The Mvula Trust’s approach to building local capacity is internationally unique. We place control of project finances in the hands of local community structures such as village water or sanitation committees. We do this in order to:

• Increase ownership
• Ensure an understanding of the costs of the service
• Build community confidence to deal with financial institutions and suppliers of goods and services
• Build self esteem, self confidence, and resourcefulness

Our experience with this approach, in over 500 communities, has been very positive. In the vast majority of projects all the above objectives have been achieved, and less than 0.2% of funds have been mismanaged.

Focus on women: The Trust adopted a policy calling for a 30% quota of women on all village water committees. Over and above the important human rights issues, this makes practical sense. Women are the primary collectors, managers and users of water in the home. However, national policy decisions are not always so easy to implement locally.

Water committees have not consistently adhered to the quota system. Further, women elected to the committees have not always made critical decisions. It was for this reason that The Mvula Trust embarked on an in-depth evaluation of women’s role on projects. Some very interesting material has come to light.