Urban Water and Sanitation Programme (UWSP)

The project, funded by BMZ and executed through GIZ, aimed to improve Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) systems and solid waste management in selected medium-sized towns in Zimbabwe. A sharp economic decline (2000-2009) led to the collapse of public services, severely impacting water infrastructure. By June 2008, deteriorating WSS systems triggered a cholera outbreak, disproportionately affecting women and girls. The project sought to shift WSS management from decline to recovery by improving service delivery, increasing willingness to pay, and ensuring daily water supply, proper sewage management, and regular waste removal. It focused on three key areas: (1) ensuring universal, equitable, and affordable access to WSS services, (2) improving billing, revenue collection, and financial management, and (3) assisting towns in developing and updating WSS recovery plans. A fourth component provided advisory support to central government agencies. Dorsch Impact led implementation efforts.