To fulfil our role in helping to strengthen the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, we must form effective partnerships at all levels.
Why partnerships?
Our aim is to reach everyone, everywhere with clean water, good sanitation services and hygiene education. But we can't do it alone. In order to strengthen the WASH sector and improve policy and practice we form partnerships with stakeholders at all levels. These levels may include:
- Government ministries, departments and agencies responsible for WASH at all levels, including local, national and state-level municipalities, regulators and public utilities.
- Government ministries, departments and agencies in other sectors, including those responsible for decentralization, education, health, urban, social services, gender and children.
- Civil society organizations, national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations, local religious groups, networks and alliances, and advocacy and campaigning organizations.
- Organizations working for increased rights and accountability including community groups, disabled persons’ organizations, women’s groups, minority rights groups and groups of people living with HIV.
- Private sector organizations, including large-, medium-, and small-scale private enterprises such as utilities, sanitation marketing entrepreneurs, spare part suppliers, masons, and pit emptiers. Private sector trade bodies, platforms or initiatives should also be considered.
- Academic, research and teaching institutions.
- International development partners including bilateral and multilateral donors, development banks, foundations, and NGOs.
- Media, including journalist groups and unions, and TV and radio broadcasters.
- Embassies and high commissions.
Harnessing the power of collaboration towards WASH
Mohammed Abdul-Nashiru, Regional Director of WaterAid West Africa, captures the shared perspectives and experiences of the organizations that joined WaterAid West Africa’s 2020 partnership conference
Our approach
WaterAid's role is to act as a catalyst and agent of change across all the communities we work in. Including multiple stakeholders helps to ensure that WASH services are embedded in the local and national system so that they can be sustained.
Each partnership is unique, depending on not only the specific context of WASH in a country or district, but also the internal factors that affect individual organizations. External and internal factors change continuously, so all partnerships must be treated as dynamic and constantly evolving to ensure we reach everyone, everywhere with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
We also send out periodic surveys to our partners to collect their feedback on how we can collaborate with them more effectively.