IWRM
In 2000, the South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), with the assistance of the Royal Danish Government (DANIDA), initiated a program to pilot Integrated Water Resource and Management (IWRM) approaches in three Water Management Areas (WMA) of South Africa: the Olifants-Doorn (Western Cape Province), the Crocodile-Marico (North West Province), and the Mzimkhulu-Mvoti (Kwa-Zulu Natal Province). These WMAs were selected as they represent a cross-section of water resources conditions as well as water use conditions and user interests. Phase 2 of this project, which is to focus more on direct support and partnerships at local, regional and national levels, was begun in 2006 and is set to last until 2010. For more information about IWRM, please visit www.iwrm.co.za.
In May 2008, Africa AHEAD was invited to begin assessing the feasibility of piloting Community Health Clubs (CHC) in targeted areas within the three WMAs. Since May, stakeholders were engaged, situational analyses and site visits were conducted, and project proposals and plans were submitted and approved. Now Africa AHEAD is prepared to implement CHCs and the AHEAD Methodology in targeted communities in 4 of the 9 provinces of South Africa. The CHC Approach will contribute to the goals of IWRM by building a strong foundation of knowledge, cooperation and behavior change in each of the targeted communities, which will then be used to successfully implement a variety of projects such as rain water harvesting, nutrition gardening, income generation, HIV/AIDS case management, and improved management of sanitation facilities. It is estimated that in total, approximately 30,000 people will benefit directly from the pilot phase of this project. For more detailed information about our work in these three water catchment areas, please follow the links below.
