Clean water is necessary for healthy living. Although enhancing access to education, better nutrition and health services will create an environment for people to live better, the quality of poor peoples’ lives will not be improved if they don’t have access to clean water and safe sanitation. Diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and E, meningitis and polio are all caused and spread by the lack of access to proper sanitation and by dirty water. Worldwide, over 1.2 billion people are at risk because they lack access to safe fresh water. The lack of sanitary waste disposal and of clean water for drinking, cooking, and washing is to blame for over 12 million deaths a year. Central America faces huge water resources challenges and the poor people of the rural areas are the worst affected. There has been a systematic lack of co-operation and communication between the international non-governmental organizations, the local NGOs and the government on this issue. There is no shared vision of what a regional and national collaboration of water and sanitation networks would look like and as yet no shared action plan to solve this problem.

During August 2005, the leaders of the networks in all four countries attended workshops for training and to design and develop their advocacy plans. Over the course of the workshops, both facilitators and participants presented many exciting and innovative advocacy tactics. Though Partners had originally planned a two day follow- up training for each of the national networks, the interest and enthusiasm following the workshop was so great that each network suggested having Partners’ trainers return and adding a day of further training from their own resources.

The most significant achievement of the Central American Water and Sanitation Network (RRASCA) has been in internal development with the recognition of the regional network as a legal entity. This status allows the RRASCA to enter into legally binding contracts and agreements. RRASCA has prepared its Operations and Administration Manual as a part of this process and has already seen major improvements in its management capacity within the first year of the CASCADA project.

Partners was directly involved in the development of the Strategic and Operational plan for the Guatemalan water and sanitation network (RASGUA). Project achievements in Guatemala include support to future partners for the establishment of new water and sanitation networks in the communities of Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenaango and Chiquimla. Notable achievements of the Nicaraguan national network (RASNIC) were the establishment of a more effective and efficient organizational structure. Each member organization is contributing both technically and financially to the functioning of the network. RASNIC is increasing its financial sustainability with an annual membership fee of $360 per organization. There has been a substantial increase in the technical capacity of the water and sanitation network members. RASHON, the water and sanitation network in Honduras and its members held a variety of events to promote technical capacity building. The technical topics addressed at these events included water quality assurance, evaluation of sustainability of rural water and sanitation systems, water treatment plants, low cost sewer system technologies and the promotion of gender equality within the network.

There continues to be an increase in the capacity of the national networks to influence the water and sanitation policy environment at a national and regional level. Improving communication between international, regional, and national levels among the project personnel and with the donors is vital to ensure that the poor rural people of the region have access to clean water and safe sanitation.