The project, funded by The Foundation for Civil Society (FCS), a grant-making organization based in Tanzania, took place in Busega District and covered five wards: Lamadi, Kalemela, Nyashimo, Kiloleli, and Badugu. The project's implementation utilized social accountability monitoring (SAM) tools to build community capacity to demand improvement in service delivery in the water sector, recognizing this as a basic human right. SAM promotes the recognition of basic rights and capabilities to enhance service delivery.

FODEO is committed to establishing community accountability and implementing social and economic rights through the effective management of public resources allocated by the government to serve the community. FODEO also aims to clarify the distribution of resources and the presence of actors who will provide legitimacy. FODEO employs SAM to support the government's efforts to hold government officials accountable for their duties. This is achieved through the mobilization of credible and respected voices from the district to the regional level to develop political commitment and legal application in combating poverty in Tanzania. FODEO enables SAM by providing the community with a variety of opportunities, primarily in the fields of education, health, water, and agriculture, that directly impact citizens in its implementation regions in collaboration with the government and non-governmental institutions that are its stakeholders.

Project Goal

The project's goal is to improve service delivery in the water sector in Busega District.

Development Objective

The project's development objective is to build community capacity through a social accountability monitoring approach to demand transparency and accountability in water sector projects.

Project Situation Before Action

1. The community was not involved in project implementation.
2. Project construction was of low quality, in violation of the contractor's agreement.
3. The contractor was supposed to dig trenches for laying pipes at a height of 1.5 meters, but instead dug trenches at only 40 centimeters.
4. Community participation was poor.
5. Beneficiaries were asked to contribute to water connection outside of the contact plan, which required connecting 500 beneficiaries for free.
6. Project completion was delayed from the initial timeline in the signed contract.
7. The Badugu water project, which had been abandoned in 1987, left households in the area struggling to access water, despite the presence of water pumping machines and tanks in Badugu village.

Achievements

Lamadi Water Project

As a result of SAM activities, the contractor agreed to rectify all the defects in the project at his own expense. The contractor also decided to hold citizen meetings to inform them of the true state of the project. Additionally, the contractor agreed to install a water standpipe in the area chosen by the house owner. Unlike the initial approach, there was no household discussion. The contractor made the decisions on his own and Mwabayanda village, which had been removed from the water service plan and was in the budget, received water service after SAM provided water around the village.

Kalemela Water Project

Lobbying sessions were held from the district to the national level to secure funding for the Kalemela project, which previously relied on fuel. The project's power source was upgraded to electricity and solar. A tank with no fence or cover was improved, and water service, which was previously available for only four hours, is now available 24 hours a day.

Nyashimo Ward Water Project

The construction contract given to the contractor indicated that approximately 500 citizens would be connected to water for free. However, during project implementation, they were required to contribute TSH 50,000/= each. The Social Accountability Monitoring's Expenditure Tracking System (PETS) revealed that the community contribution was handled irregularly, and it was decided at decision sessions that the money should be returned to the households. The contract was followed up, and 500 households were connected to free water service. The project beneficiaries were refunded a total of Tshs 2,200,000/=.

Kiloleli Water Project

The contractor was supposed to dig trenches for laying pipes at a height of 1.5 meters. However, they were digging at only 40 centimeters. SAM activities enabled the contractor to re-excavate the trenches, and the entire project was redone.