Follow-up, Ownership, and Continuity are Key

I must confess that I have been working on international financing topics for a long time, and I am convinced that the involvement of international organizations and cooperation agencies in countries greatly enriches the daily work of public sector institutions.

Public servants like us are absorbed in daily activities and the reporting of tasks and goals, so when these organizations and agencies intervene in projects, they provide us with opportunities to view things from different perspectives than what we typically see in the country, helping to avoid what is called "workshop blindness."

This discovery of new approaches, innovative topics, or new actors paves the way for activities that were not originally planned, as they were not considered in our budgets.

In the case of Mexico and Crew+, due to an update in the water quality standard, existing municipal wastewater treatment plants in the state of Quintana Roo were analyzed to determine what changes would be required to comply with the new standard. Financing mechanisms for the sustainability of investments were proposed; good practices were presented in the development of a strategy to strengthen water governance in rural communities; and finally, ecotechnologies will be built in the selected Maya municipalities in the mentioned state.

Except for the last point, the analyses mentioned could not have been conducted without the support of the project because, in times of austerity, investments take priority, leaving studies behind.

Moreover, sharing experiences with other localities, institutions, and countries makes the projects not only useful but also memorable.

Unfortunately, over the years, when returning to project sites, they are not always in the same condition as when they were handed over. Therefore, it is essential that localities take ownership of the projects to ensure their continuity, and it is also crucial that countries and agencies follow up.

Thus, regardless of how much time has passed, we can return to the project sites and think that, even though we may no longer be there and no one may know anything about us, a piece of our hearts remains in those places, and the localities have a better quality of life. I hope this is the case.

Author: Griselda Medina, Project Management and Evaluation with Foreign Credit Submanager. National Water Commission, Mexico.