Introduction
Sudan, the largest country in Africa, has been torn apart by conflict since its independence in 1956. In 2005 a peace agreement ended decades of war between the North and the South. However, vast differences between the richer North and the poorer South remain. Southern Sudan still lacks infrastructure and basic services, in addition to a weak economy. Southern Sudan remains amongst the poorest regions in the world and its people are often left without access to clean water and sanitation facilities, hospitals and schools. In this context, Solid House Foundation (SHF) decided to set up a programme to help the people of Southern Sudan rebuild their lives.
Environmental resources in Sudan, such as firewood and charcoal, are scarce and unequally distributed. Large parts of the country are arid and livelihoods are fragile. The different livelihood systems compete for the same forests, fertile land, and water. Moreover, environmental degradation in many parts of Sudan is closely linked to the causes of conflict. The impacts of displacement, cessation in livestock migration, and urbanization have exacerbated the triggers for chronic cycles of conflict. In this fragile environment, thus, preventing environmental damage is crucial. Recovery needs to be robust enough to withstand future environment events such as drought and the ongoing impact of climate change and desertification.
Background
In this context, Solid House Foundation decided to set up a programme to help the children of Southern Sudan rebuild their lives, while also preserving and recovering their natural environments. The programme focuses specifically on sustainable use of natural resources, alternative energy and water and sanitation in schools. Together with the local community, Solid House Foundation builds sustainable clean drinking water and sanitation facilities on the school grounds, it provides hygiene workshops for the students, solar panels for lighting and thereby securing school grounds as well as supplying the schools with fuel efficient stoves that use less wood and charcoal.
Objectives
- Increase access to drinking water and sanitation facilities at schools
- Increase knowledge of hygiene and maintenance amongst pupils, teachers and local community
- Increase knowledge of sustainable energy options amongst pupils, teachers and local community
- Increase participation of girls in primary school education
- Increase skills of local population through carpentry, masonry and plumbing training
- Increase opportunities for local population to find jobs in construction and sustainable energy production
Activities
Our projects’ studies, designs, and implementation methods integrate priority focuses on low-cost, locally produced, appropriate-tech, renewable, participative, gender-equitable and sustainable options for our beneficiaries aimed at supplying:
- Provide clean drinking water and management for human consumption
- Increase water access for improved school-environment sanitation
- Incorporate excess water options for livestock, irrigation and human consumption
- Construct “Closed loop” sanitation facilities for the hygienic collection of human waste, transport, treatment, compost and when appropriate reuse in agriculture and biofuel production
- Provide renewable electrification to create a safe and secure learning environment for students and student resources
- Develop locally produced affordable and renewable construction materials to provide economic benefits and skills-building in community-owned Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)
- Install fuel efficient low-emission, high-yield wood and charcoal stoves in schools to decrease the amount of CO2 emissions produced therein
- Hold participative and educational workshops, trainings, policy-advisory meetings, and skills-building guidance sessions to address multi-factor solutions to complex long-term problems.
Achievements
Since SHF has started implementing the water and sanitation programme early 2009
- a context analysis and a stakeholders analysis were conducted,
- a baseline study was conducted at several primary schools in Rumbek,
- a portfolio of possible cost-efficient and sustainable building techniques that can be used in Southern Sudan was created,
- a clean up campaign of several existing watsan facilities and public areas was organised n Rumbek early 2010
- and an implementation structure for large scale public water and sanitation facilities was designed.
Expected results
By addressing these issues from multiple angles of intervention, SHF aims to supply a high number of beneficiaries (approximately 275,000 beneficiaries in the next five years) a unique balance between high-quality basic services and long-term sustainable resource management and access. In cultivating ownership through participative design, SHF encourages the community to improve their learning environments and habitats themselves. Active participation is the key to ensure the replication, scale-up and improvement of these projects.
After an initial phase of 4 years where we aim to research, design and implement our water, sanitation, agro-forestry, small business support and energy projects within school and community environments, SHF embarks on scaling up incrementally to ensure the improvement of the overall quality in the delivery of the individual projects and the integrated programme.
This integrated programme therefore results in improved and sustainable school and community environments which can be scaled up throughout the country. The programme also contributes to influencing policy and practices around halting deforestation, sustainable use of natural resources, use of alternative energy sources, investing in knowledge and innovative solutions to development issues in Southern Sudan.
Future vision
SHF aims to increase and maintain a habitat knowledgebase through partnerships tailored to local needs. We aim to develop and increase capacity in the field of habitat, sustainable energy and water and sanitation. SHF will be further developing a portfolio of possible cost-efficient and sustainable building techniques for Southern Sudan and start implementing its large scale public water and sanitation facilities model. However, all these activities are highly dependent on political stability and security in Sudan.
SHF would like to acknowledge and thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands for their support to this programme.
