Globally, 3.4 billion people lack safe sanitation, and untreated wastewater continues to pollute rivers and groundwater. Since 1977, BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association) has worked to close this gap in over 25 countries.

Founded in Bremen, Germany, BORDA promotes decentralised wastewater treatment, faecal sludge management, and non-sewered solutions, while strengthening local capacity and partnerships for city-wide inclusive, climate-resilient sanitation.

Strengthening institutional capacity

“BORDA aims to work closely with government institutions to strengthen their capacity for delivering sustainable sanitation. By aligning with ministries, municipalities, and water boards, we ensure that decentralised sanitation is not only technically sound but also institutionally anchored, giving local governments the tools to scale solutions, improve regulation, and provide reliable services over the long term. We offer guidance and support at the outset, creating an enabling environment for government institutions to take ownership of sanitation solutions so that, in time, they can serve as custodians without relying on BORDA” explains Anderson.

He adds, “As a non-profit organisation, BORDA does not sell anything. Our memorandum of agreements with municipalities are non-financial binding. We provide technical information and support for free in the form of feasibility studies and provide construction supervision as well as operation and maintenance manuels for troubleshooting and performance monitoring.”

BORDA’s primary funding is provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The organisation’s headquarters in Germany function mainly as an administrative hub, and each country office operates independently, overseeing the direct implementation of its projects.

In South Africa and Zambia, BORDA is now implementing its 2025–2027 programme under the theme ‘Livable Cities in Africa’ and is focused on three outcomes:

1. Developing instruments and tools – Practical guidelines and catalogues on financing, licensing, and technical options are being created to help municipalities and developers navigate the complexity of decentralised sanitation. A digital dashboard is also under development, giving users an interactive way to match needs, budgets and regulatory requirements with technical solutions.
2. Strengthening capacity – At least eight accredited training modules will be rolled out through certain institutions. Over 400 specialists and 40 trainers are expected to be trained, with municipalities engaged through workshops and on-the-job sessions. New infrastructure, such as demonstration Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) and faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs), will serve both as functional systems and training tools.
3. Monitoring and evaluation – Existing systems, like the recently constructed Julukandoda Primary School DEWATS located in KwaDulela, Howick and the Newlands Mashu DEWATS site in Durban, are being reassessed to ensure long-term performance. Well-performing systems will be upgraded into ‘lighthouse projects,’ serving as demonstration and learning sites.

Partnerships at the core

Central to BORDA’s model is collaboration .

“Our two oldest partners are eThekwini Municipality and the UKZN R&D WASH Centre (formerly known as the UKZN Pollution Research Group). Together, we developed the Newlands Mashu site. This remains a flagship research and training hub. The partnership has enabled the municipality to gain practical insight into how Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) function, while also creating a platform for the university to conduct research and evaluate the performance and applications of the technology,” says Anderson.

The Banana City Housing Project is another example. It is a DEWATS initiative that provides sustainable sanitation services to 106 households as part of phase 1 and 2 with the overall goal of 413 (phase 3 & 4). With a daily treatment capacity of 75.9 m³ and an allocation of 500 ℓ per household, the system processes wastewater through a series of natural treatment steps — including a settler, anaerobic baffled reactor, anaerobic filter, planted gravel filter and planted sand filter — before safe discharge. By treating wastewater on-site, the project eases the burden on municipal infrastructure, supports healthier living conditions, and demonstrates an environmentally friendly, low-maintenance alternative to conventional sewer systems. Following a six-month monitoring period to confirm compliance with regulatory standards, the facility will be handed over to eThekwini Municipality-Water and Sanitation Unit for long-term management.

Anderson notes that one municipal official once described the site trainings and knowledge transfer facilitated with BORDA as ‘sanitation tourism’. “BORDA has indeed showcased these two projects to several municipalities as strong proof-of-concept demonstrations. They give credibility to the DEWATS concept within South Africa.”
More recently, memoranda of understanding have been signed with the City of Cape Town and local municipalities such as Emalahleni Local Municipality in Mpumalanga.

Partnerships extend beyond government. BORDA works with training institutions, private developers, and community-based organisations. It also convenes sector dialogues, such as ‘Sanitation Breakfasts,’ to align stakeholders on financing and regulatory issues.

According to project manager Mendy Shozi, successful partnerships are built on openness, readiness to engage, and shared responsibility:

“We don’t push our technology. We look for partners who are eager, willing to learn, and committed to walking the journey with us. Because once we leave, they must own and maintain the system.”

Anderson notes that there is definitely an increased interest in DEWATS, faecal sludge treatment and non-sewered sanitation or what South Africa is referring to a Water Efficient Sanitation Solutions (WESS).

“The amended Water Services Act will not allow municipalities to connect to sewer systems that are already overloaded and non compliant. This will encourage the uptake of decentralised systems. Furthermore, by providing guidance and standards for WESS, municipalities can adopt, regulate, and operate these systems with confidence, instead of depending solely on external NGOs or pilot projects. Over time, this mainstreams WESS into municipal service delivery,” states Anderson.

In South Africa, water-borne sanitation remains the “gold standard”, yet infrastructure and climate realities make it impossible to deliver this universally. By combining technical expertise, institutional strengthening, and a culture of partnership, BORDA South Africa is charting a path towards livable cities—one school, one settlement, and one municipality at a time.

“The only way that we can address these significant sanitation challenges is together. BORDA wants to work together with different stakeholders. We invite the private sector, municipalities, universities, other nonprofit organisations to partnership with us,” concludes Anderson.