Water for Women - Papua New Guinea (World Vision)

Strengthening community-based and community-driven approaches for climate-resilient inclusive WASH in Western Province

From 2023 to 2024 Water for Women partnered with World Vision to deliver climate-resilient inclusive WASH services to reach 51,025* people living in South and Delta Fly+ Districts of Western Province, Papua New Guinea. This project was an extension of WASH Voices for Empowerment (WAVE)  (2018-22) which reached 39,385* people. World Vision’s Water for Women project finished delivery in December 2024.

Community-based and driven approaches to sustain inclusive WASH outcomes

Climate change poses significant challenges to WASH services both South and Delta Fly districts of Western Province, impacting access to safe and sustainable water. Equipping local community members with the knowledge and skills to manage WASH services and adapt to climate change was a core focus of the WAVE 2 project. World Vision utilised community-driven WASH approaches, including Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM), Community-Based Water Safety Planning (WSP) and Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), to strengthen local capacity to identify and manage climate risks, while integrating Indigenous and scientific knowledge.

Community awareness sessions focusing on the Healthy Island Concept (HIC) were conducted, resulting in increased participation among women, with 4,958 women and girls actively trained and involved. HIC is a participatory community engagement, planning, and monitoring approach unique to the Pacific Islands. Through community embedded HIC facilitators, communities formulate their collective vision of a “healthy community” and monitor the implementation of community plans. Successes included a high level of community ownership, participation and accountability, as well as significant progress on activity implementation addressing hygiene and broader health issues in the communities.

A total of 648 community/WASH Management Committee (WMC) members were trained in hazard identification, risk mapping/analysis and mitigation planning as part of CBDRM and WSP. A total of 22 new rural communities were engaged using the CLTS approach; 15 of these communities attained Open Defecation Free (ODF) status during WAVE 2.

In a historic moment for the Matta Community in Western Province, Papua New Guinea, celebrations were in full swing as the first of 10 communities to be declared Open Defecation Free

View more photo updates from our work in Papua New Guinea

With the support of local WMCs, 54 inclusive, climate-resilient plans were developed and, at the time of reporting, were being implemented across 46 of 54 rural communities. As a result, 4,334 households gained access to improved sanitation facilities and were maintaining good hygiene practices. The WAVE 2 project also supported 24 peri-urban settlements in Daru, South Fly District, with improved access to climate-resilient, inclusive WASH.

Activities were also completed with 19 schools and 10 healthcare facilities in the South and Delta Fly districts, benefiting a total of 51,025 people. A variety of initiatives and climate-adaptation approaches were used to ensure sustainability and inclusive WASH services. 

These community-based and driven approaches improved sustainability through genuine ‘ownership’ of strengthening community technical and organisational capacities, and empowered communities by enabling them to tackle climate-related threats and other challenges. These approaches facilitated discussions on climate change, enabling people to reflect on and share how impacts on WASH affect them, and educated communities on disaster management, including context-specific skills, knowledge, and resources to better plan, prepare and respond to disaster.

Community-based disaster risk management supported by the WAVE 2 project was credited with helping local communities to cope during drought and flooding experienced in 2023 and 2024, with communities reportedly maintaining access to essential water and sanitation facilities during these disasters.

Systems strengthening for lasting benefits

As part of system strengthening, the project supported government initiatives in budgeting and financing resilient community WASH approaches. Having a subnational District WASH coordination body helped oversee WASH priorities and implementation. Implementation of WASH activities in the South Fly District aligned with the South Fly District WASH Plan, reviewed annually by the technical working committee. In Delta Fly, with the support of World Vision, the District WASH Committee made significant strides toward developing its Five-year WASH Plan.

At the national level, while the PNG National WASH Policy addressed the need for WASH service delivery, it was limited in addressing the intersection of  WASH, inclusion, and climate change. To address these gaps, the WAVE 2 Extension Phase project embarked on strengthening WASH policy at the subnational level. The project conducted an expanded WASH survey in Delta Fly District, reaching 167 communities, 96 schools and 23 healthcare facilities (HCFs), with identified WASH gaps recorded in the Delta Fly Baseline report. This data informed the development of a 5-Year Delta Fly WASH Plan.

The WAVE 2 project provided capacity-building support and guidance to Delta Fly District WASH Committees (DWC) and the District Disaster Management Organisations (DDMO) to update inclusive WASH plans for strengthened climate resilience. The project supported dialogue and coordination through technical working groups across both districts. To strengthen continuity of WASH service delivery, 15 key members of the DWCs at the subnational level participated in the first National WASH Symposium, which was supported by the WAVE 2 project. At the community level, WAVE 2 tapped into Citizen Voice and Action (CVA), whereby members of the community WASH Committee (WMC) identified within LLG formed a working committee that functions as a coordinating body that links communities to the LLGs to fund and support WASH projects. At the time of reporting, some proposals had already been drafted and submitted to LLGs for funding.

WAVE 2 also continued to provide support to and advocate for the Council of Women and Organisation of People with Disabilities at the subnational and lower local level government (LLG), building on gains during the Phase 1 project. Members of the Council of Women and OPD were trained and mentored in institutional capacity building. The women’s council continues to champion women’s empowerment activities such as organised church groups on the production of re-usable sanitary pads. The Women’s Council and OPD continue to advocate on issues pertaining to women at the provincial, district, local and community level. With support from South Fly Community Services and Callan Services, they continue to meet regularly to plan and implement priority activities in their annual plans. Further, the Women’s Council now has a District Council Women Executive, who through the sub-council associate at LLG were to coordinate activities at the district and community levels.

These two rights holder organisations (RHOs) have paved the way for women and girls and people living with disability to have a voice and actively participate in decision-making and community forums. As a result of advocacy, engagement and empowerment initiatives supported by the WAVE 2 project, the number of women and people living with disabilities participating in local community structures increased, for example, there was an increased number of women on community WASH committees.

“Being part of the WASH committee gave me the courage to speak up not only for myself but for all the women and children in our community. We have shown that when women are involved, solutions are more practical and impactful."

WASH Committee member, Wamarong Village, South Fly District

The WAVE 2 project also supported the construction of 13 demonstration latrines specifically designed for individuals with mobility disabilities in flood-prone communities. This initiative aimed to encourage families to build similar latrines for their homes. As a result, 310 households constructed comparable latrines following flooding. Two boreholes were also drilled, as more climate-resilient sources of water, to serve a population of 2,969 people. To address water scarcity during dry peak periods more broadly, World Vision with support from Western Province Partnership (WPP) WASH projects, drilled 20 additional climate-resilient boreholes in communities and institutions serving a population of 11,061 people.

WinS instilling good WASH practices and shifting stigma

“ I now know more about the importance of hand washing and how it can prevent us from getting sick and potentially missing out on school.”

Year 7 student and a member of the school WASH Club, St. John Primary School

During the WAVE 2 Extension Phase project, interventions in 19 schools promoted improved WASH education, including behaviour change and awareness of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among students, teachers, and school boards. Additionally, school health clubs were established, increasing total membership by 220 in 10 primary schools. Club members received training on various topics, including MHM, hygiene practices, climate-resilient WASH, disaster risk management, and WASH in Schools (WinS). To ensure the continued functionality of these health clubs, the project, in collaboration with the Department of Education in the South Fly District, trained and certified 11 focal teachers across 11 schools. These teachers were registered with the Department of Education to sustain health clubs and support the implementation of the revised Policy and Standards for WASH in Schools for the 2024-2028 period.

Students’ participation in WASH global days increased to 5,693 students during the WAVE 2 project, and 3,784 participated in MHM specific activities. The Council of Women continued to support WinS through training on sewing of re-usable pads, with schools and communities requesting further future trainings.

“Now that I’ve learnt how to sew reusable pads, I can also share my knowledge to young girls and women in my community by teaching them how to sew their own reusable pads, and also turn this into a business idea to generate income.”

Year 8 student, Buzi Primary School, South Fly District

Improving WASH in healthcare facilities for long-term benefits

Recognising the importance of resilient and strong WASH in healthcare facilities, the WAVE 2 project adapted the World Health Organization (WHO) Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT)  guidelines and facilitated training on disaster preparedness with 10 healthcare facilities. The disaster risk reduction planning component of the WASH FIT tool encouraged 244 trained health and WASH committees to proactively implement key early warning preparedness measures to safely manage and secure WASH infrastructure before disasters struck, including planning for locations of WASH infrastructure in the event of a natural disaster, such as flooding. The project strongly encouraged women and girls to participate in healthcare facility planning and decision-making.

“I now realized that I am not only here to treat patients, instead I have a duty to ensure I treat my healthcare facility like patients too. The WASH FIT approach is so amazing.”

Community Health Worker, Mapodo Sub Health Center, Delta Fly District

Lessons learnt

Localisation of Indigenous knowledge to address climate change

When implementing climate-resilient WASH, consideration must be given to both local and scientific knowledge when articulating to communities about issues of climatic hazards, mitigation and adaptation. The reason why this is important is that communities already have some local ideas on how to address many climatic concerns using contextualised knowledge and local resources. In fact, the local knowledge on how to tackle hazards such as flooding or drought should be sought out and scientific knowledge used to complement and reinforce local knowledge so that local solutions will be promoted, and communities will have ownership over the ideas rather than considering them something that is foreign.

Community engagement

Involving local communities in the planning and implementation of WASH projects is crucial. This ensures that the solutions are tailored to the specific needs and conditions of the community, leading to better acceptance and sustainability as evidenced by the replication of latrine designs demonstrated to 13 communities in Delta and South Fly rural districts that resulted in 310 household latrines being constructed.

Inclusive WASH infrastructure designs

Ensuring the design of WASH infrastructure is inclusive and accessible to all, including women, children, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups is critical. Inclusive designs not only improve access, but also enhance overall resilience within the community.

“World Vision’s WASH program planning, budgeting and overall implementation has been successful in 2024 with representatives from the Western Provincial District, and World Vision’s partners in the Local Level Government and health sectors. Evidently it was through the funding support of the Australian government under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and, that WASH has implemented its program extremely well in South Fly Rural Communities.”

Mr. Tawa Gebia, South Fly District Administrator and Chairman of South Fly District WASH Committee

Looking ahead

With limited funding from government in both districts of Delta Fly and South Fly and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns that pose significant challenges in designing and maintaining resilient WASH infrastructure, World Vision PNG will continue to advocate for climate-resilient inclusive WASH projects at the subnational level.

It is envisaged that vibrant and functional WASH committees can also advocate for policies that prioritise climate-resilient and inclusive WASH. With the District WASH Committees in place, and the District WASH plans and Delta Fly Baseline Report, which highlight WASH gaps, the committees are in a position to seek long-term financial support from donors, government and other stakeholders to support climate-resilient WASH projects.

Strengthening partnership between governments, NGOs, communities, RHOs and the private sector to share resources, expertise, and best practices will continue to be an important focus for World Vision PNG.

Feature photo: Colour coded waste bins being used in Dimiri Aid post, Western Province, PNG (World Vision PNG)

*Phase 1 beneficiaries were calculated from those who achieved WASH access. Extension Phase beneficiaries were calculated from those who achieved WASH access as well as climate change outcomes. Totals were determined based on outcomes reported by individual projects. See Our Impact.

⁺ In 2022, Middle Fly District was split to create Delta Fly District.