Publications

In Burkina Faso, concerns have been raised regarding the high number of handpump boreholes that have failed, or need to be rehabilitated within a relatively short time of their initial construction.

Au Burkina Faso, le nombre élevé de forages équipés d’une pompe àmotricitéhumaine (PMH) qui dysfonctionnent ou qui nécessitent de grosses réparations quelques années seulement après leur construction est alarmant.

A Review of a 16-Year Initiative through the Rural Water Supply Network from 2004 to 2020Drilled boreholes are vital to achieving universal, safe drinking water and meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.1, particularly in Africa.

Climate resilient rural WASH encompasses both disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, providing benefits under current and future climate scenarios and uncertainties.

This study documents, for the first time, water well drillers associations in six countries, presenting the issues faced by them in their different country contexts.

This study documents, for the first time, water well drillers associations in six countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda and the United States of America.

This Strategy sets the direction of the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) for the next six years, with a mid-term review.

This report draws together the insights on drilling on groundwater and drilling from 181 participants that were shared on the 2018 and 2019 UNDP Cap-Net/Skat Foundation courses entitled Professional Management of Water Well Drilling Projects and Programmes.

The 2019 UNDP Cap-Net/Skat Foundation online course on Professional Management of Water Well Drilling Projects and Programmes enabled 97 participants working for NGOs, the United Nations, governments, private enterprises and academic/training institutions in more than 34 countries to improve their skills and knowledge on: groundwater information and siting; costing and pricing, procurement and contract management ; borehole drilling and supervision and institutional and legal frameworks.

“Leave no-one behind in rural water supply” has been this year’s thematic focus for the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN)

SOMAP is the acronym for Sustainable Operation and Maintenance Project for rural water supply in Zambia and it is the strategy that the Government of the Republic of Zambia has adopted to sustain rural water supply.

This publication describes over a decade of pioneering efforts by UNICEF, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and partners to introduce and professionalise manual drilling.

The operation and maintenance (O&M) of public school buildings and WASH infrastructure can be a challenge if not managed well, if resources are insufficient and if the materials used cannot be replaced or repaired easily.

Writing on behalf of Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN), Justine Haag and Marian Ryan, of Water Integrity Network, examine how preventing corruption in the professional borehole drilling can pave the way to sustainable infrastructure.

Ce document présente l'étude de terrain effectuée en février/mars 2017 sur le secteur du forage au Burkina Faso.

This document presents the field study undertaken in february/march 2017 on the drilling sector in Burkina Faso. This work has been conducted as part of the Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) 2015-2017 established between UNICEF and the Skat Foundation called: Striving for Professionalism in Cost-Effective Boreholes (SPICE) – Phase IV.

This report is a review of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal (NBEG) Framework and Implementation Programme for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of Rural Water Supplies (MWCRD, 2013).

Northern Bahr el Ghazal faces a major challenge to ensure sustainable water services to rural and urban communities. In the past Unicef’s regular supply of spare parts helped to keep the number of broken down hand pumps to a relatively low level (officially around 10%).

This Framework & Handbook for the Operation and Maintenance of Rural Water Supply Services has been developed by the state Ministry in collaboration with agencies supporting WASH activities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state. Its development was supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

A Short Course on Drilling Supervision took place in Zambia in July 2018 as part of the Project Collaboration Agreement (PCA) 2017-2019 between UNICEF and Skat Foundation. The learning objectives of the training course were that by the end of the course, the participants would.

Borehole Drilling – Planning, Contracting & Management: A UNICEF Toolkit has been developed to bring uniformity to practices and to guide UNICEF staff involved in borehole procurement and the supply of equipment, as well as contracting consultancy services for borehole siting and supervision.

Ce document présente l'étude de terrain effectuée en février/mars 2017 sur le secteur du forage au Burkina Faso.

This document reports on the online course on professional management of water well drilling projects and programmes that took place in early 2018 as part of the Project Collaboration Agreement (PCA) 2017-2019 between UNICEF and Skat Foundation.

Elle donne des conseils pratiques pour améliorer le professionnalisme des forages mécaniques et manuels, et la réhabilitation des forages en Afrique à travers des actions pratiques et stratégiques.

As part of the cooperation agreement between UNICEF and Skat Foundation on Professional Borehole Drilling Management, a five day training workshop on ‘Understanding groundwater, cost effective boreholes, procurement, contract management and costing and pricing of boreholes’ was conducted by Skat Foundation on behalf of the Ministry of Energy and Water, Angola, between the 20th and 24th November, 2017.

Kerstin Danert wants to raise capacity for borehole drilling and its management globally. Read her recently published article in GeoDrilling International here.

The Ministry of Local Government and Housing (MLGH) Zambia and the Water and Resources Management Authority (WARMA) weresupported by the cooperation of UNICEF and Skat Foundation to strengthen capacity in the country with respect to siting, drilling, supervision, procurement and contract management.

This guidance note provides practical guidance for organisations and individuals that are trying to raise the professionalism of groundwater development in Africa.

In the last decade there has been a marked shift towards decentralisation in many developing countries as responsibilities are passed from national administrations to local authorities.

The recent history of water supply and sanitation projects in developing countries offers many varied examples of approaches assumptions, beliefs and patterns - otherwise called paradigms - regarding initiation, decision-making, design criteria, financing , and the management of operation and maintenance.

This report describes an AGUASAN workshop that was conducted in response to prevailing concerns about how the millennium development goals can be honoured in practice.

This publication examines people, politics and the environment and their relation to drinking water supplies in rural areas.

This publication helps you to navigate the information out there on rural water supplies. It is for stakeholders who are new to rural water supplies, as well as others who are already knowledgeable of the topic, but would like a comprehensive overview of current information sources.

This is the first consolidated and referenced multicountry study of Water or Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Joint Sector Reviews (JSRs).

This Rapid Assessment Tool provides a series of simple checklists to help decision makers ask the right questions and includes some simple guidance on how to uncover the authenticity and credibility of the companies behind the offer including questions on the technical, financial and contractual conditionalities and on the compatibility of the technology offer with the policy, legal, financial, environmental and social context.

This is a hands-on guide for setting up, structuring, managing, monitoring and evaluating networks efficiently and effectively.

The Helvetas Publication no 2 describes a methodology to improve the quality of education and training in international co-operation.

The Helvetas publication no. 3 describes the main characteristics of a basic market study as well as the methodology of a Rapid Market Appraisal (RMA).

How important is solid waste management? Clearly it important to keep our streets clean and to get rid of unpleasant waste.

This booklet is the second in series published by the CWG (the Collaborative Working Group on Solid Waste Managementin Low- and Middle-income Countries).

This guide is intended for pesters and network participants, as well as those still looking to establish a network. However, network management professionals should also find interesting tips in this post.

Esta guía está destinada a especialistas en redes, así como a otros profesionales que deseen constituir o formar una red.

Le guide s’adresse aux praticiens du réseautage, ainsi qu’à d'autres professionnels voulant mettre en place un réseau, les praticiens confirmés de réseau y trouveront également quelques conseils pratiques et utiles.

Despite the rhetoric of bottom-up development, the international development agenda remains dominated by the economic interests and institutional priorities of the North, and supported by knowledge generated through Northern Universities, resource centres and think tanks.

The report on the participation of decision-makers in networks for knowledge sharing summarises the results of the study.

Information and knowledge are basic prerequisites for the evolution of developing countries in the East and South. Information and knowledge are also important for efficient and effective development coorperation aiming at poverty alleviation.

Knowledge Sharing is THE core activity of international knowledge networks: they store information and knowledge, they validate and document existing experiences and best practoces, they assimilate and disseminate lessons learned, they create new knowledge and they improve access to information and knowledge.

Like most good ideas, basin was conceived out of necessity. There was a need in the building sector for more information on appropriate and cost-efficient building materials and construction technologies in the developing countries, while the flow of knowledge between North and South and within the South was sparse.

The CWG is an informal association of donors, international organisations, NGOs, municipal personnel, experts from NGOs and others with a particular interest in solid waste management in developing countries.

The role of RWSN/HTN was originally to maintain momentum built up during the UN International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD) 1981-1990 concerning improved access to safe drinking water for rural populations in the South.

Welcome to the second edition of Rural Water, the RWSN Directory of rural water supply services, tariffs, management models and lifecycle costs, and the first edition of the RWSN Blue Pages (in English and French).

Bien que l’UNICEF finance et mette en œuvre des projets de forage dans plusieurs pays et contextes depuis de nombreuses années, il n’existait jusqu’à présent aucune directive officielle au sein de l’organisation ciblant spécifiquement le personnel chargé des programmes et de l’approvisionnement impliqué dans ces projets particulièrement complexes.

Cette publication illustre plus d'une décennie d'initiatives pionnières de la part de l'UNICEF, du gouvernement de la République démocratique du Congo et d’autres partenaires pour l'introduction et la professionnalisation du secteur du forage manuel.

Briefing note on the new book by Sally Sutton and John Butterworth: "Self-Supply: Filling the gaps in public water supply provision."

Note d'information sur le nouveau livre de Sally Sutton et John Butterworth: "Auto-Approvisionnement: Combler les lacunes de l'approvisionnement public en eau."

Nota informativa sobre el nuevo libro de Sally Sutton y John Butterworth: "Autoabastecimento: Llenando los vacíos del suministro público de agua."

The climate crisis and global pandemic have accelerated the urgency of providing safe drinking water services around the world.

On many aspects of human development, the gaps between different groups of people continue to widen.

Countries at all income levels experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, implemented different measures such as lockdowns to contain the spread of the virus.

RWSN comprises more than 13,000 professionals in 168 countries.

This practical guide is the result of a consultation and co-creation process with members of the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN).

Ce guide pratique est le fruit d'un processus de concertation et de cocréation avec les membres du réseau d’approvisionnement en eau en milieu rural (Rural Water Supply Network, RWSN).

Esta guía práctica es el resultado de un proceso de consulta y de co-creación con miembros de la Red Rural de Abastecimiento de Agua (RWSN).

The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) is a vibrant global network of more than 12,000 professionals and more than 80 organisations. Together, we are committed to the vision of a world in which all rural people have access to safe, sustainable and reliable water supplies.

Summary of RWSN's strategic workshop on "Designing a regional presence in Southern Africa (SADC)", which was held on 29 June 2021.

In rural areas where hand pumps are commonly used, extracting water from ultra-deep boreholes (up to 150 metres) poses a significant problem for communities since this is beyond the design limit of standard hand pumps.

A summary of the findings from a detailed member survey conducted in mid-2020. The survey helped to review how the network is doing and informed the mid-term review of the RWSN Strategy (2018-2023), as well as the RWSN Roadmap.

This report details the activities, outputs and outcomes from the RWSN for January to December 2020. Audited accounts available on request.

The 'Stop the Rot' initiative documents the scale and extent of rapid handpump corrosion and the use of poor-quality handpump components in sub-Saharan Africa and tries to bring about actions to address these problems.

The 'Stop the Rot' initiative documents the scale and extent of rapid handpump corrosion and the use of poor-quality handpump components in sub-Saharan Africa and tries to bring about actions to address these problems.

The 'Stop the Rot' initiative documents the scale and extent of rapid handpump corrosion and the use of poor-quality handpump components in sub-Saharan Africa and tries to bring about actions to address these problems.

Matthias Saladin and Kerstin Danert discuss the topic of 'Groundwater - making the invisible visible', which was the theme of World Water Day, which took place on 22 March 2022.

Dieser Bericht stellt die Ziele und ersten Ergebnisse von Sufosec, der Schweizer Allianz für nachhaltige Ernährung weltweit, dar.

Ce rapport présente les objectifs et les premiers résultats de Sufosec, l’Alliance suisse pour une alimentation durable dans le monde.

In order to facilitate the replication of the experience in other communities, this report summarizes the main elements and lessons learned from the pilot phase, developed between February and June 2021 on waste management in Usme, Colombia.

This document is part of the results of the implementation of the Terraza Verde in Usme, Bogota, Colombia; in its pilot (2021), consolidation and expansion (2022) phases.

This factsheet was compiled by Matthias Saladin (Skat Foundation), Tara Bartnik (WaterAid), John Butterworth (IRC), Vincent Casey (WaterAid), Kerstin Danert (Ask for Water GmbH), Jenny Grönwall (SIWI), Tim Foster (Sydney University).

This technical note highlights the key features of the rope pump, delves into the historical background of its introduction in Nicaragua and briefly highlights the current situation by providing estimates of number of rope pumps in use and their functionality and impact.

Uma história de sucesso do abastecimento de água e autoabastecimento de comunidades rurais

Une réussite en matière d'approvisionnement en eau et d'auto-approvisionnement

Una historia de éxito del abastecimiento y autoabastecimiento de agua a comunidades rurales

El Grupo de Aprendizaje sobre Agroecología de la Alianza Sufosec elaboró un inventario sobre modelos y herramientas de aprendizaje seleccionados para la agroecología que surgieron tras la primera serie de seminarios web organizados por Sufosec sobre la adopción de la agroecología.

Le groupe d'apprentissage sur l'agroécologie de l'Alliance Sufosec a dressé un inventaire des modèles et outils d'apprentissage sélectionnés pour l'agroécologie qui ont émergé après la première série de webinaires organisés par Sufosec sur l'adoption de l'agroécologie.

Esta nota informativa resume la investigación sobre cómo se contrata a los jóvenes y cómo se desarrollan sus carreras en los servicios de abastecimiento de agua y saneamiento (SAS).

Cette note d'information est le résumé de recherches menées sur la façon dont les jeunes sont recrutés et leur carrière évolue dans les services d'approvisionnement en eau et d'assainissement (EAH).

Esta nota informativa resume a pesquisa sobre como os jovens são recrutados e como as suas carreiras são desenvolvidas nos serviços de abastecimento de água e saneamento (A&S).

As part of a joint learning journey of the agroecological learning group of the Sufosec Alliance, in November 2021, over 100 participants came together in online workshops in three different languages to share their models for learning on agroecological practices.

This document sets out RWSN’s governance, roles, responsibilities, and basic rules to ensure that the partnership works smoothly.

This report provides an overview of the activities and achievements of the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) in January-December 2022. It reports against the RWSN Strategy 2018 to 2023.

For the second year in a row, RWSN had to adapt its activities to the COVID-19 pandemic, with limited face-to-face event and increased online interactions leading to the year being highly successful overall.

In an on-going effort to improve the quality of the service provided by the Rural Water Supply Network and the Secretariat, and to inform the development of the next RWSN Strategy (2024-2030) an online survey was launched on 25 May 2023 and kept open until 19 June 2023.

This study looks at the evolution of rural water supply policies in francophone West Africa and the performance of the delegation of rural water services.

This briefing note summarises research into how young people are recruited and how their careers are developed in water supply and sanitation (WSS) services. The research is part of the first phase of a project called 'Career Pathways Guidance'.