Blog post written by End Water Poverty and the Chairman of the Liberia CSOs WASH network, Prince Kreplah on 3 March 2016
WaterAid’s Trans-boundary Programme (covering Liberia and Sierra Leone) in collaboration with the Liberia CSOs WASH Network hosted by the Citizens United to Promote Peace & Democracy in Liberia (CUPPADL), who is a member organisation of End Water Poverty jump starts plans and activities for Water Action Month 2016 on 7 March. The ‘Water Action Month’ will begin with the launch of activities and an Assessment Report for WASH Schools and Health Centers commissioned by civil society in Liberia with funding support from WaterAid. Following the launch, an array of activities will commence. Events will be beginning on the 8th of March with a ‘sit-in action’ at the Ministry of Public Works, the lead WASH Public entity in Liberia. The sit-in action will involve 100 WASH victims carrying pro-WASH messages fitted on placards, banners and t-shirts.
The objective of the Water Action Month according to the Chairman of the Liberia CSOs WASH network, Prince Kreplah is to influence increased allocation of public financing on direct WASH budget lines in the national budget for WASH line ministries and agencies”
Liberian WASH activities during World Water Day celebrations in 2015
“We will use the opportunity provided by Water Action Month to advocate for the Governance Commission to speed up with reviewing the proposal for the establishment of a WASH commission in Liberia and put forward its findings and recommendations as instructed by the President”, said Prince.
At another sit-in action which will take place on 10 and 11th of March at the Governance Commission and Ministry of Health, civil society will mobilise over 200 citizens to demand concrete action from policy makers to improve WASH governance, financing, service quality and accountability.
Water Action Month is an opportunity to ignite and increase ‘the call’ for water accessibility, governance and accountability. We applaud End Water Poverty for forming this framework and commit ourselves to the Water Action Month! We will use the Month to demand the Government of Liberia to fulfil commitments made in the Liberia WASH Compact through increased public awareness and active citizens engagement. Water Action Month also offer us unique platform for civil society to ensure local governments in four counties of Liberia allocate portion of their County and Social Development Funds to WASH.