II is embedded into local governance system and operates thorough it, therefore, the fundamental changes have a direct impact on how we work. RWSSP-WN II continues to be committed to work embedded into the lowest tiers of governance, through the local governments, elected bodies and communities in providing sustainable WASH services.

Some of our achievements are available on real-time cloud based reports (click here for water supply, sanitation and capacity building. At the end of the reporting period, we had:

• Cumulative number of 538 water supply schemes of which 342 gravity flow, 67 electrical lift, 50 solar lift, 19 point-source improvement, 16 electrical overhead tank, 16 rainwater harvesting, 15 tube well, 12 solar overhead tank schemes and 1 dug well scheme.

• Of these, 12 were in Preparatory phase, ten in Planning phase, 74 in Implementation phase, eight have Implementation phase completed but are not financially cleared, and 120 have Implementation phase completed and are financially cleared.

• The rest, 314 completed water supply schemes have entered Post-Construction phase. In total, 128,664 water users have benefited from Post-Construction support.

• In the schools, 23,306 students (12,028 girls and 11,278 boys) have benefited from improved water supply. Within FY04 only, the Project covered 89 new public locations.

• Total 110,806 people have benefited from completed water supply schemes, 27,835 people during the reporting year alone.

• Total 213,236 people have participated in various capacity development events, with 71,107 participants during the reporting year. Of these, 49% were women. Out of all women participants, 68% were from ethnic/caste groups that are not considered as ‘advantaged groups’.

• Water Users and Sanitation Committees (WUSCs) should have gender balance, and in RWSSP-WN  II this is also taking place: 49% of all WUSC members are women. Total 40% of WUSCs’ high level positions including chairperson (10%), vice-chairperson (36%), secretary (34%) and treasurer (79%) are held by women.

• Out of all water supply scheme beneficiaries, only 25% are from the ethnic/caste groups that are considered as ‘advantaged groups’; in other words, we are reaching out to the disadvantaged groups.

• Total 307 WUSCs out of 385 have both gender balance and ethnic/caste balance. There are only 36 cases where there is ethnic balance but no gender balance, and 42 where there is gender balance but not ethnic/caste balance (at least one representative of each ethnic beneficiary group).

• Financial progress was 85% (actual expenditure/total budget)

In the new context, we have now signed Memorandums of Understanding with 55 Programme Municipalities and 7 Sanitation-only Programme Municipalities where also Municipality WASH Units have been established. Our previous District WASH Units are now at the municipality level with only a small technical team remaining at the district level, operating from the 14 Technical Support Units under the District Coordination Committee.

With the new setting we hope to directly contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal 6.B: Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management. The indicator 6.b.1 measures Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management.

Above, Local administrative units in RWSSP-WN II case are the Municipality WASH Units (total 64 Program Municipalities in the start of FY05). According to the SDG definition, these are considered to be operational if the policy or procedure is being implemented, with appropriate funding in place and with means for verifying that participation took place. In RWSSP-WN II, participation of beneficiaries is a cross-cutting theme considered in the existing Project guidelines and policies such as Step-by-Step, HRBA & GESI Strategy and Action Plan and municipality reporting formats.

Our present Result 3 (Component 3) Strengthened institutional capacity of government bodies to plan, coordinate, support and monitor the WUSCs and other community groups in the implementation, operation and maintenance of domestic water, sanitation and hygiene programmes in a self-sustainable manner is well aligned with the SDG. This is also the result area to work for during the year that just started. Our ambitious target is that the Municipal WASH Units that are now taking their first steps in the new municipalities (including both rural municipalities Gaunpalikas and municipalities Nagarpalikas), will continue to serve their citizens also after the project has phased out.

Therefore, we are introducing a new indicator under this result area: 3.7 Number of local administrative units (Municipality WASH Units) with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management. We consider the Municipality WASH Units operational if they can plan, implement and report their WASH Programme.

We are looking forward FY05, working in total 99 municipalities out of which in 64 with Municipality WASH Units. Over this fiscal year, a total budget of  NPR 556,029,000 (EURO 4,835,035 with NPR:EUR rate 115) is going to flow to WUSCs, sanitation and hygiene programmes, capacity building and human resources costs through the accounts of the Municipalities. RWSSP-WN II considers the newly established Municipal WASH Units as a great opportunity to truly integrate WASH to the local governance level. It is both challenging and rewarding that the Project can support the fresh institutions in their first steps.

 RWSSP-WN II Project working Municipalities from the beginning of  FY05