The Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) in Ghana is benefitting from the second phase of the Southern Youth Zone programme (SYZP) organized by IRC. The programme officer, Ms. Basilia Nanbigne, has been selected to represent Ghana in this programme, their training started in September 2011.
Published on: 04/10/2011
The Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) in Ghana is benefitting from the second phase of the Southern Youth Zone programme (SYZP) organized by IRC. The programme officer, Ms. Basilia Nanbigne, has been selected to represent Ghana in this programme, their training started in September 2011.
The SYZP is a capacity building programme that focuses on building the capacity of young professionals in civil societies in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector in the area of documentation.
| About CONIWAS As a network of NGOs working in the WASH sector in Ghana, CONIWAS works to influence policies and remove barriers that affect the provision of safe water to the poor and vulnerable. To achieve this, CONIWAS’ work includes; governance, accountability and transparency issues and policy dialogues. (CONIWAS Code of Ethic)CONIWAS has taken advantage of the evolving trends in the WASH sector such as the SWAP processes, the decentralization in WASH service delivery and the relatively peaceful, stable and democratic nature of the country to engage in activities geared towards good governance and better WASH service delivery to all. This is to help tackle especially low financing and accountability challenges in the sector. A key challenge hindering CONIWAS’ advocacy work has been low funding. Writing proposals to get more funding is what CONIWAS needs, but unfortunately, there is low staff capacity in proposal writing. Needs for improved performance Being able to adequately inform members to be abreast with CONIWAS activities and sector issues is very important to CONIWAS. Having an interactive CONIWAS website from which members can easily get information they need is equally important to members. An increased capacity for CONIWAS would therefore enhance the work of CONIWAS and make a greater impact on the membership. |
The chance to participate in this year’s SYZP, will not only improve Ms. Nanbigne’s professional and personal development, but will add on to the capacity of CONIWAS in meeting the needs of members and the sector as a whole. Documentation is one of the key areas that CONIWAS has always tried to improve. CONIWAS is also currently developing a web site. Ms. Nanbigne is undergoing training at IRC for a period of four weeks. This will be followed by a nine-month period in a vibrant and well experienced organization with NETWAS in Uganda, which will give Ms. Nanbigne the relevant on-the-job experiences in documentation, research and other field based areas.
In the coming year, these experiences gained from IRC and Netwas would contribute not only to CONIWAS but also to NETWAS in many ways including;
The Southern Youth Zone Programme is indeed a great opportunity for CONIWAS to shine more in the WASH sector in Ghana.
Basilia Nanbigne - CONIWAS, Ghana
