Sustaining Water Service Provision: Insights from the Budikadidi Activity in Kasai Oriental

This learning report summarizes the lessons and insights related to constructing and supporting water supply infrastructure from Budikadidi’s 7 years working in the Kasai Oriental Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Budikadidi (“Self-Reliance”) resilience food security activity (RFSA), funded by the United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, aimed to improve nutrition for pregnant and nursing mothers and children under the age of 2, using a cross-cutting gender transformative approach.

This 7-year activity brought a multisectoral suite of agriculture, livelihood, and nutrition interventions to over 470 communities. For example, Budikadidi introduced fortified foods, strengthened value chains, and improved childcare and feeding practices. The RFSA’s interventions also strengthened local governance systems, built social cohesion between communities, increased access to savings and lending services, improved water and sanitation using private sector-focused approaches, and combated harmful gender norms.