Countries: Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Ghana, Bangladesh, India, international level | Consortium partners: Akvo, Simavi, Wetlands International | Client and donor: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Duration: 2016-2020
Published on: 01/01/2016
Watershed was a 5-year strategic partnership between the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IRC, Simavi, Wetlands International and Akvo which worked in six countries from 2016-2020.
Watershed aimed to build the capacity of civil society organisations in six countries: Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Ghana, Bangladesh, India and also at international level, for evidence-based lobbying and advocacy on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) issues. This five-year partnership (2016 - 2020) contributed to the Sustainable Development Goal for universal access to water and sanitation services and water security by making the voices of citizens heard and strengthening governance and accountability.
The partnership activities specifically focused on the identification and inclusion of the marginalised in WASH and IWRM governance.
Initially the partnership was called WASH IT!, but changed its name to Watershed - empowering citizens.
Women's Self-help Groups from Odisha, India, are trained in hygiene promotion and soap making. Read more...
Women from Odisha, India, demand greater role in decision making and hygiene promotion. Read more...
Report of an August 2020 webinar with representatives from national, state and local government and civil society. Read more...
The Watershed end-of-project meeting highlighted the contributions to WASH/IWRM improvements in Ghana and discussed partnerships beyond the project. Read more...
COVID-19 has forced the women in Odisha to postpone the workshops that IRC raised funds for during the 'She Makes Change' campaign. Read more...
Strong civil society leaders share how they are fighting to bring safe water and sanitation to their communities. Read more...
Watershed Uganda brought water actors together, improved the capacities of Catchment Management Committee and supported the development of Catchment Management Plans. Read more...
Watershed Uganda bracht verschillende stakeholders in de watersector samen, versterkte de capaciteit van waterbeheer commissies en ondersteunde de ontwikkeling van een beheersplan voor het stroomgebied van de Mpanga rivier. Read more...
Learn more from four new publications on public finance for community and institutional WASH services. Read more...
Two new Watershed India working papers draw lessons from research in Bihar and Odisha. Read more...
20 consortia advance to next round of the Power of Voices investment programme Read more...
Ugandan NGO network calls on the national government to prioritise access to safe water. Read more...
This report highlights the activities of the 2020 Regional Water and Environment Week which included among others clean-up exercises, home improvement campaigns and public dialogue. Read more...
Through source security, service provision and waste management, the state of Bihar has used a holistic approach to ensure sustainability of services. Read more...
This Watershed webinar shares and discusses WASH and IWRM developments. Read more...
Comment pouvez-vous aider les ONG et les citoyens du Mali à mieux défendre leurs droits en matière d'eau et d'assainissement ? Read more...
On International Women's Day , research from Water.org shows how empowerment flows from financing improved water and sanitation access. Read more...
Watershed empowering citizens was a unique programme focused on advocacy and influencing. After 5 years, what have we learned? Read more...
Getting citizens and marginalised groups a seat at the table with local government is a core activity of IRC. Read more...
Report of a Watershed empowering citizens webinar on adjusting your advocacy to COVID-19 pandemic. Read more...
A meeting organised by Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET) and IRC Uganda, to inform the parliamentarians about the Watershed empowering citizens programme, discuss key issues in WASH and IWRM, and make recommendations on how the issues can be addressed effectively. Read more...
The role of civil society in evidence-based advocacy for the human rights to water and sanitation. Report of a WASH Debate. Read more...
In the process of writing the Multi-annual Country Strategies: does the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs consider the WASH strategy? Read more...
Global study puts accountability mechanisms under a magnifying glass - also in the Netherlands. Read more...
New report triggers the setup of accountability platforms #Account4SDG6 Read more...
Meeting Sustainable Development Goal 6 requires solutions that focus on integrated rather than sectoral approaches. Read more...
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) and the national governments jointly prepare for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) and the Dakar N'gor Declaration on Water and Sanitation. Read more...
Training a women's self-help group in rural India to realise their dream of a clean village. Read more...
How virtual field visits allow sneak peeks over the shoulders of colleagues. Read more...
Report of a WASH Debate on climate adaptation. Read more...
Lessons from the Central African Republic and Mali. Report of a WASH debate. Read more...
During a Watershed field trip, a community leader experiences a lightbulb moment. Read more...
A five-page glossy giving an overview of the achievements of the Watershed programme. Read more...
What is currently working well and what needs to be urgently addressed for meaningful reporting on implementation and progress towards SDG 6 targets. Read more...
Conceptual frameworks and guiding questions that help identify opportunities to strengthen links between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and... Read more...
The two utility models present in Kabarole outperformed the community management model, with the existing national utility demonstrating greater... Read more...
A critical reflection on the use of planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning (PMEL) tools. Read more...
For inclusion/diversity experts from different actors involved in realisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular civil society For... Read more...
IRC's approach to sustainability within the Watershed empowering citizens programme in India and its response to COVID-19 in Ganjam district, Odisha. Read more...
Water and sanitation interventions should put special focus on strengthening systems of community participation as well as enabling the participation... Read more...
Lessons learned and relevance for global and regional civil society organisation (CSO) networks active in the WASH sector. Read more...
Key finding of this briefing note: Overall, citizens holding governments to account is dependent on effective civil society and media shaping the... Read more...
An analysis of government interventions for providing institutional water and sanitation services, with recommendations on how to improve... Read more...
A fact sheet on Indian national and state level institutions in Odisha and Bihar engaging in particular with rural water supply and resources. Read more...
Conclusions and reflections on the use of the Social Accountability Model developed by Water Witness International in the Watershed programme in... Read more...
Presentation outlining the efforts of CSOs, NGOs and communities to stop the pollution of the river Mpanga in Kabarole District, Uganda, and to... Read more...
Briefing paper on budget tracking in Bangladesh for the Watershed programme. Read more...