Awareness and Communication Strategy 5.2.2 Importance of an Integrated Approach to Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Communicate that integration of water supply provision with sanitation services and hygiene education is vital in improving socio-economic welfare and health. To who: Policy makers, service providers, and recipient communities. How: Dialogues such as the SADC Multistakeholder Dialogue, personalities, Internet and e-mail, publications i.e. leaflets and newsletters, education, field visits, demonstrations, learning journey/field visits, workshops, entertainment, presentations in non-water sectors. A case should be made that the provision of water supply services alone does not adequately address issues of social and health equity intended to be gained from the services. To reduce time spent on fetching water, and sanitation related diseases (including HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections), there is a need to integrate water supply provision with sanitation services coupled with hygiene education. Research has shown that closeness and availability of water supply services improves the communities’ socio-economic welfare and human health. It has also shown that diseases emanating from contamination and ingestion of contaminated food and/or water may still occur if hygiene education is not conducted. This is an area that needs serious attention at Member States’ level. 5.2.3 Ensuring Sustainability of Water Supply Schemes Communicate that sustainability of water supply should be improved by increasing beneficiary ownership and human and financial resources for continued operation and maintenance. To who: Policy makers, service providers, funding agencies, and recipient communities. How: Workshops, dialogue such as the SADC Multi-stakeholder Dialogue, education, internet and e-mail, breakfast meetings with business, demonstrations, extension services, and entertainment. It has been recognised that substantial resources from governments, private sector, NGOs and International Cooperating Partners (ICPs) are generally mobilised and utilised for capital projects for rural water supply schemes without a maintenance component. Unfortunately, sustainability of such schemes is still a challenge in the region - thus hampering any increase in coverage. It is very vital that sustainability of such schemes is improved through sharing and communicating good practices that instil ownership by the recipient communities. It should also incorporate financial sustainability mechanisms. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approaches embrace all aspects of sustainability. Development and dissemination of clear procedures for engaging and empowering recipient communities can not be overemphasised. It is also important to ensure that operation and maintenance commitments are built into rural water supply project development either in the form of capital budget for the projects or community-based operation and maintenance schemes. Page 26