WASH SDG Zambia (including COVID-19 prevention) SUMMARY 
The WASH SDG Programme in Zambia started in 2017 and is part of the Netherlands WASH SDG Consortium Programme which is implemented by WASH Alliance International (WAI), SNV and Plan International. Plan International Zambia started implementing the WASH SDG programme in two districts, Chongwe rural and the peri-urban areas of Chongwe and Kafue. Zambia did not meet the MDG target of 70% access to improved sanitation by 2015. The programme will increase access to sanitation and hygiene for 161,882 and to water for 5,300 people. It also aims at improving the position of women, girls and other socially excluded groups. The programme will focus on sanitation and hygiene, targeting a total of 41,556 people going up the sanitation ladder. The programme targets a total of 85,425 people regarding safe hygiene practices (e.g. handwashing). The water supply support is targeting 5,250 people in rural Chongwe. Zambia has an estimated population of 15 million, with 75% under the poverty line. The quickly expanding urban areas as well as rural areas are characterised by low access to basic services including schools, health centres, safe water supply and sanitation. Climate change causes unpredictable rainfall, drought,  floods and a rise of temperature which affects livelihood of people. 
Zambia did not meet the MDG target of 70.5% access, nationally, to improved sanitation by 2015. Some two thirds of the rural population still do not have access to an improved household toilet. The country continues to experience waterborne disease problems.
In Chongwe and Kafue, districts of the project area 53% of the water supply is safely managed. 86% of the health facilities have basic water supply service level. Only 1%  of the households have a safely managed toilet. Most toilets were pit latrines In Chongwe 54,4% of toilets were unimproved . All the schools have their own toilets on the premises, but almost all exceed the national standard for pupil toilet ratios. 
Women have  low level of participation in decision making at household level. Limited levels of education among women continue to limit their participation in WASH activities.. The WASH SDG programme-level Theory of Change (ToC) was developed and validated in early 2017. To achieve the vision of the WASH SDG through the Theory of Change, Plan will have three pathways.  
•	improved behaviour change interventions that lead to increased demand for improved WASH facilities and practices
•	improved WASH service provision that leads to increased availability and affordability of WASH products and services
•	strengthened WASH governance and institutional framework that leads to governments enabling efficient and effective delivery of inclusive and sustainable WASH services. 
In order for WASH to be sustainable and equitable, the programme also assumes that two additional approaches should be endorsed and integrated transversally:
•	gender transformative and socially inclusive WASH 
•	climate resilient WASH services. On recommendation of the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environment Protection the districts of Kafue and Chongwe were selected because of the major problems in the field of WASH, as was also the outcome of the Water and Sanitation Sector Report of 2016. Women’s low level participation in decision making at household level is affected by their inadequate contribution to household income which hinders negotiation for gender friendly sanitation facilities. The program has the potential for scaling up and provide access to sanitation for the whole district.  Achieving full coverage is possible since the district has experience in implementing total sanitation approaches  at district and sub-district level  because of previous project supported by Unicef. This project  was implemented in the rural areas. The buy-in and acceptance of programme by the district stakeholders such as government and line ministries, including the traditional leadership and communities, guarantees long-term sustainability of the programme activities. The target group consists of 162.882 beneficiaries.

Chongwe rural: 87.600 beneficiaries
Chongwe urban: 15.889 beneficiaries
Kafue urban: 59.393 Pathway 1: The vision of the sub-programme for this pathway by the end of the programme, is to have improved rural and peri-urban WASH services  in the two selected districts by bringing together relevant stakeholders like finance institutes, retailers, service providers, local builders and Community Based Enterprises. By strengthening the sanitation value chain, WASH services will be improved for approx. 21,000 households of the Bottom Of the Pyramid. Consumers in the target communities will have access to sanitary pads, soap, water filter, water container, toilet pan and latrine slabs at an affordable price. To make progress towards this, Plan will work together with local stakeholders like government, WASH committees and Champions for Change.  The SP will strengthen the capacity of local government in implementing (Urban) Community Led Total Sanitation (UCLTS) with focus on Nutrition Sensitive Hygiene and Sanitation, hand washing and elimination of open defecation. By training government staff the SP will stimulate reproduction of the activities in other districts. The role of Champions for Change is very relevant and they will be selected from local influencers like traditional leaders, community workers and youth. 
Pathway 2: The vision of the programme for this pathway by the end of the programme is to have improved rural and peri-urban WASH services in the two selected districts by bringing together relevant stakeholders like finance institutes, retailers, service providers, local builders and Community Based Enterprises. By strengthening the sanitation value chain, WASH services will be improved for approx. 21,000 households of the Bottom Of the Pyramid. Consumers in the target communities will have access to sanitary pads, soap, water filter, water container, toilet pan and latrine slabs at an affordable price.
The programme will focus on the capacity building and orientation of local service providers on best-fit practices for delivering household-level sanitation services, including a combination of marketing, construction, product sales, financial management, and regulatory conformance skills to (female) entrepreneurs.
To make this possible, Micro Finance Institutions will be involved so they can offer the necessary loans to the enterprises. Local saving groups will be setup or strengthened so they can provide households with the necessary financing to install their own sanitation facilities. 
Pathway 3: The vision of the sub-programme for this pathway by the end of the programme, is that new and existing local government committees (WASHCO’s)will have been strengthened,  while the government action plans on WASH will have improved. At the district level, gender transformation and social inclusion is mainstreamed in all WASH programmes and sufficient budget is allocated to implement these programmes.In order to make progress towards this vision the SP will focus on dialogue and cooperation with relevant government entities in order to not only strengthen capacity of local government, but also to achieve  that WASH policies and guidelines will facilitate the necessary investments and acceleration of WASH sector development and scaling-up.  SP promotes representation of at least 50% women and socially excluded in these governance structures. Together with local government, SP will improve action plans focusing on WASH service delivery at community level. Together with government Plan will organize joint national communication campaigns to promote the importance of WASH and so further increasing demand creation. FIETS criteria:
Financial: Improvement of sanitation based on local resources has a positive effect on the local economy. The use of nutrients will provide fertilizer for food production. 
Institutional: Lusaka Water and Sewerage will take full control and ownership over the sanitation system and involve the private sector. In addition, government must be willing and able to support the private sector and guarantee the legality of the system owners and operators.
Environmental: The sanitation approach is based on the principle of closing the loop with respect to nutrient and water use for improved food security. Minimising water use for toilet flushing by introduction of (semi-) dry sanitation systems will minimise ground and surface water pollution. This will have a positive effect on the drinking water quality. 
Technical: The proposed technologies are based on a dry sanitation approach combined with the collection of urine, faeces and/or sludge, to be treated and used in agricultural applications. Because the system is simple and adjustable to local standards  its principles are replicable in almost every situation.
Social: By including also the poor and provide them affordable services, the programme guarantees social inclusion.