What We Do
We are facilitators of change. Through collaborative partnerships and networks, we work in close cooperation with our partners and target groups. This allows for synergies, the free exchange of experience and knowledge, as well as resource efficiency.
What?
We enable our partners and target groups to learn from each other and to find solutions to the challenges triggered by poverty and climate change.
How?
We focus our core competences on three interconnected and mutually dependent sectors – Water, Renewable Energy and Waste Management.
Where?
We work around the world, with a special focus on the Global South. Our portfolio comprises projects at country, regional, and global level.
Thematic Areas
Water
We have become a lead organisation in rural water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). With our long-lasting experience in self-supply, groundwater management, human rights to water and sanitation, and the leave-no-one behind approach, we add value to the sector. We aim at enabling users to choose the technology, service level, and service providers they want. This approach is important, especially in areas with limited or no access to central, regional, or municipal water services.
Renewable Energy
The access to energy is key for social and economic development, as well as for improving human livelihoods. We support researchers, practitioners, and professionals in the development and advocacy of small-scale renewable energy systems to serve communities and families in remote and rural areas. We also develop concepts, tools, and capacity building modules, and disseminate them through websites, webinars, and workshops.
Waste Management
We support our partners to address waste management challenges through a holistic and systemic approach. This means tackling the problem at the level of producers, distributors, and consumers, as well as of collection, treatment, and disposal service providers. We promote the capacity strengthening on responsible consumption and sustainable waste management of different stakeholders, including local decision makers in Latin America.
Cross-cutting to all themes: Social inclusion and gender equality are integral to all three of our focus areas. Our activities, projects, and programmes enable individuals and organisations to learn and act in collaborative ways, in order to eradicate poverty, reduce gender and wealth inequalities, and contribute to the development of sustainable, diverse, and inclusive societies.
Core Competences
Fit-for-Purpose Technological Choices
Our team has extensive experience and understanding of the role that technology plays in unlocking complex development challenges. Combined with technical expertise and access to latest research, we help our partners to find and adapt solutions that fit their local contexts and needs.
Capacity Strengthening & Knowledge Sharing
We have multiple years of experience in organising and facilitating online and face-to-face trainings, workshops, events, and webinars in different languages and sizes. These are specifically customised to the needs of our partners and target audience.
Development & Uptake of Knowledge Products
Curating, publishing, and disseminating evidenced-based information is one of our strengths. Our knowledge products include manuals, synthesis documents, toolkits, guidelines, websites, online libraries, etc. These resources are available to support practitioners to professionalise their work and policy makers to make informed decisions.
Networks
Working in and with networks is an important asset of Skat Foundation. We have experience with developing, running, and supporting networks and communities of practice (CoP) in multiple sectors and regions. Our aim is to strengthen the knowledge exchange, collaboration, and joint learning between individuals and organisations.
Geographical Focus
Global
Our global outreach is achieved through the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN), by hosting its Secretariat. The RWSN currently comprises more than 13,000 individual and 85 organisational members, from 160+ countries.
Focus Countries
Through our International Programme, we focus our projects and activities on eight countries spread across four continents:
- Asia
- Africa
- Europe
- Latin America
