As I take over the reins of running Africa AHEAD, from my wife Dr. Juliet Waterkeyn, who retired as founding CEO at the end of 2017, I will continue the work we started together in Zimbabwe 22 years ago. I am delighted to accept this challenge of ensuring that our joint endeavours to promote the CHC model over many years continue to flourish.
During the first half of 2018 we have been encouraged by the fact that two significant international organisations: CAWST and IRC, have each contracted AA to train up their own staff and country teams to be able to implement the CHC model. This assignment has been managed by each of our two regional hub countries with Zimbabwe providing the CHC training (plus tool kits) and mentoring to CAWST in Zambia while our team in Rwanda has done the same for IRC in South Kivu province in DRC.
We have also made good progress in Zimbabwe with our project with SKAT Foundation (Swiss-based Secretariat to RWSN) where we are carrying out a second phase of an innovative CHC/Self-Help WASH project. This project should hopefully provide a timely case study of a very practical, low-cost rural water supply & sanitation model for widespread dissemination in rural Zimbabwe and beyond. We are actively positioning ourselves to be able to make a meaningful contribution as Zimbabwe finally begins to re-engage with the international community and focus on rebuilding the WASH sector that has been so decimated over the past two decades of misrule and economic collapse.
I remain optimistic that the CHC model will steadily become better understood and appreciated, especially within the current context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by which a far more integrated and cross-sectoral approach to holistic development is gaining ground. We are consolidating our presence with a dedicated management and administrative team in our new head office located in Cambridge, UK, while our two regional hubs in Zimbabwe and Rwanda will expand their role and capacity to disseminate CHCs into neighbouring countries and beyond.