The Water Supply Policy Formulation and Action Planning-Facility (WASPOLA Facility) in collaboration with the National Water Supply and Sanitation Working Group (Pokja AMPL) and the National Planning Agency (Bappenas), held a national-level training on Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) development facilitation (the training), placed in Holiday Inn Hotel, Bandung West Java Province, in 24-27 May 2010.

The 4-days training is attended by 54 participants representative of  12 provinces in Western Indonesia, including: Province Aceh, North Sumatera, West Sumatera, Jambi, Riau, Riau Islands, Bengkulu, Bangka Belitung, Lampung, South Sumatera, Banten and West Java) where each provinces are represented by local government officer, non-government organization (NGO) and university.

Welcome remarks is by Mr. Oswar Mungkasa from Bappenas, where he said that WSS development acceleration needs  political support and facilitator availability. “In 2011, we target WSS working group established in the each province” said Oswar. He said that target is able to be achieved if engagement and optimalization the role of NGO, University and human resources capacity happened. “Attaining the RPJMN (national target) of WSS sector is be reality if all resources are synergized within and between  national and local level, both government and non-government institutions” Oswar said.

To strengthen participant’s basic understanding and WSS facilitator practice, the Training is designed to bring participant into being the understanding of WSS-matter substantially and facilitation technique. Beside be enriched with WSS-policy understanding, participants are also emphasized with urgency of the local-level WSS working group role, constellation of WSS-planning document among local strategic development documents, how to identify of WSS issues fundamentally, and how to create synergy among the WSS stakeholders. To enhancing acilitator competency, participants are introduced to the basic concept, method and technique on WSS facilitation,  how design the facilitation process,  WSS sector advocacy and class practice or simulation. Totally 12 training-modules are learnt and discussed during Training, and added with sharing of District Bangka experience in the WSS Working Group establishing and operation.

Mr. Budi Hidayat, Director of Housing and Settlement for Bappenas, who watched the process intensively, stressing his message to participant by saying that WSS sector has paid attention by many parties as an important and strategic program that need to be assisted, but contrary advocacy and support from local level is low.  In other hand, he said that district or province who was ready with WSS planning document is tend to be responsive and adaptive to get facility or assistance from aid agency. “ I watch that the districts or provinces those who stand by with their WSS strategic planning are faster to get assistance and create commitment with outsider, due to they already one step forward to mapping WSS development direction for 5-10 years forward” said Budi.

The same thing is addressed by Mr. Kamil Abu Bakar, Head of Development Planning Agency of District Bangka, who also is as Head of WSS Working Group of Bangka, who is invited to present and explain urgency and strategic position of WSS Working Group in advocacy of political support and influencing of WSS development direction. In his presentation, Kamis said that WSS targets are able to be attained if synergizing among players and planning process can be optimalized. “ In Bangka, we engage community and village officer to priority WSS in their planning document. Village budget allocation (Alokasi Dana Desa) will be approved if it was have WSS program inside” said Kamil. He also mentioned that in practice political support from legislator is very important. “With specific condition in our district, where you can find the tin mining excavation every where, we were reminded by Vice Bupati (Vice of Head District) to pay attention on WSS development,  if not he said that that water-war, as seen in the television, will happen in Bangka in the future” said Kamil.

During Training, session  of WSS Policy analysis  is one of interest session, where with various background, participant send substantial review on each principles of WSS policy. A same thing is  happen in the WSS program synergy session, where among participant within a province identify their own-WSS program and evaluate its achievement and approaching that already conducted.  In facilitation practice, participant select 3 themes to be simulated in the class, such as: WSS Policy analysis, WSS Working Group establishment and identification of WSS issue. By dividing role and facilitation technique application, simulation looks very interest and valuable.
 
In action planning session, participants promise to coordinate with related-WSS agency in their province for proposing WSS working group creation (for the provinces who have no WSS working group already) and optimalized WSS working group role (if they already have). However, in overall the Training is said as successful. Comparing of Pre Test and Post Test result and daily evaluation as well, seems that is an increasing on the understanding and  facilitation technique of WSS sector development.  In end of session, participant state that Training is very important to them, and get invaluable advantage, both in WSS sector understanding and individual capacity strengthening. “ I feel happy to participate in this training, where its process and approaching is interesting, improving and innovation to more understand WSS sector substantially” said Mrs. Sri, participant from Province Lampung.

The Training is closed by Director of Housing and Settlement for Bappenas, Mr. Budi Hidayat, who expects to participant that already inaugurate as WSS facilitator, to be a change of agent in priority of WSS sector in their province. “ This chance has to be followed with creation facilitator networking among us, to keep communication and interaction continued and also enriched our knowledge one another” said Budi Hidayat, in end of his closing speech.

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