Methodology and Planning Process

To conduct the necessary assessments, COSI was requested to utilize the task forces assembled by World Vision Lanka in performing field surveys as much as possible. All field work was conducted by COSI’s own forces and provided RIWASH project stakeholders and personal with the knowledge, skills, motivation and means to carryout all technical feasibility studies, assessments etc. required to assist the consultant to frame and formulate the GND level Master Plan.

COSI provided overall guidance, documentation and training to the RIWASH Task Force and RIWASH Sub Task Force to undertake all technical feasibilities, surveys and other assessments required to support the work. The assessments included

»baseline surveys (methodology followed: Household (HH) survey based on a questionnaire and use of PRA methods)

»willingness to pay surveys (methodology followed: Contingency Valuation Method)

»willingness to participate assessments (methodology followed: conducted a s part of the baseline survey)

»water resources & environmental studies (ABEM –Wadi VLF – EM meter and YEW resistivity meter & field investigations)

»gender assessments (methodology followed: Household survey based on a questionnaire and use of PRA methods)

»assessment of capacities (methodology followed: institutional survey and interviews with key informants)

Following principles on community management were followed as a guidance for preparing (information collection, analysis & report writing) the GND Master Plans.

• fundamentals of water and environmental sanitation sector management
• vision of sustainable development
• a sense of ownership through community based management

In addition, while preparing the Master Plans, adequate attention was given to safeguard the characteristics of the project cycle of a community managed programme.

In order to have a better clarity and understanding of the ground realities the methodology of Qualitative Information System (QIS) was used which captures peoples’ perception of processes and out comes, using participatory methods, and translates this qualitative information in to numbers using different methods, in addition to the Household survey.