USAID - The Resilient Waters Program
The USAID Resilient Waters Program is a five-year (2018-2023) program with a goal to build more resilient and water secure southern African communities and ecosystems through the improved management of trans-boundary natural resources and increased access to safe drinking water and sanitation services. The geographic focus is on the Limpopo River Basin (home to 18 million people living in parts of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique) and the Okavango River Basin (home to about 1 million people living in parts of Angola, Namibia, and Botswana). USAID implement the project with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and other regional structures such as River Basin Organizations and Transfrontier Conservation Areas. To expand its impact, the Program’s strong learning and partnership emphasis builds upon previous and ongoing USAID investments in the region. Work under this project directly supports the implementation of inter alia, the SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses and the SADC Biodiversity Strategy. The Resilient Waters Program objectives are: 1. To improve trans-boundary water security and resource management; 2. To increase access to safe, sustainable drinking water and sanitation services; 3. To strengthen the ability of communities and key institutions to adapt to change, particularly the impacts of climate change; and 4. To conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. It is anticipated that the outputs of the Program are: 1. Strengthened institutional arrangements at various scales; 2. Increased access to safe, affordable, appropriate drinking water supply and sanitation services, including improved conditions for WASH investments; 3. Enhanced decision-making capacity, grounded in science, to respond to climate risks; and 4. Improved management practices that mitigate threats to biodiversity and improve ecological integrity.
