Community decisions on Mvula Trust projects

Community management of rural water supply projects is increasingly common in the new South Africa. This management role requires decisions by the community that can have a major bearing on the ultimate success and sustainability of a project. Since 1993, the Mvula Trust has developed a comprehensive set of procedures that maximise the involvement of the community in decision making. Using the experience of Mvula rural water projects in the Eastern Cape, this paper focuses on the key decisions taken by communities during the project implementation cycle. The aim of this paper is to examine the influences on, reasoning behind and effectiveness of, these key community decisions. Research in the form of a thorough committee interview was undertaken at eight projects underway or nearing completion. The ultimate objective is to identify the key decisions affecting project sustainability, and suggest measures that will improve the effectiveness of these decisions.