Strengthening water stewardship in Solomon Islands for sustainable WASH and water resource outcomes

Email icon Back to Search
A group discussion is in progress with women and men workshop participants. They are gathered around a table in an outdoor setting in Satona, Solomon Islands. The beach and sea are visible in the background. Some lean against it with their backs to the camera. They are looking at and discussing notes on poster paper.

A group discussion with diverse workshop participants in Satona (Solomon Islands National University / Collin Benjamin)

In Solomon Islands, individual communities are responsible for their own water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems, however, these are affected by, and impact the WASH systems of other communities within the same catchment. Conversely, community and catchment land-use activities also impact WASH systems. Policies and practices that consider catchment-level links between communities and WASH systems, and the sustainability and resilience of those systems, are currently weak or absent in Solomon Islands.

In an ambitious endeavour to address water security and sustainable WASH practices, the Community-to-catchment planning for inclusive, climate-resilient WASH systems in Solomon Islands project, supported by the Australian Government through a Water for Women Innovation and Impact (I&) grant, embarked on a transformative mission.

The project involved a collaboration between Plan International, Live and Learn Environmental Education (LLEE), International WaterCentre (IWC), Earth Water People, and Solomon Islands National University (SINU), and sought to develop and implement an innovative water stewardship approach. The primary goal was to create a locally suited water stewardship approach that would integrate community-scale WASH action planning with catchment-scale thinking to deliver socially equitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient WASH and water resource outcomes.

Through a combination of action and formative research, the project supported important short and medium-term outcomes, including:

  • Inclusive intergenerational dialogues at community-level and catchment-scale; gathering and disseminating inclusive gendered perspectives on water resource values.
  • Strengthened capacity for catchment-scale thinking; communities and stakeholders within a catchment now have a broader perspective on water management, including interconnectedness and interdependence considerations.
  • Collaboration on water management; leveraging inter-community political economies and social networks for catchment-scale collaboration on water management and promoting collective action.
  • Development of community-scale action plans that recognise the impact of catchment activities and the interconnectedness between community WASH systems, fostering sustainable practices.


Although the project faced some challenges and delays, significant strides were made towards achieving its objectives and a range of resources developed, including:


“It’s the first of its kind to have us two communities coming together to discuss and find solutions to problems concerning water…”

- Verahoia Water Committee Vice Chairman

 

 

A group of young people in Verahoai create their photostories in the photovoice workshop.

Young people in Verahoai create their photostories in a photovoice workshop (Plan International / Tema Wickham)

This project has made significant contributions to advancing water security and WASH practices in Solomon Islands and the Pacific region. By encouraging catchment-scale thinking and community involvement, it has empowered communities to take charge of their water resources, ensuring equitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient outcomes.

“It’s a good thing that photos were taken... Now we’re aware that the water source isn’t actually safe, especially in villages where houses are close to the water source… The photos show the reality to everyone including the youths themselves. It really does help those of us in the committee, giving us ideas on how to achieve our goals and redirect our focus on water because most of the time we’re just focusing on the dam, the pipes then to the standpipes and fixing leakages and never understanding that the only way the water is functioning as such is because of what actually happens at the catchment area.”

- Verahoia Water Committee Vice Chairman



Broader WASH sector contributions

This project exemplifies the power of innovation, collaboration and perseverance in addressing pressing water and sanitation challenges. The lessons learnt and approaches developed are now contributing to a more sustainable and equitable water future, where communities take centre stage in safeguarding their precious water resources.

The I&I project built on and is informing the ongoing Water for Women partnership between Plan International, LLEE, IWC, Earth Water People, and SINU that is supporting Climate Adaptive and Inclusive WASH in Solomon Islands.

The project achievements have far-reaching implications for the sector and are inspiring actors in other contexts to adopt and adapt the innovative water stewardship approach.


Other learning and knowledge from the project:


Women share their experience of water with fellow community members. two women hold a poster with photos and notes below them as another woman points to one of the photos and shares insights about it.

Women share their experience of water with fellow community members (Plan International)

Contact Us