Abstract
It has been hypothesized that in addition to the direct health and amenity benefits of an improved water supply, there are other, more subtle, benefits to communities who participate in community-based water supply projects. A detailed empirical comparison of villages with and without community-based water projects in Indonesia and Togo suggests that such indirect benefits are substantial. Between 25 and 30% more children are immunized in villages with community-based water projects than in comparison villages which either have benefitted from non-participatory water projects, or have had no water project. From a comparison between the activities of villagers and workers in external agencies involved in water projects in the two countries, it is concluded that successful participatory water projects are best characterized as a partnership between the community and the external agency. Such projects require substantial inputs of time, resources, skill and persistence from both the community and the external agency. These inputs must be sustained by both parties in all phases—planning, construction and maintenance—if this partnership is to result in lasting improvements in water supply and other aspects of community life.
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