CARE, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), WaterAid, and local partners Bushproof and Sandandrano, presented an innovative approach under the Rural Access to New Opportunities in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (RANO WASH). The consortium capitalized on strong existing relationships with the Ministry of Water, Energy and Hydrocarbons (MEEH), municipalities and key stakeholders, and worked in close coordination with other USAID programs to address critical gaps in the WASH sector.
According to the MEEH’s Water and Sanitation Sector 2013 Yearbook, water and sanitation statistics in Madagascar are among the worst in the world and the country is far from achieving universal access to WASH services in 2030. The challenges to accelerate and expand the use of improved, sustainably managed WASH services are three-fold: Weak WASH governance, monitoring, and management capacities; Weak private sector/WASH supply; and Unhealthy behaviors/low demand for WASH. RANO WASH aims to increase equitable and sustainable access to WASH services to maximize the impact on human health and nutrition and preserve the environment in 250 rural communes in Vatovavy Fitovinany, Atsinanana, Amoron’i Mania, Haute Matsiatra, Vakinankaratra, and Alaotro Mangoro.