Provincial Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project

Targeting poor families with grant funds and low-cost technology makes good sense. The low cost sanitation and community awareness and health education (LC-CAHE) component was the most successful part of the project, despite cost overruns and reduced impact compared with the original targets. It combined low-cost infrastructure improvements with vitally needed information to improve awareness and understanding of the need for greater cleanliness and modern sanitation to improve public health. It also involved working with poor communities in a participatory manner to build commitment. It is a model that can be replicated at minimal cost in PNG and elsewhere in the Pacific.