Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) is a service-oriented national non-governmental organization that envisages contributing in sustainable community development by combining research and actions through the integrated programs in the environment and public health areas. ENPHO is one of the leading NGOs having very good experiences in the WASH sector. Recently ENPHO has been implementing SWASH project with the support of WASTE- The Netherlands in Surkhet district. This is an integrated approach for MFS programme of the Dutch WASH Alliance is to reach: reduced poverty and improved health, environmental and economic conditions by empowering people and creating an enabling environment, Sustainability should be achieved by the systematic adherence to five key sustainability principles, called ‘FIETS’: Financial, Institutional, Environmental, Technological and Social sustainability from 2011 to 2015.

The project is implementing at six wards (1, 2, 3, 7, 11 and 12) of Birendranagar Municipality Surkhet. The overall objective of the project is improving WASH facilities in underprivileged community through integrated approaches. Total 3931 household people are directly benefited through this project. The project is executing as guided by National Sanitation Master Plan 2011 and contributes to national target -the universal sanitation coverage by 2017 AD.

In total 3931 households of the intervention area will have got knowledge on household level drinking water treatment system, use safe drinking water, improved sanitation facilities and practice good hygiene behavior. Dalit and marginalized family with no access to sanitation facilities (701 households) and households with temporary sanitation facilities (501 households) will have received improved permanent sanitation facilities. Three school communities will have rich access to safe and sustainable WASH facilities considering, child friendly, gender sensitive and disable friendly infrastructures.

At least two communities will be declared as SWASTHA community. Strong and healthy networking will have been made with government and other WASH stakeholders and networks (R-WASHCC, D-WASHCC, MWASHCC etc.) for WASH sustainability, advocacy and lobby. The project has been started with M-WASHCC formation followed by WASH trainings for MWASHCC member and TLOS/Mother groups and community mobilization from November 2011. So far, two wards (ward no 12 with household’s no. 374 and ward no. 3 with households no 504) has declared as Open Defection Free (ODF) zone in July 15 2012.

Dr. Suman K. Shakya is executive director of ENPHO