WASH coalition building guidelines : an introductory guide for national coordinators and coalition members

This guide provides a practical introduction to the issues of coalition building, it will raise aspects for consideration on each of these issues and it will discuss some tools and tips. It seeks to support National WASH Coordinators to work within the complexity of coalition building noted above, to support the creation of a clearer mandate for each coalition, and to recognise and respond to the changing context in which each coalition finds itself. While it is noted that coalition building is complicated and does not always follow a step-by-step process, the authors felt it useful to start with an overview of the “checks” that need to be dealt with most commonly in the process of establishing or strengthening a WASH Coalition. The guide has three main parts: The dynamics of coalition building, which describes the process of setting up and maintaining a coalition; Governance, which considers the governance and management issues that need to be taken into account; and Frequently asked questions about WASH Coalitions. The available resources provide a rich source of detail on the most effective strategies for forming, formalising, maintaining and monitoring such relationships. This document does not provide significant new material but rather provides a brief overview of the issues and directs the reader to a range of relevant additional resources.