The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar set up a committee to review international best practices in the area of citizens' participation in government decision-making. The committee identified CRCs as one of the three tools that might have useful application in the Zanzibar situation.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) contacted the Public Affairs Centre (PAC) to provide technical assistance for a pilot CRC in Zanzibar. It was decided that an independent consortium was best suited to lead the
CRC. The independent consortium consisted of representatives
from government, civil society, the media and other groups. The Government’s statistics agency assisted in the fieldwork and data analysis.
Regions selected for the pilot CRC included
- Northern island (rural area) and
- Southern island (wealthier, more politically powerful, and developed area).
Services covered in the pilot CRC comprised of
- drinking water and
- primary education
The feedback on drinking water revealed a high usage of unprotected wells — usage further increased during times of water scarcity.
- The UNDP made a public commitment to
support a major project to reclaim dried wells.