Opinions and voices for change
Navigate the blogs from our experts, water, sanitation and hygiene sector colleagues and guests. Narrow down your search by using the filters.
My new role at Cranfield University this year is to drive forward a novel and very exciting project known as WEEP (Water-security in Ethiopia and the emotional response of pastoralists). WEEP has immense potential to 'break new ground' in understanding the everyday and ongoing challenges of water... Read more...
Day 6 at the USAID Transform WASH Design Summit began like every day, with Morning Circle. This is a moment to set the mood, reflect, have a bit of fun, and make announcements about the day. The group is large with 35 participants plus Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Design Lab... Read more...
When we set out to transform the WASH sector in Ethiopia, I knew it would be a fascinating journey. But, our Transform WASH Design Summit, organized by PSI/Ethiopia and led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) D-Lab here in Hawassa, took us to an entirely new place. Read more...
Lessons learnt from a field trip in Ethiopia. Read more...
You may have heard of the Lord of the Rings, but in Bihar, India, that name is taking on a whole new meaning. I recently joined a field visit to this part of the world to see how cement ring businesses are changing the face of rural sanitation. Read more...
As Ethiopia manages to develop more and more new rural water schemes – springs, wells or boreholes with hand-pumps or engines, piped water – keeping the existing infrastructure running well and safely is a challenge that gets bigger every day. And, despite some encouraging efforts, it's a challenge... Read more...
Let's move beyond the conceptual chaos of 'public-private partnerships' and talk about what it really means. Read more...
With many of the seasonal water sources failing due to poor rains, there has been considerable reliance on a limited number of high-yielding water schemes whose ongoing performance is critical to the drought response. Read more...
Political drivers, including SDG indicators, directly impact sanitation efforts on the ground. Read more...
Government, donors, and implementers must come together and invest in national and sub-national systems. Read more...
The challenges of small town water supply and the need for systemic change: the case of Gazer town. Read more...
Asking whether building hardware is better than a WASH systems approach is like asking whether building bicycle wheels is better than creating a transport network. Read more...
Asset inventory is essential in Ethiopia to develop more realistic planning to increase functionality as well as coverage. Read more...
Under severe conditions of water scarcity, it is vital to keep motorised boreholes pumping across Ethiopia's Somali region. Read more...
Solutions that benefit both consumers and suppliers are required. Read more...
Photographs showcasing that Self-supply can change people's lives. Read more...
Self-supply is the term given to families helping themselves through development of their own water supplies. Usually based on wells dug near the home or fields, such water supplies meet a range of domestic and food production needs. The regional government are launching a new programme to support... Read more...
When something is broken, we might shout for help and then, if we are lucky, get it fixed. Our kids try this and sometimes they get a response. Something similar happens in water supply. Read more...
Can Self-supply help combat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in rural Ethiopia? Read more...
The capacity to use WaSH Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Management Information System (MIS) at lower levels for planning, reporting and learning looks frail. Read more...