MONROVIA – A group calling itself Liberia Youth WASH Coalition (LYWC) has condemned the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (NWASHC) over its latest findings released from the investigation conducted on the operations of The Last Well humanitarian organization.
Liberia Youth WASH Coalition is a consortium of over 26 civil society youth-led organizations campaigning for youth participation and recognition in achieving global and rural access to safe drinking water, sustainable sanitation and hygiene for all, and at all levels through service delivery, program implementation and policy advocacy.
The NWASHC is an agency of the Government of Liberia (GOL) clothed with the mandate to promote, coordinate, and regulate the development and management of water, sanitation, and hygiene services, while The Last Well, is a non-profit organization based in the United States, with a primary purpose of eliminating water scarcity across Liberia, and offering the gospel to every community by 2020.
It can be recalled that the NWASHC, through its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Bobby Whitfield recently disclosed that commission has unearthed multiple ‘discrepancies’ over the purported claims made by the local NGO.
During separate investigations, Mr. Whitfield pointed out that, out of the 42 wells claimed to have been dug by The Last Well in Grand Gedeh and 56 others rehabilitated, not a single well was seen by the team.
He pointed out that the team also observed that ‘over 50% of The Last Well local contractors or implementing agencies are not in legal standing with the government, and they have not obtained sectorial clearances from the relevant government agencies.
“The investigation established that out of 42 wells claimed to have been dug by The Last Well in Grand Gedeh and 56 rehabilitated; the entire Zwedru communities the National Wash Sanitation Hygiene Commission’s team verified including Disco Hills, Airfield, and others, not a single well-founded by The Last Well was seen by the team as of the date of the team’s verification in Zwedru,” he stated.
But addressing a news conference in Monrovia on Monday, the Liberia Youth WASH Coalition, through its Chairman, Samuel James Kpator claimed that the statement made by Mr. Whitfield against The Last Well Samuel James Kpator was “derogatory”.
He noted that though the group cannot independently verify the claims made by The Last Well, Mr. Whitfield’s assertions show that he is on a smear campaign to diminish the integrity of individuals and institutions immensely contributing towards the improvement of Liberia’s WASH sector.
Kpator quoted the 2018 Sector Performance report of the WASH Sector as saying, Donor contributions accounted for nearly 96 percent of total sector funding between FY2015-2018 while the national contribution from the Government made up merely 4.3 percent of the total sector allocation, with the balance met through donor funding.
“As the year comes to a close, the Liberia Youth Wash Coalition has received damning reports that the Chairman/CEO of the National Water and Sanitation Commission in person of Mr. Bobby Whitfield has embarked on a smear campaign to undermine the credibility, integrity and reputation of partners who’ve for more than a decade, provided WASH-related services to Liberia. We want to condemn in the strongest terms said the action of Mr. Whitfield which clearly demonstrates his micro understanding of the workings and operations of Liberia’s WASH sector,” he noted.
He added: “Mr. Whitfield derogatory comments as postulated in his DEC 19, 2019 press release on the report into an investigation in the provision of clean water to Liberians by the Last Well during the final sector coordination meeting engenders a classic display of sheer ignorance, wanton absurdity summing up to his lack of understanding of the role of the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Commission as the chief regulator of water sanitation and hygiene services in Liberia, and not to scare away donors and partners who are contributing to a better livelihood for the Liberian people”.
Kpator claimed that the National WASH Commission boss has allegedly brought the image of the country to public ridicule by “continuously showcasing his lack of understanding of the role of the Commission and his assertion on what he thinks the role of the commission should be”.
He recalled that sometimes ago, civil society actors pressurized the Liberian government to constitute the commission in an effort to help reduce the level of fragmentation in the sector.
“Unfortunately, proceeding in the shadows of Mr. Whitfield sends a striking indication that the sector is even more fragmented than ever before, as the Commission has on multiple occasions contradicted the Ministry of Public Works that currently Chairs the Board of the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Commission,”Kpator noted.
He added that based upon research conducted by the Liberia Youth WASH Coalition, it has been established that The Last Well is currently constructing over 160 new wells in Lofa, 240 in Nimba, 60 in Margibi along with the distribution of over 20,000 water filters in these three (3) counties.
Kpator indicated that the move is a true partnership support that Chairman Whitfield should embrace and desist from “checking for old bones from over 5 years ago when the commission was not even formed”
“However, we would like to use this medium to reassure our partners that such action by Mr. Whitfield, is not a true representation of who we are as a country and we want to use this occasion to reassure our donors and partners, that we appreciate their support to the sector, and we look forward to them doing more for our people in ensuring that our people can access clean water and sustainable sanitation services,” he maintained.
Focus on constraints
At the same time, the Liberia Youth WASH Coalition has called on the leadership of the NWASHC to focus on helping to address some of the constraints that continue to hamper the improvement of the sector, instead of engaging into acts that have the proclivity to scare away potential donors and investors from supporting the WASH sector.
Kpator named some of those constraints as limited human resource capacity, weak legal and regulatory framework, and inadequate water distribution infrastructure due to lack of funding, and inadequate sanitation services, among others.
He said challenges in the sector will continue to exist if the commission continues to demonstrate its inability to mobilize the necessary resources and work with partners in helping to fill in logistical and technical lapses.
“Mr. Whitfield’s sad action last week is in direct contravention of the presidential endorsement of the Last Well. The President is right when he said he wants to see partners come to Liberia and help our people. Mr. Whitfield’s action can easily send partners packing. The LYWC believes if the Commission put the same energy into sourcing funding with proper innovation than they wasted on this adventure of a report, then maybe by now some people would have considered them serious and brought in some projects,” he indicated.
The group further recommended capacity building and strengthening of programs for the Commission to enhance its operations, and coordinate the sector in a more professional, effective and efficient way.
Kpator, however, commended the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill as well as authorities at the Ministry of Public Works, including Minister Mabutu Nyepan for constructively engaging Liberia’s international partners to strengthen and improve the sector, through the commission.
Awards
Meanwhile, the Liberia Youth WASH Coalition has awarded several partners for their immense and outstanding contributions and efforts being applied towards the attainment of SDGs six.
The Most Productive WASH Sector Donor Award was given to UNICEF for its support to schools and communities, while USAID walked away with the Most Innovative WASH Sector Donor Award for its approach in tackling their Sanitation Led Interventions.
The Most Outstanding WASH sector Partner of the year award was provided to The Last Well for its ability to reach the most remote parts of the country.
The Civil Society WASH Partner award goes to WaterAid for their support in strengthening the capacity of CSOs, while the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) was awarded the WASH Public Sector Award.