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Delivering good water, sanitation and hygiene services not just to a few people for a while but to everyone forever requires a fundamental shift in the way we all think and work together.

WASH news and events

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Nurses washing hands in front of health care facility

Highlights from our focus countries in 2020: Niger

What impact did we have in our focus countries in 2020? Sharing highlights from IRC's Annual Report.
Health technical director in Nossombougou commune in Mali

Highlights from our focus countries in 2020: Mali

What impact did we have in our focus countries in 2020? Sharing highlights from IRC's Annual Report.
Nursing officer seeing a patient

Highlights from our focus countries in 2020: Uganda

What impact did we have in our focus countries in 2020? Sharing highlights from IRC's Annual Report.
ANAM award winners together with the traditional leaders of the Kenyasi area

Five CSOs in Asutifi North District receive ANAM Small Grant

Five civil society organisations in Asutifi North District received grants to carry out public...
Multi-stakeholder

Highlights from our focus countries in 2020: India

What impact did we have in our focus countries in 2020? Sharing highlights from IRC's Annual Report.
Participants at the review meeting in Banfora in July 2021

A mid-term review of the Banfora WASH master plan in 2021

A meeting was held to assess the progress of the WASH master plan of Banfora.
ASAM monitoreo

Highlights from our focus countries in 2020: Honduras

What impact did we have in our focus countries in 2020? Sharing highlights from IRC's Annual Report.
De fructueux échanges dans un atmosphère convivial

Pessac and Chauvigny, mobilised for WASH in Banfora

Banfora district, with the support of IRC, is calling on its decentralised cooperation partners to...
School children washing hands in Ghana

Highlights from our focus countries in 2020: Ghana

What impact did we have in our focus countries in 2020? Sharing highlights from IRC's Annual Report.
Workshop participants discussing master plans

Working closely with leadership and government in Ethiopia on system strengthening in Negelle Arsi and Shashamane woredas

The 5-year (2018-2022) WASH SDG programme is under implementation in Ethiopia's Shashamane and...
Asutifi North District Assembly meets IRC management team

Asutifi North District Assembly meets IRC management team

Asutifi North District Assembly holds 'Akwaaba' meeting with IRC senior management team
Bronyakrom community in Ghana

ANAM partners launch WASH services to hard-to-reach communities

This is the launch of the WASH for hard-to-reach households project. The team is visiting...
Kabende, image by Vera van der Grift

Getting water to Kabende subcounty, Uganda

Balancing safe water needs, demands, and rights to water for the people of Kabende sub county,...
IRC Ethiopia and Uganda colleagues share experiences during a learning meeting in January, 2020, in Ethiopia.

Highlights from our focus countries in 2020: Ethiopia

What impact did we have in our focus countries in 2020? Sharing highlights from IRC's Annual Report.
Mains Propres Bonne Sante campaign ambassador Pizzaroro

Highlights from our focus countries in 2020: Burkina Faso

What impact did we have in our focus countries in 2020? Sharing highlights from IRC's Annual Report.
: Djelika Guire, Madina Rouamba, and campaign ambassador Salif Sanfo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Eyes on the prize: aiming for 2030

IRC's Annual report 2020

Blogs, podcasts, opinions and more

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Contributor photos: Lemessa, Digbojoy, Fabrizio,Sára, Jeske, Vera, Patrick, Stef, Angela, Tettje

Solutions galore, but political will and finance still lacking

Sustainable, resilient WASH systems for all. Reflections from IRC on World Water Week 2021.
Destination 2030 logo

A shared vision to reach 200 million people by 2030

IRC and Water For People announce their newly formed alliance: Destination 2030.
Ghana - Asutifi North master plan meeting

Coming soon: a master planning facility for WASH

Building new partnerships and setting clear goals to leverage investment.
Jerrycans at pump

We have a district WASH master plan: now what?

"The master plan provides a strategic tool in bringing all sector actors together around a singular objective." - Magdalene Matthews, Senior Program...
Water project in Arusha, Tanzania

RUWASA transformation: Rising to the challenge

Using learning hub 'model projects' to test new approaches for projects and service delivery.
Launch of ANAM implementation phase

What is in a name - the ANAM WASH initiative

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation supports collective action in many countries. Ghana is proudly one of them.
Shashamane and Negelle Arsi woredas' WASH SDG master plans are being discussed by participants

Immediate gains from long-term planning

Reflections from district level WASH SDG master planning in Negelle Arsi and Shashamane, Ethiopia.
Kenya - Budget Champion Penina Tombo at a public participation forum

The water sector needs strong CSOs, now more than ever

Watershed empowering citizens was a unique programme focused on advocacy and influencing. After 5 years, what have we learned?
HE Ms Cora van Nieuwehuizen

90% of climate disasters are water related

Building resilience is not a "nice to have"- it is essential, says Ban Ki Moon.
Open budget meeting, Veduria Union, Bangladesh

The magical civic space that brings stakeholders together

Getting citizens and marginalised groups a seat at the table with local government is a core activity of IRC.
A camel and cattle on the banks of water body, Somali region, Ethiopia

Systems thinking for WASH in chronic crises: lessons from Ethiopia

Sharing lessons learnt from Somali region around systems thinking in WASH and collaboration between organisations in the humanitarian-development-...
People fetching water at a tanker in Afar, Ethiopia

Strong WASH systems are climate resilient systems

The same capacities that help us adapt to COVID-19 can be used to face climate change.
Woman sitting in front of computer screen in Ganjam district, Odisha, India

Decolonisation of WASH knowledge: addressing institutional bias

COVID-19 and #BlackLivesMatter are a wake-up call for leaders to take a closer look at WASH knowledge generation.
La Vies des Noires Compte / Black Lives Matter, Gay Village, Monteal

Decolonising the WASH sector

Being true to #BlackLivesMatter. Report of an IRC Global Talk.
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) instructions for chlorine disinfection in Kabarole, Uganda. Photo M. Watsisi/IRC Uganda

What legacy of COVID-19 do we want for the WASH sector?

Our strategic systems responses to the pandemic and climate change.
WASH system academy animation

Strengthening WASH systems: Join the community

The WASH Systems Academy is inspiring to do more.

Resources

Search and explore all 259 resources here

Destination 2030 : long-term vision and 10-year strategy

2021
The goal of the IRC - Water For People alliance...

Pathways for collaboratively strengthening water and sanitation systems

2021
Successful pathways secured uptake by government...

Shashamane Woreda WASH Sustainable Development Goal master plan

2021
The master plan for Ethiopia's Shashamane...

Negelle Arsi Woreda WASH Sustainable Development Goal master plan

2021
The master plan for Ethiopia's Negelle Arsi...

Learning and reflection from the Negelle Arsi and Shashamane woreda WASH Sustainable Development...

2021
Despite the challenges, two districts in Ethiopia...

Collective action in WASH : findings from SWS

2021
Recording of a webinar on lessons learned after...

Climate change, water resources and WASH systems

2021
WASH system strengthening is climate action and...

IRC Monitoring Report 2020

2021

Improving WASH service delivery in small towns : systems approach implemented in Ethiopia

2021
Systems approaches are ongoing processes which...

Learning from longterm strategic planning in a district

2021
This paper details the steps taken in Ethiopia,...

Assessment of the process of developing the Kabarole WASH district master plan 2018-2030

2020
IRC Uganda supported Kabarole District to develop...

Facilitating collective action for Sustainable Development Goal 6 through learning alliances

2020
In this video from Sustainable WASH Systems...

More sustainable systems through consolidation? : the changing landscape of rural drinking water...

2020
The two utility models present in Kabarole...

WASH master plan for Asutifi North District Assembly : 2019 annual performance report

2020
Based on evidence-based monitoring of water and...

Reframing the challenges and opportunities for improved sanitation services in Eastern Africa...

2020
Successful sanitation approaches were...

IRC Monitoring Reports 2013 - 2019

2020

Videos

Facilitating collective action for SDG 6 through learning alliances
Strong WASH systems: playing the hub role
Strong WASH systems: political buy-in and leadership
Strong WASH systems: the importance of master planning
Strong systems: making water and sanitation for everyone, everywhere and forever a reality
Systems strengthening for sanitation
WASH is about systems
An introduction to multi-stakeholder platforms with Jeroen Warner
Patrick's Poo
It's about the systems stupid
Working for change in Uganda
The power of working together: Kabarole district
Kampala WASH Symposium - Exploring a Whole System Approach
Tribute speech for Ton Schouten by Harold Lockwood
The quest for water services that last
The ideal WASH sustainability tool