Skip to main content

IRC's approach

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

Search and explore all 187 articles here

Members of the IWRM Thematic Working Group participate in a learning session in Mbarara, June 2018

Applying lessons to improve WASH service delivery

Learning and adaptation is about preparedness to innovate and to use the insights and lessons...
Minister of Local Government (left), receives copies of the district WASH Masterplan from Kabarole District Chairman (right)

Long-term planning essential for sustainable WASH services

Planning is the WASH systems building block that involves budgeting and the determination of costs...
Baluku (left) and Stephen Baryebuga (right) Members of Kabarole HPMA at work

Viable institutions are key to strong WASH systems

IRC supports institutions that promise to improve and professionalise the delivery and management...
Group photo after launch ANAM investment phase

Asutifi North District launches ANAM investment phase

A four-year investment phase targets communities with no water service at all and those with...
Discussion cards

Shared problems, shared solutions

Using learning alliances to unify the WASH system.
WASH system strengthening: the basics

WASH systems strengthening: the basics

First course of the WASH Systems Academy launches in September! Register now!
WASH systems academy

Specialist course: Building blocks of sustainable WASH systems

The WASH Systems Academy will launch its first specialist course in December.
Patrick Moriarty speaking at the launch of the Kabarole master plan

Launching the Kabarole District master plan

The Kabarole master plan articulates the long-term (2018-2030) WASH priorities of the District to...
Susan Davis

Agenda for Change welcomes new global coordinator

Agenda for Change welcomes a new full-time Global Coordinator, made possible by an Osprey...
Women almost fight for water in Wamahinso community as they queue for hours

Failing pumps and disempowered communities

The challenge for ANAM in Ghana's Asutifi North
All systems go background note thumnail

All systems go! Background note for the WASH systems symposium is out now

The value of a systems approach to WASH
Main symposium page thumbnail

All systems go! Everything you need to know

It's All systems go! IRC and partners are hosting a symposium on building and strengthening systems...
Cover of Water Special 2018 by ViceVersa

IRC contributions to the Water Special 2018 of ViceVersa

'Approaching the last mile' and 'Around the village pump', two articles in which IRC discusses the...
Stack of jerry cans for fetching water in Burkina Faso

Bérégadougou and Niangoloko: their WASH master plans for 2030

The communes of Bérégadougou and Niangoloko have joined the select group of Burkinabé communes that...
SWA Tools Portal

Tools to help national governments strengthen the WASH sector

New SWA portal supports practical implementation of Building Blocks and Collaborative Behaviours.
WASH systems building blocks

Building blocks for strong and healthy WASH systems

IRC working paper describes what's needed to improve and strengthen service delivery.

Blogs, podcasts, opinions and more

Search and explore all 298 posts here

Vulnerable women deprived of access to water due to insufficient investment and a failure of the service delivery model

IRC Burkina: are we on track with our strategic plan 2017-2021?

A brief presentation of IRC Burkina's 2017-2021 strategic framework, the progress achieved by the end of 2018 and the expectations for 2019.
Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Ghana's Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources and Vida Duti, IRC Ghana Country Director

Call the minister

Why networking and collective action are essential to systems change.
Expose the System

Promoting the system

Bringing effective and decisive political leadership to bear on WASH requires that we expose the system; making it visible and actionable to those...
Session panelists sharing their story

Embracing complexity: Drawing our mental models

Drawing your vision of complex systems while listening to panelists' experiences in the field.
Catarina de Albuquerque speaking at the Peace Palace, The Hague, 13 March 2019.

Passion, political leadership and knowledge

What it will take to bring water and sanitation to everyone.
Doodle on capacity building

Capacity building for SDG 6 implementation – IRC symposium lessons

Five sessions on capacity building during the IRC symposium provided additional knowledge and skills in WASH systems practice.
Highlights - All systems go!

All systems go! Highlights

Revisiting some of the greatest moments from the symposium dedicated to WASH systems strengthening.
Participants at the IRC Symposium All Systems Go!

Education, the main challenge for WASH systems

When we talk about water and sanitation systems (WASH), it is easy to think only of infrastructure, construction, and toilets… but that is not just...
Lukas Kwezi at the IRC symposium

WASH systems strengthening: old wine in new bottles?

An account of personal reflections on the shift to a systems approach.
Kabarole launch

Strong WASH systems beget reliable services

IRC has been promoting the WASH systems approach in Kabarole District for five years now. What are the emerging lessons?
Jan-Willem Rosenboom

50 years of IRC: interview with Jan-Willem Rosenboom

Is finance a red herring and what is "Rosenboom's law on pilots"? Learn more from an IRC friend for over 30 years.
Harriet Burungu, water user, Kabarole District, Uganda

Launching Kabarole’s WASH master plan: why ownership matters

In Uganda we follow and support where local government leads.
Adrienne Lane

50 years of IRC: Interview with Adrienne Lane

Why Water for Good applies a systems approach in the context of complex emergencies.
Louis C. Boorstin

50 years of IRC: Interview with Louis C. Boorstin

We are getting more articulate on how to discuss and demonstrate the importance of the systems approach.
Young camel drinking cola in Gambia

All (public) systems go!

Lean government needs a lean private sector to deliver safe water and sanitation to everyone. Both are part of an effective public system.
Water kiosk, Banfora, Burkina Faso

Social entrepreneurship within the WASH system

Why even social entrepreneurs need strong government.

Resources

Search and explore all 230 resources here

It takes a system (to deliver WASH services)

2019
Keynote presentation on why networking and...

IRC Monitoring Report 2018

2019
An internal document that is made available for...

The roadmap to sustainable WASH services

2019

WASH Systems strengthening in Rwanda - podcast

2019

Taking a systems strengthening approach

2019

For who is WASH systems strengthening - podcast

2019

Equity and WASH systems strengthening - podcast

2019

It’s about strengthening systems - podcast

2019

It’s about strengthening WASH systems

2019

WASH Systems Academy - How does it work?

2019

How to use learning alliances to achieve systems change at scale

2019
This working paper sets out the thinking behind...

Systems strengthening for sanitation; how does it work

2019
Animation about the sanitation service chain.

All systems go! - Symposium concept notes for the thematic areas

2019

Understanding complexity in WASH systems

2019
The paper provides background on the concept of...

Performance-based financing and capacity building to strengthen WASH systems in Mozambique :...

2019
Early successes point towards the effectiveness...

What is a collective action approach and what makes it effective? : a desk review

2019
The desk review intends to inform conversations...

Videos

Building sustainable WASH systems
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
2014 WASH Sustainability Forum
Everyone, Forever: The Chinda Experience.
WASHTech
What if...?