Water and Sanitation Project Moldova (ApaSan)
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) are cooperating with the Government of Moldova to support the population in rural areas and small towns in Moldova. Skat is mandated to implement the Swiss and Austrian support, the Water and Sanitation Project ApaSan for improving the life conditions of people living in villages by improving their access to water and sanitation services that are sustainable and of good quality.
Project Facts
Country
Moldova
Project Period
Phase 3: 01.06.2015 – 31.05.2019
Phase 2: 01.06.2011 – 31.05.2015
Phase1 : 31.12.2008 – 30.04.2011
Budget
The total project budget provided by SDC and ADC is 8 Million CHF. Moldovan national and local governments and the local population are expected to contribute about 2.9 Million CHF.
Service provided
Team
ApaSan is implemented by a team of seven staff members based in Chişinău, headed by Project Coordinator Jonathan Hecke, on-site supported by Skat expert Julie Bergamin, steered and supported by Skat Project Director Florian Klingel, and other technical experts from the Skat team in St.Gallen.
Pool of experts: Jürg Christen, Julie Smolnitchi, Bertha Camacho, Sean Furey
Project Description
The rural population in Moldova seriously lacks access to safe water supply and sanitation. People in rural areas suffer much worse conditions than their urban counterparts, and within rural areas, it is the poorest and weakest groups that have lowest access to good services. At present, the water and sanitation sector institutions in Moldova faces serious challenges in better responding to the needs of the rural population.
SDC’s support to the water sector in Moldova started in 2001 with a humanitarian aid intervention. Since 2008, SDC and ADC are funding the ApaSan project, which is implemented by Skat Consulting Ltd. The projects aims at scaling-up of the services delivery models for rural water and sanitation developed since 2001 by creating favourable conditions for up-scaling of decentralized water and sanitation models.
The objective of the third and last phase of ApaSan (06/2015 until 05/2019) is: Moldovan institutions at all levels respond to the needs for water supply and sanitation services of the rural population, including the most vulnerable.
The overall strategy of the project is to transfer know-how on rural water supply and sanitation generated by ApaSan to Moldovan institutions, and to institutionalise functions that ApaSan has fulfilled so far in the implementation of sustainable water and sanitation projects, so that these institutions are able to improve their performance in responding to the needs of the rural population for water supply and sanitation services. The main instruments that will be applied for transfer of know-how and strengthening capacities of partner institutions include technical assistance to partner institutions, training of staff of partner institutions as well as co-financing and joint implementation of water supply and sanitation projects.
The project specifically aims at assuring equitable access for the rural population to water and sanitation services, which requires specific attention to vulnerable groups. The selection of localities will be done in a way as to adequately reflect the geographic, administrative, economic and ethnic diversity of the country, which means that the project will continue to aim at the entire country, including Gagauzia and Transnistria.
Skat Consulting Ltd. provides all services to implement the project’s outputs through the project team in Moldova and backstopping staff from headquarters.
These services include the following:
- Support national agencies in coordinating approaches for country wide strategic water and sanitation planning and support establishment of the plans
- Support national national funds that invest in rural water and sanitation infrastructure to establish monitoring systems for effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of investments, and mechanisms for technical assistance to rural municipalities for implementation of projects and setting up of operational structures
- Tranfer all knowledge on school sanitation to national and district health, education and environmental authorities, to enabele them promoting hygienic, comfortable, inclusive and environmentally safe sanitation facilities in rural schools (including ecosan toilets)
- Support the Moldovan Association of Municiaplities (CALM) in providing continuous advice and training services on technical, managerial and inclusiveness issues to small local water and sanitation operators
- Support small municiaplities urban utilities to conclude contracts for delegation of water and sanitation services from small rural municipalities to multi-municipal/regional operators
- Develop, document and disseminate innovative solutions for rural water supply and sanitation addressing technical, managerial and inclusiveness issues, involving Universities or other partners for learning and innovation
- Facilitate the Moldovan Community of Practice (CoP) for water supply and sanitation and ensure the transfer of lead and ownership to its members
- Manage the implementation of infrastucture projects, through preparing infrastructure projects on technical and social levels, procureing construction works either directly or jointly with partner insitutions, ensuring construction suepervision and quality controle, working with communities and authorities to establish sustainable operating structures
- Maintain close coordination with the Swiss Cooperation Office, other Swiss projects and other development partners for joint policy influencing on matters relevant to the project.
