PHOTO: C4H Liberia Project Lead and Advocacy and Communication Manager Weemon Jallahcole
By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
Compassion for Humanity Liberia (C4H Liberia) has underscored the importance of centralizing WASH regulations, saying that this would improve the sector in Liberia.
C4H Liberia is a National Non-Governmental Organization that focuses on the following goals: To contribute to the promotion, culture, strengthening, and sustenance of all aspects of democratic governance; to advocate for the promotion of human rights, gender equality, women’s political participation, women access to justice and empowerment); to build the capacity of youth and empower them for community and national services.
C4H Liberia is currently focusing on # 4 of its goals which is: To promote the culture of public participation and engagement to influence public policy and impact change in critical sectors at both national and local levels.
It is now implementing a project titled: Legislative Engagement to Formalize the WASH Caucus into a Standing Committee within the Legislature. This project is made possible with funding from USAID through Population Services International (PSI) under the COUNTY WIDE SANITATION ACTIVITY (CWSA).
The group has commended the government of Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai for including WASH as one of the pillars of the government’s national agenda.
Pillar two of the President’s ARREST platform emphasizes that WASH services remain a major challenge, with the vast majority of the population lacking access to decent toilets and latrines, and having to defecate in bushes around towns and villages.
The President also acknowledges in the ARREST document that the majority of the Liberian population lacks access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation services.
The agenda seeks to address the constraints of limited access to safe drinking water, lack of basic sanitation services, and poor hygiene practices which negatively impact the overall health status and development of our people.
The President has promised to make improving access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities his government’s priority.
Speaking early this week at the News Conference in Monrovia, the project lead and Advocacy and Communication Manager Weemon Jallahcole said the project seeks to coordinate WASH sector stakeholders at national and subnational levels to advocate for legislative engagement to formalize the wash caucus into a WASH Standing Committee within the legislature.
According to Jallahcole the standing committee will exercise policy and fiduciary responsibilities, including raising political awareness to clarify multiple overlapping mandates among government WASH institutions; revise urban WASH policies, plan accountability mechanisms and consequently increase the WASH Public Sector Investment Plan budget portfolio; take actions towards centralizing WASH regulations; and support policy advocacy for sanitation governance.
“The committee, when established, will exercise policy and legislative functions for committing national budgetary allocation to enhance WASH and sanitation governance in the country. Processes leading to the establishment of the standing committee will include identifying additional legislators to beef up the strength of existing WASH champions; holding consultations with sector actors including but not limited to the WASH consortium; drafting a resolution that will proffer the need for the standing committee; mobilize and strengthen public and private WASH and sanitation institutional capacity to form part of the advocacy campaign” She narrated.
She explained that the project intends to engage members of the Liberia parliament, especially those who are part of the WASH Caucus to champion the campaign for the establishment of a WASH Standing Committee; engage citizens of the country to support the worthy cause; develop the capacity of relevant institutions; and advocate for public funding allocation in support of national and subnational WASH activities in the country.