Sustainability is a crucial end goal that the development sector is striving for. But are there times when sustainability should be sidelined, in favour of more immediate term solutions?
Major crises, such as the Covid pandemic, or natural disasters, often force sustainability to take a backseat, until greater stability is reached. Moreover, before the best solutions for turning a performance corner are known, sustainability should not be prioritised. Otherwise, the sustainable solutions initially determined could be wrong.
Major crises
Sustainability is often sidelined during major crises. For example, during the first half of 2019 in Mozambique, there were two devastating cyclones (Idai and Kenneth) that affected various provinces, including Tete, Zambézia, Niassa, Manica, Sofala and Cabo Delgado. It was the first time in recorded history that two strong tropical cyclones had hit Mozambique in the same season, with almost 1.3 million children needing urgent humanitarian assistance across the country.
At the time, Acasus was working with the Mozambique government on a campaign to rapidly raise immunisation coverage and reduce inequities in the country. The intention was to deliver these goals by strengthening EPI leadership and performance practices at national and provincial levels, initially covering four provinces.
However, as a result of the cyclone crises, EPI personnel were pulled into affected regions across Mozambique. This led to our initial EPI efforts covering only two provinces, rather than four. While the change in plan was not ideal for raising immunisation coverage across the country in the long term, adjusting priorities was essential for tackling the crisis.
The best solutions are yet to be determined
When the most effective solutions are yet to be determined, it is often counterproductive to focus on sustainability. For example, in recent years, immunisation coverage against polio has been a major concern across many developing countries. There are many elements that contribute to raising effective immunisation coverage, such as regular outreach days, increasing staff numbers and quality, frequent communication between health facilities, and having enough vaccines.
However, the right number of vaccine supplies, medicines, staff, and outreach days, differs by location. Trial and error is often needed to figure out these amounts. Until those numbers are better understood, sustainability should not be the main focus.
When is it okay not to prioritise sustainability?
Two of the main scenarios when sustainability should not be prioritised include during major crises, and when the best solutions are not yet understood. In other words, it is okay to sideline sustainability when there are significant short-term problems to address first. Sustainability can act as a hindrance if the groundwork has not been laid up front.
