Implication des Populations Défavorisées dans les actions d'assainissement dans le district de Bamako

THIS IS A practical guide for those involved in urban waste management in Africa. It succinctly summarizes the main steps of the pilot project entitled “Involvement in waste management actions by poor populations in Commune IV within Bamako district”. It is also called Pilot Project 4 (PP4), referencing four other projects undertaken by UWEP (Urban Waste Expertise Programme) in Bamako (1996-2001), coordinated by WASTE and financed by the Ministry of International Cooperation in the Netherlands. The methodology used in Project 4 was research-action, a sociological approach which is the most appropriate in this particular context. This guide defends the choice of this method, explains how it was set up and presents the different stages and the results. After defining two fundamental concepts, namely waste management and partnership based on community, the document maps out the general context of waste management in the commune before the intervention of the pilot project. It then describes the preparatory stage of research-action and the participatory diagnosis, including a guide on how to collect data as a standard enquiry.
A few major themes are examined in more detail, such as the different concepts of hygiene and waste management in urban areas as well as negotiations for a new partnership framework for waste management. The leading principles of involving the poor in waste management actions are discussed as are the importance of learning how to act in partnership and the psycho-social approach to community partnership. Finally, the experience is assessed and an evaluation given of the difficulties, traps and limits attached to research-action in development issues. The conclusions also note the constraints identified at different levels, including those inherent to research-action for development, those linked to partnerships between community associations and waste management cooperatives, those due to the disparities between neighbourhoods and, finally, those constraints caused by the lack of partnership within the public sector.
The document concludes by summarizing the lessons learned and identifies some strategies on which the method for involving the population in waste management actions has to be based. For such a project to succeed, the management team must have a wide knowledge of and respect for the local African culture. It is also essential that any involvement corresponds to the choices and willingness of the majority of citizens, achieved by good coordination between the activities and good communication between all stakeholders.