Joachim Ibeziako Ezeji, CEO, Rural Africa Water Development Project

Kelly Miller, Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo

Introduction Positive Impact

The project is about a water intervention in a rural community of
about 10,000 people in south eastern Nigeria. The Uboma
community and her people had severe problems with their only
drinking water source. The consequence was waterborne ailments
which became endemic and tragic, leading to growing cessation of
productive activities, and leading gradually to an emergency
situation.
•Women empowered in desion-making and management
• They enthroned an effective pro-poor governance mechanism
•Water disputes reduced
•Water-related deaths and illnesses reduced
•Capacity Building
•Expand local resource and knowledge base
•100+ entrepreneurships created, inclusive of females
•Mor-sand filter technology employed created need for materials

Uboma Women Association

•Over 500 members
Conclusion
•All married women, residing in and outside of the community •Gender intermediation in this context was on display in the
•Umuada, married daughters living outside the community core ability of the women to effectively draw-in other
•Major Objective external groups into the community and served as the
•Contribute to community development fulcrum between the community and the NGOs, as well as
•Sought a more permanent water solution and not the many the government. Had the women remained at a relegated
protocols and bureaucracy of the government background, that is often the case in many cases, and
•Chronology never courageously stepping in, the water problem would
•Informal for many years have perhaps persisted or remained a nagging problem
•Formally registered January 1991 owned and managed singly by their husbands.
•Could open bank account in a commercial bank •All interventions, both hardware (water source

RAWDP Facilitates Project

improvement and production of Mor-sand filters) and
software (training and education) had the imprimatur of
these rural women. They believed in themselves and on
their ability to take cost effective and wise decisions for
•Women leaders contacted RAWDP in November 2002 their community. They were of course vindicated at last.
•RAWDP is a leading Nigerian NGO based in Owerri, Imo state The success recorded underscored the exemplary role they
•RAWDP discussed problems with community and discovered: have played.
•Not enough water
•Mismanaged funds
•Stomach aches and frequent stooling
•RAWDP tested the water
•Traces of E-Coli, Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts
•Women raised seed funds for the tests
•As lead facilitator, RAWDP is working in synergy with the local
women, Ocean Foundation and Christcares International as well as
serving as a liaison between them and project donors.

Existing Managerial Issues

•Former Committee Could not take adequate steps to either improve
or protect the well
•Unable to effectively regulate the usage through appropriate pricing
•Committee consisted only of men; not representative of the situation
•Women are the casualties of the water problem as both their
children and husbands' burden are theirs

Resulting Problems
•Mismanagement of funds
•User fees not regularly paid
•Massive extraction and unmanageable draw-down

Community Resource
Management Training
•Christcares International and Ocean Foundation facilitated the
training and education of the women on pertinent issues:

•Project management
•Group organization
•Resource mobilization
•Project Management

•After training, decided to take over the management of the borehole.

•Formed a committee

Women Association Actions

•Oversees operations
•Maintains borehole
•Finances
•Standardized charge
•Appropriate budgeting
•Double entry accounting
•Audits
•Sponsor Mor-sand filter trainings