Keeping Stakeholders Informed

One crucial part of this program is to engage all stakeholders during the process of implementing the program to promote ownership and commitment. That is mind, NETWAS decided to open a Blog and keep it updated, so that everyone could be informed step by step over the process about our achievements and also about our mistakes, challenges and goals. Besides the communication mechanisms used to inform stakeholder, NETWAS has held Meetings with Wobulenzi stakeholders since the beginning of the program. Having this relationship with the authorities has been crucial for the since the Town Water engineers for both Bukalasa and Wobulenzi have been instrumental in mobilization of relevant stakeholders in Wobulenzi and Bukalasa.

Meetings with the New Town Clerk: NETWAS had the last November a meeting with the new Town Clerk (Mr Sebbudde Joseph) and his staff. Some of the issues discussed with the Town Clerk have included:
* Project objectives and activities, the town clerk appreciated and said he can now confidently talk about the project. Previously he could not respond to some of the queries by the councilors.
* Water quality monitoring of the system
* Since the Town council has an internet facility, members showed the staff how to access the blog from the internet
* Town clerk provided a list of other important stakeholders to update the current list together with the e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.

Meetings with Bukalasa Agricultural College service provider: Meetings in Bukalasa were held to share the reports on progress of the project with staff during the previous quarter. Two meetings were held on November 2008 and some of the issues discussed included:
* Water quality results of the survey
* sharing hard copy progress reports together with water board members ( summary for the target group)
* Involvement of board members in dissemination of results
* Time for the meetings

Meetings with Trandit , the OBA Provider in Wobulenzi: Meetings with Trandit service provider were held to brief them on the Project, share the reports on progress of the project with staff for the previous quarter. Two meetings were held on November 2008 and some of the issues discussed included:
* The contact persons who will actively participate/follow the process of the Project
* Benefits of the Programme to all staff and the company in improving services to users
* List of the staff and their contacts for easy communication (included Trandit zonal manager for Luweero and the General Manager)
* Usage of Blog
* Revival of water treatment plant

Meetings with Good Governance Working Group: A meeting in November 2008 was held with the Governance working group to update them on the progress and share project materials. The meeting discussed the scaling up of initiatives in other towns and documentation of the process. The members of this group asked NETWAS to continue sharing the hard copies as well as the soft copies as the internet facilities are not reliable.