Community visit
FAN Nepal National members visited a UN Habitat project to look at their water and sanitation provision. Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha explained Nepal's water and sanitation issues and shared his knowledge of community water and sanitation initiatives pursued by UN Habitat in association with government and non government organizations in Nepal.
In Siddhipur, FAN Nepal member Krishna Kumar Maharjan outlined the region’s water distribution system and sanitation activities. He further described the remit of the Sanitation Hygiene Education (SHE) Team and its sanitation and hygiene activities. The team were shown the water distribution system and water reservoir which connects 950 individual taps. They also observed the community's improved sanitation provision which included EcoSan pit latrines with compost chambers as well as a compost bin.
In Shreekhandapur, Dhulikhel, FAN Nepal Member Purna Karmacharya, explained the community's waste water treatment system and its impact on environmental improvement. The reed bed treatment plant treats waste for 200 households in the community and generates 200 m3 gas from the wastewater daily.
FAN Champion leadership training
In early March, FAN Nepal organized FAN Champion Leadership Training on in Dhulikhel. Sixteen FAN Nepal grassroots members from all over the country participated in the training on community development issues, developing their presentation, discussion and communication skills as well as improving their presentation techniques and facilitation skills. Participants were further trained on leadership skills, including tips and motivation techniques. The training was facilitated by Mahendra Shakya, Guheshwori Shrestha, Prafulla Man Pradhan and Prakash Amatya.
FAN Nepal National Meeting
FAN Nepal met in March to discuss network achievements and challenges. The meeting shared the progress and achievements from each sub national chapters in Nepal. Lajana Manandhar also gave a presentation on the FANSA steering meeting decisions held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The discussion focused on improving water governance, establishing water and sanitation rights, strengthening the role of civil society in Integrated Water Resources Management and tackling climate change. The meeting further discussed on materialization of SACOSAN III declaration and set agendas for SACOSAN IV based on public concerns for development WATSAN sector in the regions. The meeting approved the programmes, activities and budget of FAN Nepal for year 2010/11.
Capacity building on the right to water and sanitation
Nepal has been experiencing a tremendous shift through the constitution building process. As part of this process, civil society efforts have contributed a lot to the incorporation of water and sanitation as a fundamental right in the draft constitution.
Once the water and sanitation are included in the constitution as rights, it will provide a strong basis for formulating appropriate policy and encourage concerned agencies to provide basic services of water and sanitation to all the country’s citizens.
The draft constitution has to be validated through public consultations to ensure community needs are prioritised in the final document. Further, to ensure water and sanitation as fundamental rights in the constitution, consistent pressure from the grassroots is instrumental.
The Constituent Assembly members should be informed about the importance of water and sanitation issues through public awareness campaigns and advocacy interventions. This will help create pressure on political leaders to establish water and sanitation as constitutional rights.
In response, FAN Nepal organized nation wide capacity building on the right to water and sanitation for grassroots organizations throughout March and April to support them in lobbying political leaders to honour their own commitments in the constitution.