Strengthening WASH sector monitoring through the use of ICTs: experiences from Zimbabwe's rural WASH information management system (RWIMS)

A rural WASH database is under development in Zimbabwe where anecdotal information continues to be a major constraint to sector planning. Without a firm evidence base, the sector has not been able to institute policy changes and provide a framework through which interventions can be designed. Performance tracking, transparency and accountability remain weak without compelling cases based on credible information. This paper explores opportunities created by RWIMS, a mobile to web based database, which brought reforms in the management of sector information and attempted to address the practical issues that sector practioners grapple with in their quest to provide services that last. Specifically, it lays out the opportunities that the system has created in addressing a perennial national challenge of improving O&M of rural water points riding on the penetration of mobile technology in rural Zimbabwe.