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The new reality: perspectives on future integrated WASH
01.01.2022
Over the next 10 years, the humanitarian and development fields will face significant changes as new skills, expanded technologies, and shifting funding streams prompt innovation in order to maintain impact. As the length of humanitarian crises expand relief response can no longer be viewed merely through the humanitarian lens, but current and future crisis responses increasingly require long-term development considerations. Integration across the humanitarian-development nexus will be vital to future emergency response. The interdisciplinary nature of the WASH sector makes it ideally placed to lead further integration with sectors like health, nutrition, livelihoods, child protection, and education. Integration of the WASH sector is not only possible but essential to face the challenges of future crises. COVID-19 is a wake-up call showing how quickly global humanitarian needs can change and the need for a more integrated response to emergencies. Tomorrow’s WASH practitioners will need to be proactive in developing new hard and soft skills and have broader multi-sectoral experience to succeed. Future integration will require stronger relationships between multi-mandated organizations, governments, and the private sector as well as new innovative funding sources, including impact investing, blended finance, and development impact bonds. We argue that there is a unique window of opportunity to bridge these gaps as COVID-19 brings the value of effective WASH programming forward as a foundational part of long-term resilience building. To indeed provide life-saving interventions as humanitarian works claim to do, we must start with a clear focus on the long-term developmental ends in mind. -
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The new reality: perspectives on future integrated WASH
01.10.2020
Over the next 10 years, the humanitarian and development fields will face significant changes as new skills, expanded technologies, and shifting funding streams prompt innovation in order to maintain impact. As the length of humanitarian crises expand relief response can no longer be viewed merely through the humanitarian lens, but current and future crisis responses increasingly require long-term development considerations. Integration across the humanitarian-development nexus will be vital to future emergency response. The interdisciplinary nature of the WASH sector makes it ideally placed to lead further integration with sectors like health, nutrition, livelihoods, child protection, and education. Integration of the WASH sector is not only possible but essential to face the challenges of future crises. COVID-19 is a wake-up call showing how quickly global humanitarian needs can change and the need for a more integrated response to emergencies. Tomorrow’s WASH practitioners will need to be proactive in developing new hard and soft skills and have broader multi-sectoral experience to succeed. Future integration will require stronger relationships between multi-mandated organizations, governments, and the private sector as well as new innovative funding sources, including impact investing, blended finance, and development impact bonds. We argue that there is a unique window of opportunity to bridge these gaps as COVID-19 brings the value of effective WASH programming forward as a foundational part of long-term resilience building. To indeed provide life-saving interventions as humanitarian works claim to do, we must start with a clear focus on the long-term developmental ends in mind. -
Transgender-inclusive sanitation: insights from South Asia
01.04.2018
This paper provides insights from initiatives to include transgender people in sanitation programming in South Asia. Three case studies of recent actions to make sanitation inclusive for transgender people (in India and Nepal) are presented, accompanied by reflections and recommendations to guide future practice. Practitioners are recommended to: engage with transgender people as partners at all stages of an initiative; recognize that the language of gender identity is not fixed, varying across cultures and between generations; and acknowledge that transgender people are not a single homogeneous group but rather have diverse identities, histories, and priorities. The case studies aim to raise awareness of the diversity of transgender identities, exploring the needs and aspirations of transgender women, transgender men, and third gender people in South Asia. -
Guest editorial: sanitation as a business
01.07.2014
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Striking the balance: what is the role of the public sector in sanitation as a service and as a business?
01.07.2014
With over 2 billion people lacking access to improved sanitation, governments, especially in developing countries, have an enormous challenge to roll out services, increase and correctly target investment and financing mechanisms, and to create opportunities for and manage service providers. Pockets of experience in countries throughout Africa and Asia show that the public and private sectors can partner to deliver affordable, sustainable, high-quality water and sanitation services, linked to the capacity and financial sustainability of providers and authorities (e.g. the existence of an enabling regulatory and institutional framework). Where public services do not reach the poorest, private providers, NGOs or CBOs have stepped into the gap, often without government knowledge or support. To coordinate, provide oversight, and fulfil their legislative mandate, governments need to create an accountable and enabling policy and regulatory environment for non-state entities that ensures they provide affordable services and strengthen demand from their constituencies for sanitation services. This is one of the conclusions of the recent ‘Unclogging the Blockages in Sanitation’ conference that took place in Kampala in February 2014, which provides the basis for this paper and the thematic edition on linkages between the public and private sectors in sanitation services delivery. -
The usage of urinals in Kenyan schools
01.07.2012
This study focused on the usage of urinals in Kenyan schools and the potential impact of constructing urinals to improve access to school sanitation facilities. Our objectives were: to assess the latrine use patterns for sanitation infrastructure at Kenyan primary schools and to determine the optimal pupil: latrine ratio where adequate urinals are provided. Calculations were based on observation and pupil report. Boys' urinals are relatively inexpensive to construct and maintain, may be longer lasting, require little in the way of behaviour change, and can accommodate a large number of boys at one time. Construction of boys' urinals in order to provide additional latrines for girls may be the most cost-effective, equitable solution in both the short and long term and may offset the cost of more expensive facilities for girls. Access to urinals will help alleviate congestion at latrines, improve conditions, reduce maintenance costs, and sustain latrines longer. -
The sustainability and impact of school sanitation, water and hygiene education in southern India
01.10.2009
For at least 50 years ‘hygiene education’ or more currently ‘hygiene promotion’ campaigns in schools, along with ‘school sanitation’ have been an unquestioned ‘essential element’ of water and sanitation promotion. This study describes a set of findings and conclusions that call into question the ‘obvious logic’ of school hygiene and sanitation promotion as currently practised. The overwhelming majority of ‘trained’ pupils do not in fact wash their hands with soap after using the toilet and before eating (even though the importance of such practices is well established and has almost certainly been emphasized in hygiene classes) and open defecation still appears to be relatively widespread even in intervention schools. This research therefore presents important findings for water, sanitation and hygiene in general and in the schools sector. -
Building institutional capacity for sanitation
01.01.2002
This article discusses key challenges that continue to marginalize the sanitation sector. It reflects on lessons from some experiences that may have implications for institutional development. It identifies gaps and suggests actions to address these. 'Sanitation', as used here, refers to technologies that are on-site or lower-cost (such as latrines and small-bore sewerage). As construction is only one small part of the sanitation spectrum, the article also refers to the motivation, the demand, cost and behavioural factors required for implementation, use and maintenance of sanitation facilities.