Water for Women - Papua New Guinea

Improving access to safe water and sustainable WASH systems for the people of Wewak

From 2023 to 2024 Water for Women partnered with WaterAid to deliver climate-resilient inclusive WASH services to reach 13,997* people living in Wewak District, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. This project was an extension of Inclusive WASH for the People of Wewak (2018-22), which reached 18,583* people. WaterAid’s Water for Women project finished delivery in December 2024.

Partner: WaterAid

Locations: Wewak District, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG)

Focus areas: Systems strengthening for water and WASH delivery, governance and community capacity-building, partnerships for development

During the Water for Women Extension Phase, the Strongim WASH Kominiti Projek achieved significant improvements to WASH services in Wewak District, East Sepik Province, and influenced advancements in the WASH sector nationally.

Building strong partnerships over time with various key stakeholders within national and local level governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and at the community level in WASH underpinned the project successes. These partnerships facilitated the sharing of resources, knowledge, and expertise, enabling more effective and sustainable WASH interventions. Collaborative efforts with key stakeholders also ensured coordination and alignment with broader development goals.

A young boy fills a cup from one of the new community taps in his coastal community in East Sepik. WaterAid supported the installation of 16 rain water catchments across communities to ensure safe and easily accessible water (WaterAid / Tariq Hawari) 

Over the seven years of Water for Women, WaterAid contributed towards improved access to climate-resilient and inclusive WASH for some 294,999 people. An additional 444,416 indirectly benefitted from WaterAid’s project. During the final two-year Extension Phase, the project reached 13,997* directly.

Sustaining strong partnerships for climate-resilient inclusive WASH

Supported by WaterAid’s Phase 1 Water for Women project, Wewak District marked the significant milestone of establishing PNG’s first District WASH Coordination Body Committee (DWCB) with representation of key government departments and two rights holder organisations (RHOs). Under PNG’s National Service Delivery Framework, the formation of District WASH committees is a key strategy to enhance sector coordination, planning, financing, monitoring and service delivery for WASH.

Chaired by the District Administrator with co-chair arrangements with East Sepik Provincial Health Authority (ESPHA), during WaterAid’s Water for Women Extension Phase project this committee continued to play a crucial role in coordinating and overseeing climate-resilient inclusive WASH activities within the district and setting a model example for other districts. By bringing together key government agencies and NGOs, the committee ensured a cohesive and collaborative approach to climate-resilient and inclusive WASH, in turn providing a platform to share, reflect and progressively improve Wewak District’s approaches to coordination, planning, financing and service delivery. The DWCB proved to be an effective coordination approach, improving resource allocation, and supporting better project implementation that enhanced accountability.

Some partnership highlights during the seven years of project implementation are outlined below. 

Set up and registration of the East Sepik Disabled Persons Agency

The support provided by WaterAid PNG to the establishment and registration of the East Sepik Disabled Persons Agency (ESDPA) was a significant achievement in promoting inclusivity in WASH initiatives. Through the Phase 1 project, WaterAid supported the establishment and registration of the ESDPA, and then provided ongoing organisational capacity-development and strengthening support. ESDPA played a key role in advancing the inclusivity of the project by advocating for the needs and rights of people with disabilities, ensuring that WASH services and systems were accessible and beneficial to all community members in Wewak district. ESPDA remains instrumental in raising awareness about disability issues and promoting inclusive practices in WASH programming.

Organisational capacity strengthening of the East Sepik Council of Women (ESCoW)

The ESCoW was identified as a key partner early in Phase 1 and played an active role in driving the inclusivity of the project from the strategic decision-making processes through their representation on the DWCB, and through the delivery of key project activities, especially in relation to community engagement and outreach. WaterAid worked closely with ESCoW to identify shared strategic objectives, and provided ongoing organisational capacity building support to the organisation. This partnership played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 response, which necessitated improved access to affordable soap for handwashing in rural and remote areas. Soapmaking training courses were delivered to ESCoW members, equipping them with the skills to locally produce and sell soap at  an affordable price that empowered women economically and socially, and improving community hand hygiene practices. Many later expanded production to body and hair creams, which they continue to sell.

Recognising that women and vulnerable groups were particularly susceptible to family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, WaterAid and ESCoW integrated family violence referral pathways into the COVID-19 outreach program. In Wewak, the existing structure of the DWCB and WaterAid’s technical backstopping formed a strong platform to develop and scale COVID-19 and health messaging. WaterAid developed a COVID-19 preparedness and awareness training of trainer (ToT) package based on National Department of Health messaging and worked with the provincial health authority (PHA) and community health workers to roll out COVID-19 prevention messaging focused on handwashing with soap, maintaining physical distancing, avoiding gatherings and wearing masks. The ToT contained a range of frequently asked questions to help alleviate misinformation spread through social media.

During the Extension Phase, WaterAid engaged Australian Volunteer International (AVI) to help establish ESCoW’s organisational structure. AVI's support in setting up financial management and program management systems strengthened ESCoW’s capacity to manage projects and funds, enhancing operational efficiency and also increasing its credibility and ability to attract funding and partnerships beyond the life of the Water for Women project.

New partnerships for the DWCB and formation of the Provincial WASH Committee

During the Extension Phase, to further strengthen the Wewak DWCB and enable them to respond to adverse climate change and impacts, membership was expanded to include two new members with expertise in this area - the National Weather Service (NWS) and East Sepik Provincial Government Division of Environment & Conservation (ESPGDE&C). Inclusion of these members in the DWCB further strengthened collaboration among WASH actors, and equipped the DWCB with greater technical knowledge and information on climate change and the impacts in Wewak.

The involvement of the ESPGDE&C expert helped integrate environmental sustainability into the pilot WASH initiatives, ensuring that they did not harm the environment, and were resilient to climate impacts. The inclusion of the NWS representative provided critical weather data and forecasts, enabling better planning and responses for weather-related challenges.

The addition of these members in the DWCB was also a driving factor leading to the formation of the Provincial WASH Committee (PWC) - one of the first provincial WASH coordination bodies in PNG. The new members highlighted the importance of the Provincial Government in climate-related decisions within PNG, and further reinforced the importance of understanding the roles and responsibilities between national, and sub-national government levels within PNG – particularly for planning, funding and decision making.

Through the support of the PWC, a network of six automated weather stations were able to be implemented in six districts of East Sepik Province - Wewak, Angoram, Yangoru, Wosera Gawi, Maprik and Ambunti district – enhancing the capacity to monitor and respond to weather-related events, and improving the resilience of communities to climate change and extreme weather conditions. The weather stations continue to provide critical data that supports better planning and decision-making for WASH and other development activities.

Systems strengthening for climate-risk informed WASH planning, delivery and monitoring

At the commencement of the Phase 1 project, WaterAid and the DWCB quickly established that the Wewak District had no reliable data concerning WASH services across rural communities, schools, health clinics and other public places such as markets. One of the first priority tasks of the DWCB was to improve the data landscape to inform the district’s first ever Five-Year WASH Plan 2019-23 (one of the first in the country). In 2018, the National WASH Management Information System (MIS) was in its infancy with WaterAid supporting the Department of National Planning and Monitoring (PMU) to progressively build the system.

Wewak District was the first in the country to populate the MIS by undertaking a public sector led WASH baseline. WaterAid trained public servants from local level government (LLG), the District Development Authority (DDA) and PHA in data collection and management using the WASH MIS mWater application. Ten teams of public servants then undertook the baseline survey across all rural communities, schools, HCFs, public markets and police cells, as well as a representative survey of the Wewak urban LLG area, and insured the participation of women and persons with disabilities to inform the plan. This critical data on WASH conditions in Wewak District was instrumental in the development of the Wewak District Five-year Inclusive Climate-Resilient WASH plans. All the key partners gained hands-on experience of the mWater application and are able to use it to collect real time data for WASH planning purposes.

The development of the Five-Year Wewak District WASH Plan in Phase 1 marked a significant step towards long-term strategic planning. During the Extension Phase, WaterAid supported the DWCB to revise the district’s Five-Year WASH Plan (2024-28) based on improved climate resilience data, climate risk assessment and climate hazard and vulnerability assessment. The revised plan contains new climate-resilient costings and updated approaches to service delivery based on experiences from 2019-23. The plan is a valuable tool for guiding deliverables, mobilising resources, and coordinating efforts among key stakeholders.

The Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM) WASH PMU recognised the Wewak District model as a best practice approach for other districts and provinces, including it as a central case study for replication within the National WASH sector operations manual. This endorsement of the Wewak District model by the WASH PMU constituted significant recognition of the project's innovative and effective approach. The Wewak model integrates strong leadership, coordination, community engagement, capacity building, and sustainable practices. Several districts have taken steps to replicate the approaches, including South Fly and Delta Fly, Western Province, Rabaul and Pomio Districts in East New Britain Province, Bogia District in Madang Province, and Wau Waria District in Morobe Province.

“Team Wewak, we were the highlight [of the national WASH symposium]. Most of the experience here was lessons for the other provinces. Most of the programs rolled out in Wewak with support from the province, it is the pilot to the country. That’s what I’ve realised, we were proud that we are the pilot to the country.”

Bradlee Failou, Director of Environment and Climate Change, East Sepik Provincial Administration (and member of the DWCB)

With the revised Wewak District WASH plan in place, the DDA was also able to submit a Public Investment Program (PIP) proposal to the DNPM for funds toward their district WASH plan (yet to be approved).

 “We have to have a pathway, we need to know where we are heading in five years. For my LLG, my contribution to the [WASH Plan] review was looking at what has happened and what needs to be improved. It also gave me a better view of how I can do my budgeting. In terms of financing and technical input... We are currently working on the LLG development plan, being in that WASH Plan review gave me a good picture of how to fit WASH into that plan. For example, in the WASH plan there is distribution of priority projects. In my LLG we have three main areas, so I look at how I can put money into the projects.”

Justin Karin, Dagua LLG Manager, Wewak District

Ward Councillor Noel Mareu meets with members of his coastal community in East Sepik, Papua New Guinea, April 2024 (WaterAid/Tariq Hawari)

View more photo updates from our work in Papua New Guinea

Capacity building and strategies to safeguard inclusive WASH planning, decision-making and delivery

While Wewak’s Five-Year District WASH Plan contained a service delivery cycle, this lacked detail to adequately guide implementers in the steps required to undertake quality community engagement and incorporate GEDSI and climate resilience. During the Extension Phase, through the Wewak DWCB, WaterAid partnered with the East Sepik Provincial Health Authority (ESPHA), ESCoW and ESDPA to develop and demonstrate a community engagement package – the ‘Healthy Villages: Community WaSH Engagement Manual’ – to improve inclusive and climate-resilient WASH and water resource management (WRM). The development of this package was supported by the Australian Water Partnership, drawing on lessons from the Phase 1 Water for Women project.

The community engagement package is aligned with the National Department of Health’s National Policy on Health Promotion (the Healthy Islands Concept) and includes five modules incorporating community-led total sanitation (CLTS), community-based water resource management (CBWRM), and GEDSI messaging. The package was pivotal in standardising and enhancing community participation and provides practical guidelines for engaging communities in climate-resilient and inclusive WASH activities, promoting behaviour change, and ensuring sustainable management of water resources. Training RHO members from ESDPA and ESCoW further strengthened local capacity, enabling these organisations to effectively implement and monitor WASH projects in Wewak District. The DWCB defined a process to make community engagement on WASH consistent and systematic. The community engagement manual was developed and DWCB members were trained to support the integration within the DWCB’s service delivery cycle.

The delivery of safeguarding training in communities was a critical step in ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants in WASH activities. This training led to the development of safe programming guidelines, which are now integrated into all climate-resilient inclusive WASH projects delivered by WaterAid in Wewak. These guidelines ensure that all activities are conducted in a manner that protects the rights and dignity of community members, particularly vulnerable groups such as women and children.

WaterAid also provided support, alongside the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), for the development and dissemination  of the East Sepik Province Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Strategy - a groundbreaking initiative as the first provincial GBV strategy in PNG. This strategy not only addresses the urgent need to combat GBV, but also integrates the significant work done by ESCOW and ESDPA. GBV incidents in PNG are the highest among Pacific Island countries. The strategy provides guidance for establishing a Provincial GBV Secretariate and implementing measures to prevent and respond to GBV. As part of the community engagement activities, GBV awareness-raising activities and referral pathways were shared within the communities, and with staff at HCFs and schools where activities were delivered to ensure survivors can access timely and appropriate support services.

“By preventing and addressing GBV, we aim to promote equitable and safe access to WASH services for everyone, including women, people with disabilities, and marginalised groups.”

WaterAid PNG

Dorothy, the only female Peace Officer in her village, is an dedicated advocate for gender equality, disability and social inclusion (WaterAid/Tariq Hawari)

Lessons learnt

Climate change is already affecting communities in PNG, including through the impact on the water cycle. A structured, community-based water resource management (CBWRM) approach can build traditional knowledge and social structures to reinforce communities’ existing adaptive capacity to climate change. WRM and climate resilience need to be addressed through context-based approaches, behavior change and motivating people to work together.

At the national level, climate change has received relatively low prioritisation by the Government of Papua New Guinea. Establishment of the National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Authority (NWSHA) will provide a more permanent solution to improve WASH sector coordination and leadership, and enable a strong case for investing in WASH. WaterAid PNG provided support to the interim WASH PMU to coordinate WASH technical working groups, develop the National WASH Policy (2015–30) and the nationwide WASH MIS, and to replicate the model of Wewak District WASH approach in 14 more districts. The operationalisation of NWSHA as a central agency as per the National WASH Policy (2015 –30) is critical in ensuring appropriate regulation, coordination, capacity building and resourcing.

The role of the State Utility remains paramount in accelerating the WASH indictors. WaterAid worked with Water PNG to support the Peri Urban Village Water Supply model (as part of the WEBS Consortium). This is a clear example of peri-urban prospect in expanding WASH services into peri-urban areas and informal settlements within the peripheries of towns and rural areas. The challenge is the high cost of capital investment and loss-making ventures. To progress expansion of WASH services, it is advisable for WASH PMU to engage Water PNG with the district and provincial administrations, harnessing technical skills and planning capacity.

Climate change does not affect everyone in the community equally. Integrating GEDSI activities and messages with climate change and WASH programming helps to identify possible barriers to equal and meaningful participation of different groups in community WASH and WRM governance and climate change preparedness. The role of ESCoW and ESDPA in leading sessions at the community level during Phase 1 and  the Extension Phase projects sent a strong message about equal participation in decision-making and the important contributions women and people with disability can make to WRM and households.

At the project level, establishing clear and binding agreements with key implementing partners, including RHOs, is essential for ensuring collaboration and accountability.

Looking ahead

Climate-resilient WASH is embedded within WaterAid PNG’s strategy (2023–28). At the national level, priorities include:

Greater financial investment

WaterAid PNG will support stakeholders at the national and subnational level to advocate for climate-resilient WASH, and financing to achieve PNG WASH policies and targets.

Capacity and systems for climate- resilient WASH

WaterAid PNG will support and collaborate with stakeholders, particularly the WASH PMU, to inform and influence policy and practice on climate-resilient WASH.

Robust monitoring and evaluation systems

WaterAid PNG will assist to develop robust monitoring frameworks at the district, province and national level to be able to measure short and long-term Inclusive and climate-resilient WASH-specific targets.

Localisation for sustainability

Creating a localisation plan is crucial for the sustainability of WASH initiatives. Empowering LLG and communities to take ownership of these projects and adopt sustainable approaches will ensure long-term success. Utilising local knowledge to drive interventions and inform infrastructure designs will enhance the relevance and effectiveness of the climate-resilient and inclusive WASH project.

At the national level, WaterAid sees several opportunities, including:

Accelerating progress in achieving the WASH policy target

Reinforce the role of the state utility in targeted districts to explore inclusion of support for district water supply project(s) as the key driver to support environmental protection and sustainable communities, and non-revenue water (NRW) projects, which will further reduce water loss in the urban and rural districts with a water system, and transform these losses into revenue to sustain and support progress of expansion into new district towns. This will contribute to achieving the 70% household coverage in peri-urban or urban centres and 100% WASH for institutions within reach by 2027.

Sync resources using multi-level, multi-sectoral and inter-agency linkages

Strengthen linkages between service delivery platforms and communities through clear multi-level, multi-sectoral and inter-agency coordination and consultation. Start the process with a mapping of partners and stakeholders to understand which partners are working in the districts and to ensure the financial commitment into WASH is well mapped out.

Learning from experience

Utilise previous program experiences and learnings to inform the selection of new project sites to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of future climate-resilient and inclusive WASH initiatives. This approach will help in avoiding past mistakes and will replicate successful strategies.

At the project level, WaterAid PNG will focus on the following strategies:

Community empowerment

One of the foremost priorities is to enhance community empowerment through comprehensive training and awareness programs. These initiatives should focus on climate-resilient and inclusive WASH practices, enabling communities to understand and implement effective strategies that can withstand climate change impacts.

Revised engagement manuals

Updating and revising community engagement manuals, which should be integrated throughout the project cycle to ensure that all stages of the project are aligned with the latest best practices and community needs. Combining WASH, GEDSI, WRM and climate change activities in community engagement activities can lead to more holistic and inclusive results. Participatory water quality testing, climate vulnerability assessments, and CLTS are useful behaviour change triggers in the PNG context. Working with and through existing community and local government structures and processes can improve the effectiveness and sustainability of community WASH and WRM outcomes.

Community-led mitigation plans at the community level

Developing robust community-level mitigation plans is vital. The community structures, cultural practices and social norms vary between and sometimes within communities. Community engagement and ongoing support to climate-resilient community development should build on customary and traditional practices which have enabled adaptations for generations to respond to highly localised climate risks. These plans should inform ongoing follow-up visits and support continuous monitoring and evaluation activities in project areas. A strict adherence to the monitoring and evaluation plan will ensure that the projects remain on track and achieve their intended outcomes.

At the project level, WaterAid sees the following as key opportunities:

Utilising automated weather stations

Leveraging the data collected from currently installed automated weather stations can significantly enhance our ability to predict climate patterns. This data will be invaluable in planning and implementing climate-resilient and inclusive WASH interventions, in addition to local knowledge from the communities to plan and implement field activities.

Safe programming and Implementation

Ensuring a safe and well-structured programming and implementation schedule is essential. Good engagement from the start to the end of the project fosters trust and cooperation among all stakeholders.

Transparent community selection

Implementing a transparent community selection process based on clear criteria ensures fairness and inclusivity. This approach helps in identifying the communities that are most in need and can benefit the most from WASH interventions.

Fostering strong partnerships

As demonstrated by WaterAid’s existing partnerships with and through the DWCB committee, partnerships facilitate resource sharing, coordination, and support throughout the climate-resilient inclusive WASH project lifecycle.

Operationalising a WASH sustainability plan

Any district with a Climate-Resilient Inclusive WASH District Plan should have a WASH sustainability plan outlining the following:

• synchronised actions toward an inclusive, holistic and sustainable development strategy (using the Technology Implementation Manual)
• acceleration towards the achievement of localisation through deep expertise, partnership to leverage financing and other resources
• thoughtful leadership based on local solutions and field evidence to maximise efficiency in delivering results for climate-resilient inclusive WASH.

“Addressing these priorities, leveraging opportunities, and overcoming challenges will be essential for the success of climate-resilient and inclusive WASH initiatives. By focusing on community empowerment, revising engagement manuals, developing mitigation plans, and fostering strong partnerships, we can create sustainable and effective WASH programs that are resilient to the impacts of climate change.”

WaterAid PNG 

Feature photo: Grade 7 students and their teacher at a primary school in Wewak wash their hands as part of Global Handwashing Day celebrations, at WASH facilities constructed by WaterAid (WaterAid PNG / Paula Kari)

*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.