Dear Colleagues,

This is to inform you that we also have an UBSUP flickr account which has quite a number of pictures that the team members have taken since the start of the project.

The link is: www.flickr.com/photos/ubsup/

We currently have the following folders in the UBSUP collections in our flickr account.

1. UBSUP sanitation chain
2. UBSUP data collection
3. UBSUP concept development
4. UBSUP private sector and NGO cooperation

We look forward to your feedback!

Best regards,

Doreen

Dear Colleagues,

My name is Simon Okoth. I work for the Water Services Trust Fund as a program officer in charge of sanitation. With this posting I present to you the UBSUP program which is implemented by the Water Services Trust Fund and financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, KfW and in kind contributions and technical support from GIZ.

Up- scaling of basic sanitation for the urban poor involves improving the living conditions of the urban poor in Kenya through enhanced access to basic sanitation and safe water.



Name of lead organization
Water Services Trust Fund (GIZ only providing technical support)
Primary contact at lead organization
Eng. Jacqueline Musyoki
Grantee location
Nairobi, Kenya
Developing country where the research is being or will be tested
Kenya

Short description of the project

Rapid urbanization combined with a widening income gap between rich and poor and limited economic opportunities of the poorer strata in the society are the main causes of the increasing growth of the low income urban settlements including slums in Most African countries. Slum dwellers, however, face serious inadequacy in access to safe water and basic sanitation as characterized by deteriorating living conditions.

Kenya is one such African country facing these challenges. The country has more than 1,800 low income areas with a total estimated population of 8 million. The lack of access to adequate basic sanitation by the poor population has had devastating infant (under five) mortality effect, insecurity especially to women at night and low dignity among other sanitation burdens.
It is in this context that the WSTF jointly with GIZ are developing a concept for up-scaling sanitation in low income urban households with a focus on household and plot-level sanitation aimed at improving the living conditions of the urban poor in Kenya through enhanced access to basic sanitation and safe water.

Goals
The goal of this project is to improve the living conditions of the urban poor by offering access to sustainable plot level sanitation for up to 800,000 and to safe water for up to 200,000 residents of urban low income areas in Kenya, enabling these residents to practice sound hygiene. The project consists of a “technical component” (advisory services, capacity building, up-scaling concept development, monitoring and reporting system, etc.) and a “financial and up-scaling component” providing subsidies for plot level sanitation facilities.

Objectives of the programme

1. The project is successful when it provides sustainable sanitation for over 800,000 people and safe water for 200,000 in the urban low income-areas in Kenya and will have achieved satisfactory performance if 600,000 are reached with sanitation and 100,000 with safe water.
2. A monitoring system for tracking access to safe water and basic sanitation facilities of urban low income area dwellers is in place and accessible to the public (i.e. an online database).
3. Sector institutions, civil society organizations and small-scale private entrepreneurs have the capacity to actively participate in the provision of basic sanitation to the urban low income areas and cooperation with research institutes results in improved sanitation options.
4. A sanitation up-scaling concept in line with the sector reforms ensures sustainable use of facilities and is used for the further development of the sub-sector.

Start and end date: For GIZ part: Start : 6/30/2011; End 6/30/2017 (extended until Dec 2018) - and for WSTF part: Start : 6/22/2011; End 5/14/2016 (extended until Dec 2018)
Grant type: Other
Research or implementation partners: GIZ, Water Service Providers (WSPs) in Kenya,
Links, further readings, results to date:
• UBSUP SuSanA project profile www.susana.org/en/resources/projects/details/100
• UBSUP key documents in SuSanA library www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/2448
• UBSUP SuSanA case study www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/2861
• UBSUP toolkit on WSTF website www.waterfund.go.ke/safisan/

Key components:
Sanitation technical options (hardware): The Proposed Programme focuses on adaptable technologies and specific solutions developed for areas with high population densities, unfavorable soil conditions, high water tables, etc. This includes adaptable and affordable designs such as EcoSan facilities, etc.

Stakeholders ensuring a multi-level approach: The implementation approach is to be integrated into the water sector policies, institutions and procedures through a multi-level engagement which builds upon the strengths and weaknesses of all sector stakeholders. This includes capacity building at all levels with emphasis on the local (town and area) level in particular with clear feedback of best practices and lessons learnt mechanisms.

Sanitation promotion: The development and use of innovative social marketing techniques aimed at increasing the demand for improved sanitation. The focus of the social marketing program is not entirely on the health advantages of improved toilets but also on improved privacy, dignity and user-friendliness.

Financial contributions: The programme has adopted a subsidy approach as an effective plot and household sanitation approach that ensures that decision for the adoption of improved sanitation is taken by the household, the landlords and/or the tenants and the ownership of the facility and sustainability is fostered through contribution from the household, the landlords and/or the tenants.