WASH SDG Nepal (including COVID-19 prevention) SUMMARY 
The WASH SDG Project in Nepal is part of the Netherlands WASH SDG Consortium Programme which started in July 2018 after a one year inception phase. The programme is implemented by WASH Alliance International (WAI), SNV and Plan International. Plan International Nepal started implementing the WASH SDG programme in nine sub counties in 12 municipalities in Sinduli and Sunsari. Nepal was successful in meeting its MDG targets for WASH. The functionality of the services is poor due to the damage caused by the earthquake of 2015 and the floods of 2017. The project will reach a population of 130.219 in marginalized communities. It will increase access to water for 24,240 households, improve access to sanitation for 11,212 households and improve access to hygiene for 94,767 households. The WASH situation in Nepal is far from adequate. The lack of water is a major challenge for women and adolescent girls, since they are responsible for domestic chores, including the labor-intensive task of fetching water from the source. Nepalese society has assigned tightly defined gender roles to men and women. The society has made women and girls responsible for WASH related household work such as collecting water, cooking, washing, bathing children, and cleaning. These gender roles and socio-cultural traditions has played a key role in inhibiting women and young girls from participating fully in society. 
Climate change has been experienced in all project areas and has negative impact on WASH components. Decrease in water level in rivers, decrease of water level in underground water, drying off of rivulets and spring water has created water scarcity in project areas. Initiatives undertaken by government and civil societies in constructing WASH infrastructures but their vulnerability to climate induced disasters has increased in recent years. Unequal access to water and its scarcity in the project areas have created problem in maintaining hygienic practices. Insufficient water supply has created upstream and downstream conflicts. Pathway 1, Increase demand for improved WASH facilities and practices: Plan will focus on improving access to to gender and social inclusive WASH facilities and improving WASH practices of households, schools and institutions. This will be achieved through intensive capacity building and awareness raising of communities and government on the importance of behavioural change and the need for gender and socially inclusive WASH and nutrition sensitive hygiëne interventions.
Pathway 2, Improve WASH service provision : the programme will work with cooperatives and financial institutions to stimulate the Development of WASH entrepreneurs to improve accessible and affordable WASH products at local level. 
Pathway 3, Strengthen WASH governance: within this pathway Plan aims to ensure that municipalities recognise their WASH roles and responsibilities and act accordingly for evidence based planning, strengthening M&E systems and allocating adequate budget for WASH in their annual plans. Organizations  supporting the national WASH sector include ADB-funded water supply and sewerage projects, Finnish bilateral funding to strengthen sub-national governance in WASH, JICA’s programme on urban water supply service strengthening , DFID funding for large rural water supply investments, World Bank funding to the semi-government rural water supply, Sanitation Fundboard, USAID support focusing on integrated projects (eg. nutrition, livelihood, and health sector), and UN agencies’ engagement in sector strengthening (UNICEF ,UN-HABITAT,and WHO). 

Thanks to this sector development, the programme can build on this experience. Stakeholders from government involved are the Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office of the Ministry of Water Supply and Department of Water Supply and Sewerage. The WASH coordination committee is responsible for overall coordination.
NGO's involved are Relief Nepal and Community For Social Development Centre (CSDC).
Further participants are local government, communities, water and sanitation user groups, children’s clubs, women’s groups, religious leaders etc. . 
The Federation of Water and Sanitation Users Nepal (FEDWASUN) ,a user-based umbrella organisation of drinking water and sanitation user groups. The programme will reach a total of 130.219 beneficiaries of which 24.240 people will have improved access to water,;11.212 people have access to improved sanitation facilities and 94.767 people will have access to better hygiëne in nine sub counties in 12 municipalities in Sinduli and Sunsari. PATHWAY 1:  . By the end of the programme, the WASH behaviour, attitudes and practices  of  households, schools and communities in the two target districts will have improved to have improved and they have moved up on the sanitation and hygiene ladder .Women, girls and marginalized groups  are empowered to participate in WASH activities and influence in decision making for improving WASH conditions , focussing at the control of and equitable and sustainable sanitation and hygiene services. Women, girls, men and boys understand of importance of MHM and hygienic use of sanitary pads. Families have knowledge and practice hygiene sensitive WASH and schools apply menstrual hygiene management. New municipalities implement gender transformative and social inclusive community demand driven approaches and effective Open Defecation Free campaigns. Household level investments in WASH services and products have doubled .
In order to make progress towards this, Plan will enhance the capacities of the 12 newly formed municipalities regarding their roles and responsibilities towards gender transformative and social inclusive community demand driven approaches,. Plan will work with and capacitate WASH champions , selected from within the communities, who will act as WASH resource persons to trigger both communities and schools  to change the behavior resulting into total sanitation . Additionally, the level of participation of women and girls in decision making in WASH activities will be increased and monitored through the Gender and WASH monitoring tool. Basic sanitation facilities (incl. handwashing and MHM facilities) at schools and health facilities will be improved, which will allow for improved WASH behaviour. WASH coordination Committees will be (re)established as to improve the WASH status and behavior within schools to a basic level, through regular meetings and participatory decision making process. Drinking water systems and WASH user committees will be strengthened, and manage and sustain community based small water schemes and related WASH activities, including effective female participation in decision makings process .

PATHWAY 2: By the end of 2022, the target communities, especially girls, women and socially excluded groups will have access to affordable and suitable WASH products , mainly sanitary pads and soaps.  Targeted communities have improved access to sanitation and water service provision,
In order to make progress towards this, Plan will support a selected group of local producers and retailers  and new entrepreneurs , who will produce and market soap and sanitary pads in a profitable and sustainable way.  At least 4 female entrepreneurs will be supported to run their own profitable and sustainable WASH business. Plan will strengthen the marketing and sales of new and existing entrepreneurs and producers through capacity building and exchange visits to producers and entrepreneurs of WASH products. In addition, women and girls are aware of importance of MHM and hygienic use of sanitary pads through trainings. Plan will work together with the municipalities and targeted communities , resulting into access to sustainably managed community based drinking water systems . Existing and new water sanitation and hygiene user committees  will be strengthened and functional.  

PATHWAY 3: By the end of 2022, the administrative structures will have been strengthened, meaning that the 12 municipalities recognise and assume their new roles and responsibilities and develop and implement gender transformative and social inclusive WASH policies, based on evidence based planning, a strong monitoring and evaluation system and sufficient budget for WASH in annual plans. Municipalities implement effective OFD campaigns and gender and social inclusive demand creation strategies. Policies on 33% representation of female participation in government structures are put into action and policies on participation of the socially excluded group are now part of government structures as well, including the water and sanitation users committee at community level. Local governments (municipalities/rural municipalities) have adopted national WASH standards which equal SDG standards. 
In order to make progress towards this, Plan will enhance the capacity of the newly formed municipalities in the development of inclusive policies and evidence-based plans . Plan will support the development of WASH monitoring mechanisms in cooperation with local ward and municipal representatives,. A gender transformative WASH planning will be introduced, taking into account GESI outcomes, at ward/municipality level., Plan will support the establishment of WASH coordination committees at municipal level.