Community Water Alliance

25/07/2025

Community Water Alliance is preparing for the Brown Bag Event which is tailored around Solid Waste Management in Harare.

On this Event we showcase solutions for challenges emanating around solid waste management.The solution is anchored on Solid Waste Enterprise where women establish businesses and value chains around solid waste. Below is a video showcasing some of the initiatives
We Effect Sida - Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete The City of Harare Sindicato Uneca 263Chat The Herald-Zimbabwe Kwayedza Zimpapers

05/06/2025

CWA - World Environment Day Statement

5 June 2025

Today, on World Environment Day, Community Water Alliance joins the global community in raising awareness and taking action to address one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: plastic pollution.

Under this year’s theme, “Beat Plastic Pollution,” we reaffirm our commitment to creating sustainable solutions to plastic waste through our ongoing RECYCLE Project in Glenview. This initiative, generously supported by We Effect, is not only tackling plastic pollution but is also transforming lives in the process.

The RECYCLE Project is empowering women from Glenview and Budiriro drawn from dedicated anti-litter monitors by involving them directly in the recycling process. Through the use of a palletizing machine, these women have collectively managed to recover and sell an average of 2 tons of plastic waste per month. This effort not only diverts plastic from our environment but also contributes meaningfully to the livelihoods of the women involved.
On this important day, we celebrate their hard work and the power of community-driven action. We also call on all citizens, policymakers, and partners to continue supporting innovative and inclusive efforts that fight plastic pollution while uplifting vulnerable communities.

Together, we can build a cleaner, greener, and more just future for all through promoting the 4R model (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover) on Intergrated Solid Waste Management.

30/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/263Chat/videos/1263990815359657/?mibextid=Nif5oz

29/05/2025

CALL TO ACTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES

This Declaration sets forth urgent actions for each stakeholder:

African Union & Heads of State:

Adopt and mainstream these commitments in the Africa Water Vision post-2025 and Agenda 2063 frameworks. Ensure regional strategies explicitly recognize water and sanitation as human rights and embed gender equality (SDG 5 and 6) in all policies. Ratify and enforce transboundary agreements and environmental conventions. Allocate the promised budgets and hold annual reviews of progress.

National Governments (Water, Environment and Finance Ministries):

Update laws and policies to reflect a rights-based approach to WASH. Strengthen regulatory agencies for environment and mining (including robust EIAs and enforcement against polluters). Include water/sanitation in National Adaptation Plans, and develop national water information systems with open access. Ensure free and meaningful participation of women and communities in all water governance bodies.

River Basin Organizations & Regional Bodies:

Expand mandate and budgets of RBOs. Formally include civil society (with gender balance) in decision-making. Develop basin-level water allocation plans that share costs and benefits equitably (including co-ownership of infrastructure as in OMVS)b. Coordinate early warning and emergency response across borders. Report basin status publicly to increase transparency and support.

Donors and International Finance Partners:

Align all WASH aid with these priorities. Prioritise grants and loans for climate-resilient and gender-transformative WASH projects. Support debt-for-climate swap initiatives in African countries to alleviate debt burdens and fund sustainable water services. Fund capacity building for data systems, RBOs and civil society. Avoid funding models that force privatization or punitive tariffs.

WASH Sector Institutions (Utilities, NGOs, Research):

Implement water services with full gender equity and community engagement. Develop and share disaggregated data on service coverage and quality. Adopt flexible, climate-adaptive designs (e.g. modular sanitation that can survive floods). Train women as engineers, planners and managers. Collaborate across sectors (health, education, agriculture) to integrate WASH with broader development.

Civil Society and Communities:

We commit to monitor implementation of this Declaration. CSOs will gather community feedback, document successes and gaps, and advocate for accountability at all levels. We will raise awareness of water rights and gender issues through media and education. We pledge to empower local leadership especially women and youth.

DEMAND:

Water and sanitation rights and gender equality must be at the center of all post-2025 water strategies. African leaders and partners must act now: failure is not an option. By 2030, we demand that every African person enjoys safe, affordable water and sanitation, and that no woman or girl is left carrying the water burden alone.
Our Unity: We, the undersigned African civil society organizations, stand united behind this declaration. We call on the African Union, national governments, donors and all water-sector actors to honor these commitments and turn them into reality. The future of our continent depends on placing people’s rights at the heart of the Africa Water Vision.
Embassy of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe NewsDay-Zimbabwe Leonard Mabasa Institute of Water and Sanitation Development Chra Harare Macdonald Dandadzi 263Chat

29/05/2025

6. TRANSBOUNDARY WATER GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT

Strengthen River Basin Organizations (RBOs):

Shared African basins need robust, well-funded RBOs to plan and manage cross-border water resources. States should finance and empower RBOs (such as OMVS for the Senegal, Zambezi, Nile Basin Initiative, etc.) to develop joint infrastructure and strategies. Experience shows these institutions unlock shared benefits: for instance, the Senegal River Basin Organisation enabled countries to co-finance and co-manage dams and irrigation works, “share both financing and benefits, resulting in innovative and efficient transboundary development”. Such cooperation has improved livelihoods and food security across borders. We urge all transboundary basins to emulate this approach and to adopt legal agreements (e.g. the UN Watercourses Convention) to solidify equitable management.

Inclusive Basin Governance:

RBO governance must include civil society, local communities, women and youth. Decisions should not be made solely by technocrats or politicians behind closed doors. We demand formal seats for community representatives (including women’s and indigenous groups) on basin boards, and regular basin-wide stakeholder forums. Technical plans and investment projects should be subject to public consultation and social/environmental scrutiny.

Peacebuilding and Benefit-Sharing:

Water cooperation is a cornerstone of regional peace. When shared rivers and aquifers are jointly managed, riparian states build trust and find “mutual benefits … that contribute to peace and stability”. We call on basin countries to institutionalize benefit-sharing: hydroelectric and irrigation projects must deliver equitable gains to all states in the basin. Conflict-resolution and early-warning mechanisms (for floods/droughts) should be jointly maintained. Cross-border civil society networks (including women’s peace coalitions) should be supported to use water as a bridge for harmony.

Capacity and Resources for RBOs:

AU and donors must support RBOs with technical and financial assistance. Long-term funding should back common services (monitoring stations, data platforms) and joint infrastructure. Enhanced information-sharing between RBOs will spread successful models. By building strong, inclusive RBOs, we ensure that Africa’s plentiful shared waters become sources of cooperation, not contention.

Embassy of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe NewsDay-Zimbabwe Leonard Mabasa Chra Harare Institute of Water and Sanitation Development Macdonald Dandadzi

29/05/2025

5. DATA-DRIVEN WATER SECURITY

Expand Water Data and Monitoring:

Governments must develop open, integrated water information systems. Reliable data on water resources, usage, service coverage, quality and infrastructure is essential for planning. As IWMI observes, “actionable information on water is essential for charting Africa’s pathway to a sustainable and prosperous future. But today, Africa is one of the most data-poor regions of the world”. We call for investment in hydrological monitoring networks, climate observation (drought/flood forecasts), water quality labs, and digital water accounting. Satellite and remote-sensing data (e.g. Digital Earth Africa) should be harnessed to fill gaps in real time.
Disaggregated and Open Data: Water and sanitation data must be disaggregated by gender, age, wealth, and location to reveal inequalities.

Governments should publish data on WASH indicators (SDG 6.x) and river flows openly. This transparency enables civil society and communities – including women’s groups – to hold decision-makers accountable.
Ethical Use of Technology: Advanced technologies are welcome, but we stress that data systems must serve the public good. Any proposal to install automated billing or “smart”/prepaid water meters (which often pave the way to privatization) is rejected. WASH systems must remain publicly regulated and affordable. Instead, data collection tools should empower service authorities and users (for example, community mobile reporting of broken pumps, or early-warning text alerts).

Capacity and Training: Support local experts and institutions (including meteorological agencies, water authorities and universities) to analyze and use water data. Train utility staff and community monitors on GIS and data management. Donors should fund water information and research centers in Africa, not just external consultants.

Embassy of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe Leonard Mabasa NewsDay-Zimbabwe Chra Harare Macdonald Dandadzi Institute of Water and Sanitation Development

29/05/2025

4. Sustainable WASH Financing
Increased Public Investment:

Governments must allocate sufficient domestic budgets for water and sanitation (e.g. a recommended 0.5% of GDP or more) and improve fiscal planning for WASH. Robust national financing plans – with clear targets and accountability – should underwrite expansion and maintenance of services for the underserved.

Innovative Financial Mechanisms:

Besides public funds, leverage climate and development finance. We urge the use of debt-for-climate swaps: whereby creditors cancel or restructure debt in exchange for investments in climate-smart WASH projects. Such deals can free fiscal space for urgently needed infrastructure. For example, Barbados recently executed a debt-for-climate-resilience swap to fund water and sewage upgrades, generating USD 125 million in savings for water resource management.

The Green Climate Fund notes that debt-for-climate swaps can mobilize critical investment in water security and related sectors. We call on multilateral and bilateral partners to apply this mechanism in African contexts.
Climate and Green Bonds: Issue sovereign and municipal bonds dedicated to climate-resilient WASH. Attract private capital through guarantees or blended finance only where public oversight and affordability safeguards are guaranteed.

Equitable Cost-Recovery:

Tariff systems must be fair and pro-poor. While some cost-recovery is needed for sustainability, subsidies or lifeline tariffs should protect low-income households. No one should be cut off for inability to pay. Transparency in utility revenues and expenditures should be mandated.

Gender-Responsive Budgeting:

Ensure that financing plans allocate funds for women’s WASH initiatives (e.g. menstrual hygiene management, women-led service enterprises). Donor programs must require gender equality indicators and support female WASH entrepreneurs.
Embassy of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe Leonard Mabasa NewsDay-Zimbabwe Chra Harare Macdonald Dandadzi Institute of Water and Sanitation Development DCA Zimbabwe 263Chat Marvelous Micheal Kumalo Embassy of Sweden in Harare

28/05/2025

3. PROTECTED WATER ECOSYSTEMS

Ecosystem Conservation:

Freshwater ecosystems – rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers and watersheds – must be conserved as the foundation of water security. Healthy ecosystems naturally filter and store water, so “protecting ecosystems like rivers, streams, estuaries, wetlands and lakes is essential for communities … to have a reliable source of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)”. African governments should identify and legally protect critical water catchments and recharge zones, preventing deforestation, overgrazing and uncontrolled urban encroachment.

Pollution Control:

Enforce strict limits on agricultural runoff, industrial effluents and sewage discharge to prevent waterway contamination. Invest in wastewater treatment and safe sanitation for all urban and rural communities. Environmental regulators must regularly monitor water quality and penalise violators.

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM):

Adopt basin-wide planning that balances human use with ecosystem needs. Promote land-use planning that protects floodplains and wetlands. Incentivize catchment-restoration projects (reforestation, erosion control) that enhance groundwater recharge and reduce sedimentation of reservoirs.

Community Stewardship:

Empower communities (especially indigenous and rural groups) to be stewards of their local water sources. Provide education on maintaining clean watersheds and include local knowledge in conservation planning.

Embassy of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe Chra Harare NewsDay-Zimbabwe Leonard Mabasa Macdonald Dandadzi 263Chat

28/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AgqbcK22Q/

Mudzingwa urged African governments to integrate WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) resilience into National Adaptation Plans and climate financing strategies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and applications to the Green Climate Fund.

28/05/2025

2. CLIMATE-RESILIENT WASH

Climate-Adapted Infrastructure:

WASH systems must be designed and retrofitted to withstand droughts, floods and other climate shocks. This includes building flood-resistant sanitation facilities, drought-proof water supplies (e.g. solar-powered boreholes), rainwater harvesting and floodwater capture, and nature-based solutions (e.g. wetland restoration to buffer floods). As experts warn, “water will be the main channel through which the impacts of climate change will be felt by people, ecosystems and economies”.

Maintain Universal Access under Stress:

We adopt the definition that climate-resilient WASH services are those that “anticipate, respond to, cope with, recover from, [and] adapt to or transform based on climate-related events”, while maintaining universal, equitable access even under an unstable climate. National Adaptation Plans and climate finance instruments (e.g. NDCs, Green Climate Fund proposals) must explicitly fund and track WASH resilience projects.

Nature-Based and Innovative Solutions:

Integrate ecosystem restoration, efficient water reuse and decentralized sanitation to reduce vulnerability. Protect upstream forests and wetlands to secure downstream water supply. Promote drought-tolerant crops and greywater reuse to lessen pressure on drinking supplies.

Women as Climate Leaders:

Support and fund women-led adaptation initiatives. Since women often manage household water, provide training and resources for them to lead community rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and hygiene campaigns during climate disasters.
Embassy of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe NewsDay-Zimbabwe Leonard Mabasa Institute of Water and Sanitation Development Chra Harare Macdonald Dandadzi

27/05/2025

As CSOs we hereby present the following six priority outcome areas for the post-2025 Africa Water Vision.

1. Universal Rights-Based Water Governance

●Enshrine Water and Sanitation as Rights: All African states must legally recognize the human right to safe, sufficient water and sanitation and ensure equitable access for all. National policies should guarantee non-discrimination, affordability, transparency and accountability in water services. Marginalized and poor communities (including slum dwellers, rural inhabitants and refugees) must be prioritized in planning and budgets.

●Gender-Transformative Governance: Women must have equal voice and decision-making power at every level of water and sanitation management. This includes gender quotas in water boards and councils, and funding for women-led WASH enterprises. Evidence shows that “when women are included in decision-making on water, sanitation and hygiene issues, services tend to be more accessible and sustainable,” and that sustainable WASH empowers girls and women to attend school and work.

●Effective Institutional Frameworks:
We call on governments to strengthen water institutions and laws, combat corruption, and enforce regulations that protect public interests. Civil society (including local and youth organizations) should be given formal roles in monitoring policies, planning infrastructure and holding authorities accountable.

●Regulate Extractive Industries: Recognizing the severe impacts of unregulated mining on water, African governments must review and tighten Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) laws for all extractive and industrial activities. We demand strict enforcement of EIAs to protect groundwater and surface water from pollution. For example, in Ghana’s gold-mining regions, illegal mining has turned rivers brown and unsafe, forcing women and children to walk kilometers to fetch clean water. In Nigeria and Zimbabwe, weak regulation has “allowed miners to … pollute watercourses with impunity”. We insist that new mining projects be subjected to rigorous, participatory EIAs that include community and gender perspectives.
Embassy of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe Leonard Mabasa NewsDay-Zimbabwe Institute of Water and Sanitation Development

27/05/2025

More citizen voices at the PANAFCON-3 in Lusaka Zambia.

Embassy of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe Together For Community Development Macdonald Dandadzi