Staff Capacity Development

This project aims at reinforcing the communication capacities of local project staff of Sahel Solidarité in order to inform villagers in the district of Bokin on the hygienic use of water. To do so in an efficient way, the local bureau of SaSo in Bokin will be equipped with an Internet connection powered by solar energy, with a few (portable) computers and digital cameras, and with portable projection equipment which will make it possible to organize multimedia sessions in ... (see details)

Current status

Currently the "Système d'information sur l'hygiène de l'eau et l'assainissement dans le département de Bokin." is fully active.

The idea is that during a period of six months a team member of Sahel Solidarité will be freed up to document and compile all existing documentation (reports, photos, videos, etc.) and eventually gather/record new materials in order to present them in a meaningful way on the web. The objective is to share Sahel’s ICT-enforced participatory approach of awareness creation on sanitation with a large variety of actors in the field of sanitation in Burkina Faso and elsewhere in the world.
The related activities will be:
- Assemble all existing materials of the current project
- Create a web ‘story board’
- Gather/record extra material (if necessary)
- Create the online pages
- Identify/develop technical interface which permits the pages to be visible on both a local (Sahel Solidarité) web site and the AKVO site
- Develop ‘hard copy’ versions (CD-Rom, paper manual) of the web presentation, for distribution in Burkina Faso and elsewhere
- Organize a National Seminar in Burkina, during which Sahel Solidarité will present and share its methodology with other actors in the field of sanitation, show its pages on the AKVO web site etc.
The activity will have a small training component, which will focus on story board development and Flash animation.

Other Goals:
•Create an access point with Internet connection in Bokin
•Equip the team of extension workers of Sahel Solidarité in Bokin with multimedia tools;
•Equip the Sahel Solidarité project team in Ouagadougou with ICT tools and Internet connection;
•Develop general ICT and multimedia skills within the project team;
•Develop prototypes of multimedia content products on hygienic water use and sanitation;
•Train end-users on the use of ICTs for information purposes, specifically on hygienic water use and sanitation;
•Create a web site for the project, where its achievements will be showcased;
•Share knowledge with other NGO’s and structures on water use in Burkina Faso and elsewhere.

The direct beneficiaries are the villagers in the 23 villages in the district of Bokin, an approximate number of 20.000 people. The economic benefits for the targeted villages can be huge, as a better understanding of water-related problems and solutions can lead to an immediate reduction of illnesses, and to a more cost-effective use of water (-related materials). The project has a large element of capacity building, and will lead to empowerment of villagers in general, and women and youth in particular.

Context (Detail):
This project aims at reinforcing the communication capacities of local project staff of Sahel Solidarité in order to inform villagers in the district of Bokin on the hygienic use of water. In order to do so in an efficient way, the local bureau of SaSo in Bokin will be equipped with an Internet connection powered by solar energy, with a few (portable) computers and digital cameras, and with portable projection equipment which will make it possible to organize multimedia sessions in remote villages. The experiences will be documented on a web site, and shared with other national organisations, which work on similar themes.
The general objective of the project is to develop a model for the promotion of hygienic water use and sanitation through the use of enhanced information and communication technologies. Specific objectives:
• Reinforcement of ICT-knowledge within project staff;
• Reinforcement of ICT-knowledge and know-how of extension workers in the department of Bokin;
• Improving internal communication between the central bureaus of Sahel Solidarité and the members in Bokin; and,
• Develop experimental methodologies of sensitization and of information services concerning the use of water, through the use of ICT and multimedia.

To share Sahel’s multimedia participatory approach of awareness creation on sanitation with a large variety of actors in the field of sanitation in Burkina Faso and elsewhere in the world.

Goals

• Internet access point created in Bokin, Burkina Faso
• Online multimedia content on water use and sanitation
• Website created to share lessons on hygienic water use

Full economical sustainability of this project is not expected, as it is very much oriented on capacity building, content development and awareness raising. Some income is being generated by providing ICT training, bureau services and Internet access on cost basis to the local villagers in Bokin. Social and political sustainability may be acquired through the implementation of a knowledge sharing platform on Water Sanitation Information through ICTs.