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.
Opiniebijdrage van Stef Smits in Vice Versa Read more...
In an on-going study in partnership with UNHCR, IRC is setting-up a methodology to measure the cost of providing water services to refugee population. Read more...
The shutoffs of water to thousands of homes by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department have become international news, as residents and local activists have found U.N. experts on their side in condemning the water disconnections as a violation of the human right to water. Read more...
"The 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of true WASH service delivery is entirely within our reach," argues CEO of IRC Patrick Moriarty in this second of three blog posts. "We're ready. What's to stop us? Two big scary words: Government and Money." Read more...
There are a range of sustainability tools for water. However tools alone do not automatically mean that services will improve, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable. Read more...
Big lenders like the World Bank understand the challenges of sustainability. They accept that we need to move from providing infrastructure to providing services. Still, they find it difficult to find an entry point for including costs other than capital costs in their loans. Read more...
Everyone is committed to providing sustainable access to sanitation facilities and to work towards sustainable changes in hygiene behaviour and practices, and still long lasting improvements are often not realised. Despite good intentions projects and programmes tend to focus more on achieving... Read more...
In the first of three blog posts, IRC CEO Patrick Moriarty addresses the next big challenge: the critical role of public finance and government leadership. Read more...
Monday marked the start of the 5th WASH Sustainability Forum. Here's my take on discussions on tools for making investments in sanitation have lasting results. Read more...
This week, the 5th WASH Sustainability Forum will bring together representatives from civil society, government, universities and the private sector eager to share ideas on how to make our investments and efforts in water sanitation and hygiene have sustainable results. Read more...
Hoe zorg je dat water, sanitatie en hygiene (WASH) voorzieningen in ontwikkelingslanden niet na 2 of 3 jaar kapot gaan? Dat als ze kapot gaan, er iemand is die ze repareert? En hoe zorg je dat deze cyclus van vervangen en vernieuwen continu is, zodat mensen overal ter wereld kunnen vertrouwen op... Read more...
What happens when people cannot pay for water and sanitation services? Mostly, we hear about women and girls in low income countries and how they access polluted water from ponds, rivers or hand dug wells. This week, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (USA) made it to international news for... Read more...
A joint letter from private sector, civil society and academic organisations was sent to the United Nations' Open Working Group with one firm message: Let's work together to finish the unfinished business of the MDGs and strive far beyond to a future of universal access to water, sanitation and... Read more...
Au cœur de la discussion, le fait que les bonnes intentions ne suffisent pas : les pannes précoces des infrastructures d'eau dans les zones rurales et les villages des pays à bas revenu est un problème bien connu de tous les membres de l'assistance. Mais en pratique, que peut-on faire pour éviter... Read more...
Amsterdam will soon host the 5th WASH Sustainability Forum, where over 160 water, sanitation and hygiene professionals will discuss how to tackle sustainability challenges. Read more...
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is one of the well-known international NGOs in Ethiopia, so it was a pleasure for me to see so many CRS advisers in Addis Ababa for their WASH Community of Practice meeting on 23rd May. Staff participated from across East Africa. I was there to share my experiences on... Read more...
Les règles (aussi appelées menstruations) est un phénomène naturel qui fait partie intégrante de la vie humaine, mais elle reste un sujet tabou et négligé dans la plupart des programmes d’AEPHA. Il est temps de mieux comprendre les défis associés à la gestion de l’hygiène menstruelle et d’agir. Read more...
The issue that was at the heart of the discussion is that good intentions are not enough and premature failure of water infrastructure in rural and small towns in low income countries is a well-known problem to all in the room. But what can be done in practice to avoid waste of investment in... Read more...
In an increasingly urbanising world, with an estimated 863 million people living in slum-like conditions in 2012 (UN, 2013), there is a clear need to start tackling one of the most pressing issues of urbanisation: the sanitation problem that arises when a large number of people are living together... Read more...
In Bangladesh millions of toilets have been constructed. How do you know if they're being used safely? Smart new software may provide the solution. Read more...