WaSH Em i Bikpela Samting (WASH is important)

WEBS – Strengthening connections for climate-resilient water and WASH systems in schools, healthcare facilities and communities 

From 2023 to 2024 Water for Women partnered with the WEBS Consortium to deliver climate-resilient inclusive WASH services to reach 11,820* people living in Central, Morobe and New Ireland provinces, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB), and National Capital District. This project was an extension of WaSH Em i Bikpela Samting in Phase 1 (2018 to 2022), which reached 70,624* people. The WEBS project finished delivery in December 2024.

Partners: WaSH Em i Bikpela Samting (WEBS) Consortium - World Vision (lead), WaterAid, Plan International, Live and Learn Environmental Education

Locations: Central, Morobe and New Ireland provinces, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB), and National Capital District

Focus areas: Systems strengthening, capacity building, locally led development, WASH in Schools (WinS), WASH in healthcare facilities

The WaSH Em i Bikpela Samting Consortium provided valuable learning experiences for Water for Women and partners, with member organisations collaborating to share knowledge and first-hand experience and to respond to challenges in progressing climate-resilient, inclusive WASH across the varying geographies and contexts of the project areas. This enabled WEBS partners to accelerate the process and build on each other’s experience and expertise, which in turn created opportunities for more targeted and coordinated WASH messaging and advocacy. The consortium model offers a future pathway to scale critical interventions, practice, and collective influence on investments by the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Government of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville at all levels.

In September 2024, the arrival of a 9,000 litre water tank for a gravity fed water supply system in the remote village of Sayang, Morobe, marked a significant milestone for the community, fulfilling a long-standing need (World Vision)

Over the seven years of Water for Women, WEBS contributed towards improved access to climate-resilient and inclusive WASH for some 294,999 people. An additional 459,742 indirectly benefitted from the WEBS project work. During the final two-year Extension Phase, WEBS reached 11,820* people directly. 

Systems strengthening to support national and subnational WASH investment planning, governance and coordination

During the Extension Phase, Consortium partners participated in and contributed to significant national and subnational processes and strategies supporting critical investments for improved WASH outcomes.

Partners actively engaged in and supported the government’s first ever WASH Joint Sector Review, National Roadmap and Guidelines for WASH in HCF, meetings of the National Technical Group for WASH in Healthcare Facilities (HCF), meetings of the National WASH Technical Working Group, and the first National WASH Symposium, held in 2024.

In the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB), Plan International (Plan) supported the  development of a Five-Year WASH Plan for the Southern Region and a Regional WASH Plan for the Northern Region. Plan also made significant contributions to the finalisation of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) WASH Strategy, enabling  ARoB to become the first province in PNG in which WASH policies or strategic plans were in place at both the provincial level and in all sub-provincial districts/regions. Having strengthened the WASH Committees’ understanding of climate risks in the regions and climate-resilient inclusive WASH responses, these documents incorporate gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) and climate resilience considerations.

Similarly, in New Ireland Province (NIP), the Provincial WASH Technical Working Group (TWG) that was formed and formally endorsed by New Ireland Provincial Administration with support from WEBS in Phase 1, contributed to the development of a draft WASH Policy for NIP. The project team also supported the NIP WASH TWG to review key national policies and plans including the National WASH Policy, Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP 4), and National Health Policy. The Consortium’s ability to facilitate and fund the initial establishment and subsequent regular convening of the WASH Committee in ARoB and WASH TWG in NIP, and the provision of technical expertise and capacity building for members of these bodies was critical to these outcomes.

Plan and implementing partner Live and learn Environmental Education (LLEE) also supported separate forums with the Provincial Coordination and Monitoring Committees and the District Planning Committee in NIP, strengthening communication and networking among key stakeholders at these levels. Health Partnership Meetings in  ARoB created spaces to strengthen WASH systems and build stakeholder collaboration while providing project updates and being accountable to relevant sub-national authorities.

“Resilient WASH is now a major concern in PNG and also in New Ireland and so it must be well coordinated, aligned and captured in the Development Plans of the different key Government sectors.”

Ms Martha Salihombo, Director Health, New Ireland Provincial Administration

Celebrating the opening of a new ablution block at Haisi Healthcare Facility in ARoB, supported by WEBS (Plan International/LLEE)

View more photo updates from our work in Papua New Guinea

Systematic WASH in healthcare facilities improvements to WASH in healthcare facilities supporting community health and well-being

Many HCFs in PNG face significant challenges due to inadequate infrastructure and resources - including insufficient water and sanitation services, unreliable energy supply, and an adequately trained health workforce shortage. This hinders the health system’s ability to provide effective healthcare for patients and manage climate-related risks. Addressing these critical gaps is essential for building climate-resilient HCFs that can withstand and respond to the impacts of climate change.

Significant progress was made through the collaborative efforts of Consortium partners and NDOH. The National Roadmap and Guidelines for WASH in HCF represent two of the WHO’s eight practical steps to support national governments in achieving basic WASH services in HCFs. These documents serve as key stepping stones for accelerating the implementation of WASH in HCFs throughout PNG.

During the Extension Phase, WaterAid produced a simplified and contextualised version of the WHO’s Water and Sanitation in Healthcare Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT), which was tested at Lemerkot HCF with support from Plan. This contextualised WASH FIT was socialised  with provincial and district health authorities, consortium partners, and other health and WASH stakeholders. Subsequent to the NIP workshop, the LLEE team supported the NIP Health Authority to pilot the standards and guidelines at Sogeri HCF, including water testing for WASH FIT risk assessment.

The national WASH in HCF TWG was also re-established, with WaterAid leading the secretariat role. This was critical and enabled the NDOH WASH team to effectively coordinate and collaborate with relevant stakeholders in developing the National Roadmap and newly endorsed National Guidelines for WASH in HCF, both of which were launched in 2024.

Following the launch of the national guidelines, WaterAid and NDOH facilitated a two-day workshop in Port Moresby to introduce a training package developed to support their socialisation. The workshop included representatives from the Provincial Health Authorities (PHA) of Central, Hela, East Sepik, and Jiwaka, along with Consortium partners World Vision, Plan, and LLEE. The two-day workshop also provided an opportunity to test the content of the training package and train participants to become co-facilitators for subsequent sessions. Following feedback, WaterAid adapted the training package into a three-day workshop, which included a half-day site visit to a HCF to practice using the WASH FIT in real-time scenarios.

WaterAid and NDOH co-facilitated five workshops with Consortium partners in New Ireland, Central, East Sepik, and Morobe Provinces, and ARoB. These workshops trained 128 participants across the five PHAs. Participants included PHA Directors, District Health Authorities, Environmental Health Officers, Health Extension Officers, HCF staff, and faith-based health personnel.

Kuriva HCF in Central Province was selected as a model HCF to enhance WASH services using the newly developed national guidelines and minimum standards. A team of WaterAid, Central Province Health Authority (CPHA), NDOH, the Health Facility Standards Branch, and the WASH PMU undertook an initial scoping and assessment of the WASH services at Kuriva HCF, which found significant deficiencies. To address the most immediate needs, WaterAid prioritised improvements to the labour, delivery, and maternity ward, which included:

• Water supply - installation of two 9,000-litre tanks
• Sanitation facilities - construction of two (VIP) toilets
• Hygiene facilities - refurbishment of two shower blocks and one laundry block
• Waste management - construction of one incinerator
• Maternity Ward - minor renovations, including walls, shelves, pipes, and taps.

WaterAid and CPHA also submitted a proposal to the CPHA Steering Committee for further improvements, including concepts for building a new HCF that were subsequently included in the CPHA Annual Health Plan. Further, WaterAid responded to a request from the Office of the Honorable Member for Koairi, Mr. Keith Idu, for a draft design for a borehole for the HCF. WaterAid prepared and shared this design to promote continued support beyond the Consortium.

“I’m very happy that World Vision has come on board to complement the work of the DDA. The Government cannot work alone, together with NGOs we must work in partnership to help communities.”

Wanti Liron, Markham District Development Authority

Consortium partners supported a range of climate-risk and GEDSI-informed improvements to WASH in HCFs across their project locations. Some examples included:

• In Morobe, World Vision supported climate-resilient WASH infrastructure in one HCF.
• In NIP, Plan and LLEE facilitated the first-ever HCF WASH Situational Analysis and delivered climate-risk capacity building in six HCFs.
• In South Bougainville, Plan and LLEE supported the development of WASH improvement plans (WIPs) and infrastructure projects, including new water tanks to increase water storage capacity at three HCFs in response to drought risks, and at two of these, accessible ablution blocks and rehabilitation of water supply systems.

WinS for WASH in Schools

In ARoB, Plan and LLEE facilitated training in climate-resilient inclusive WASH for Head/senior teachers, health and hygiene teachers and Board Chairpersons in three schools, which were also supported to carry out WASH risk assessments and develop integrated WASH improvement plans (WIPs). Plan and LLEE supported delivery of key elements of the school WIPs, with all three schools receiving inclusive and disability-accessible sanitation facilities.

One school was also provided additional water storage tanks to sustain the level of WASH services required to achieve climate resilience during increasingly long dry seasons. The three schools became the first primary schools in South Bougainville with separate climate-resilient, inclusive ablution blocks for boys and girls. The schools also received training on operation and maintenance (O&M) of the WASH facilities and on WASH behaviour change and hygiene practices to sustain these benefits.

Three schools in South Bougainville were the first to receive modern ablution block WASH facilities built by Plan International. The completed facilities were officially opened for use by the District Education Officer.

In NIP, five elementary schools that were newly engaged in the Extension Phase were supported to develop climate-resilient WASH plans. Plan and LLEE assisted teachers to revise existing WASH Club materials to cater for the needs of younger students and to deliver these sessions in their schools.

The involvement and leadership of teachers and members of the School Board in WASH risk assessments, improvement planning, construction, and O&M fund planning was an important enabling factor for the WinS work, as was the provision of training programs focused on inclusive WASH practices and climate resilience.

Improved access to climate-resilient inclusive WASH in communities

During the Extension Phase, the application of technical expertise through the Consortium was important in enabling the integration of climate risks into institutional risk assessments and resilience measures that were subsequently built into facility designs.

In NIP, Plan supported two Kavieng-based sporting clubs to assess WASH risks and develop climate-resilient inclusive WASH plans for their venues, which the clubs can use to source funding for facility improvements. Plan also worked with NIP Correctional Services to rehabilitate and improve accessibility and the climate resilience of WASH its facilities. Incorporating local needs and preferences in the design of facilities and toilets was particularly important in ensuring suitability to the context, acceptability to users, and the availability of skilled local labourers.

World Vision also achieved significant milestones, including the delivery of gravity-fed water supplies in Morobe District, improving year-round access to water for WASH for five vulnerable communities. Gender-sensitive and disability-inclusive practices were integrated into programming, fostering equitable access. Community capacity was also strengthened through targeted training on WASH management and climate adaptation, promoting local ownership. Partnerships with government, non-government organisations (NGOs), and stakeholders enabled collaborative solutions, while digital tools like mWater enhanced project monitoring and reporting.

Key enabling factors included strong donor support, effective community engagement, and robust partnerships. However, challenges like logistical barriers in remote areas, high inflation owing to increased transportation costs due poor road conditions and change of design, and increasing climate risks posed obstacles to implementation. Despite these challenges, the project made notable progress in advancing climate-resilient, inclusive WASH services and highlighted opportunities for improvement in scaling and sustaining these efforts.

“Women struggle when there is no water source nearby, we have to walk long distances to fetch water apart from going to the gardens and doing other chores, often we would cook very late at night for our families, sometimes when the whole village is asleep, the women would still be up.”

Nufan, WASH Committee member for Sayang Village and woman leader

Evidence and learning supporting inclusive, equitable and climate-resilient WASH at national and subnational levels

The WEBS Consortium participated in and contributed to national-level policy and practice processes, including bi-monthly WASH in HCF stakeholder meetings alongside other multi-sector stakeholders like the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, meetings of the National WASH Technical Working Group,^[1] the first ever WASH Joint Sector Review  and the first National WASH Symposium, both in 2024. 

In ARoB and NIP, the Plan International and LLEE project teams supported positive developments, including a new AGB Government WASH Strategy and recently established WASH Unit, and the NIP WASH Policy.

In ARoB, the Department of Education (DoE) and Department of Health showed preference for the inclusive WASH facility designs developed and demonstrated through Plan’s Consortium and broader Water for Women project  work, and particular adaptations that these include (shower for girls, ramps, spacing, rails). Further, DoE showed interest in Plan’s approach of constructing low/no water-use VIP toilets alongside flush to septic toilets  as a means of safeguarding sanitation during drought. In NIP, the Uniting Church began to use the WASH FIT in its work with HCFs, and in  ARoB, the DoH expressed interest in continuing to use this methodology.

In Pari, a Motu Koita village situated about nine kilometres southeast of Port Morseby, WaterAid partnered with the community, the Motu Koita Assembly (MKA), and PNG Water to co-develop and pilot an innovative water supply model. This included the establishment of water kiosks at strategic locations, managed by Pari Water Services as a professionalised intermediary, and operated by trained and remunerated local community members. The aim was to pilot a viable governance model to address the complex issue of poor service standards and non-revenue water across peri-urban areas of PNG.^[2]

To share learning and insights for future development progress, the WaterAid team hosted several visits to Pari of representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with Pari stakeholders. ADB previously piloted a range of projects to address this issue, which were unsuccessful, and was in the process of designing the new multi-tranche Urban Water Supply, Sanitation Security and Resilience Improvement Program in 2024. WaterAid shared key learnings, experiences and insights with ADB’s project design team, which helped influence the design and approach of the new investment. Critical lessons shared included the importance of taking a data driven approach and understanding the community needs, willingness to pay, social dynamics and vision to achieve reliable and affordable service provision.

WaterAid’s data suggested that contrary to the common assumption the community was unwilling to pay for water, they were already paying high costs for inferior carted water and were willing to pay for a reliable and well-maintained, consistent supply and service. There was also willingness to pay for private metered water connections direct to households.

“The population of PNG is rising, it is projected to reach 13.9 million by 2050. The population living in urban and peri-urban areas is projected to nearly double from 13.3% in 2020 to 24% in 2050, placing unsustainable strain on urban water supply and impacting the sustainability of PNG’s only water utility state owned enterprise, Water PNG. Due to poor piped water service standards, communities have invested in self-supply such as rainwater tanks, however the worsening impacts of climate change, especially drought, means that rainwater harvesting is becoming increasingly unreliable and unable to provide enough water to meet demand.”

WaterAid PNG

Lessons learnt

Leadership, coordination and clarity on roles and responsibilities will remain key enabling factors to drive improvements in climate-resilient inclusive WASH outcomes in PNG. Working as a Consortium allowed the partners to better support and advance these key enabling factors. The added value of working as a Consortium – including greater collaboration, sharing lessons, strengthened stakeholder engagement, reduction of duplication, and better coordination and advocacy opportunities - was a key highlight of the Extension Phase. Significant examples of this included the:

• Joint Sector Review
• WASH in HCF Roadmap and Guidelines, including socialisation training
• National WASH Symposium
• Two consortium-wide learning briefs.

To ensure that NGO interventions and support were not viewed by key stakeholders as the only means through which WASH services can be delivered and improved, partners focused on identifying entry points and opportunities for alignment to strengthen sustainable WASH service planning, delivery and oversight. This included ongoing engagement to better understand government workplans and priorities to enable greater coordination and participation for activity delivery, as well as helping to identify those key entry points and leverage opportunities.

Other highlights and lessons from Consortium partners include:

• Using inclusive design and GEDSI principles in the delivery of climate-resilient WASH infrastructure supports more equitable access to improved facilities.
• Providing technical skills training to key stakeholders and participants enabled contextualised project interventions and established a foundation of skills at the local and institutional level, which is key to sustainability of project outcomes.
• Adopting a clustered approach to project delivery helps drive project efficiencies, allowing for better integration of Climate-Resilient Inclusive WASH Improvement Plans into government plans and budgets. This in turn increases the potential for WASH improvement plans to be prioritised for government (or donor) funding in the future.
• Collaboration, and having tools/guidelines/policies that are government-led and owned is important to support greater adoption, ownership and service delivery; the support and adoption of the WASH in HCF Guidelines is a significant successful example of this.
• Building resilience in HCFs requires a multi-disciplinary approach involving various sectors and actors from government, non-government and private entities.
• Investing in climate-resilient and inclusive WASH in HCFs strengthens health systems, making them better equipped to handle public health emergencies and climate-related stresses. This investment is crucial for improving the quality of health services and ensuring that facilities can provide continuous care during crises, reduce health disparities and ensure climate change does not disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.
• Data driven, contextual design is important to address the significant issue of peri- urban WASH access in PNG, as demonstrated through the Pari delegated management model, and the social surveys and ongoing strategy development with MKA. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all approach.’ The most important consideration is that for complex urban infrastructure, a community water committee is inadequately positioned to be successful in managing payments and operation and maintenance.
• It is critical to invest in understanding social, economic and environmental drivers and design, or refine models based on a settlement’s unique characteristics. In addition to addressing governance and cost recovery, it is critical to invest in reliability and resilience measures such as pipeline upgrades, mixed source systems like boreholes and appropriate on-site storage capacity, to provide network resilience during times of network-wide rationing by Water PNG.

Looking ahead

“The program's successes have been guided by a spirit of respect, innovation, courage, and cooperation.”

WaterAid

The WEBS Consortium provided a valuable experience that allowed the partner organisations to share learnings, experiences, and challenges in the shift to strengthening the climate resilience of WASH services and systems across varying geographies and contexts. This assisted partner organisations to accelerate this process and build on each other’s experience and expertise. The consortium model offers a future pathway to scale critical interventions, practice, and collective influence to support the Government of Papua New Guinea’s investments at all levels.

Consortium partners developed understanding among stakeholders of the implications of climate change on access to WASH and created demand for appropriately adapted solutions, such as extended/enlarged quality rainwater harvesting systems and water conservation techniques to further enhance the resilience of WASH facilities.

The use of inclusive WASH planning and decision-making and the embedding of GEDSI in service delivery was broadened, with increased participation of women, girls, and marginalised groups in leadership roles, particularly within WASH committees at subnational, local and institutional levels. Further, the WASH committees established through the WinS and WASH in HCF initiatives in are well positioned to support continued behaviour change and sustain WASH facility operation and maintenance. The inclusive climate-resilient WASH improvement plans developed by the schools and HCFs also support  these institutions to seek future funding to improve WASH at their facilities, and to contextualise interventions using local knowledge to complement the technical WASH knowledge gained through trainings.

In NIP specifically, local level demand remains for LLEE to continue to implement climate-resilient WASH in areas that were not within the Consortium target districts. In these locations, and also in ARoB, there is potential to build on the successes of the project in integrating climate-risk informed features and processes into WASH service delivery, and to expand these efforts to more communities, schools, and HCFs.

It is hoped that the use of inclusive processes and designs for WASH that cater specifically to the needs of different community members, including people with disabilities and women and girls, will continue to be used by stakeholders, and that these (or equivalent inclusive features) will be made mandatory for future WASH programs.

While working as a Consortium came with some challenges, such as the extra coordination required, the overall impact was incredibly positive. The Consortium model allowed greater coordination and collaboration between the partner organisations, which in turn created opportunities for more targeted and coordinated WASH messaging and advocacy.

The PNG WASH sector benefited from the Consortium acting as a mobiliser to strengthen relationships of WASH actors and to help share lessons and climate-resilient inclusive WASH approaches at national and subnational levels; a significant example is WaterAid’s work and lessons from Pari, which feature heavily in the design of ADB’s new multi-tranche fund, including the approach to peri-urban water supply. To replicate the Pari model, WaterAid undertook WASH and social surveys from two additional MKA communities (Tatana and Baruni), the findings from the surveys provide a platform to continue to demonstrate progress and learnings in challenging peri-urban communities in National Capital District.

Across PNG’s WASH sector, opportunities exist to collaborate further on WASH policy resourcing and the PNG National WASH Authority, which was yet to be endorsed by the Program Management Unit of the Department of National Planning and Monitoring. 

Feature photo by World Vision PNG