Sustainable and Innovative Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (SIRWASH)
Water and Sanitation System Construction Project to improve the quality and expand the access to water and sanitation services in small cities and rural and indigenous communities (IDB, 2023)
Description of the Project
The “Sustainable and Innovative Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SIRWASH)” program is an initiative funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by the Inter-American Development Bank. At its core, the program aims to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and networking opportunities concerning rural WASH matters within the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. The program operates at both regional and global levels, with a special focus on Brazil, Bolivia, Haiti, and Peru.
SIRWASH seeks to influence on public policies for rural water and sanitation through advocacy for political dialogues and by supporting national and regional authorities in formulating, promoting, and implementing policies that ensure safe rural water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
Since 2022, SIRWASH works in close collaboration with the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) and Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) to promote south-south exchange among the three development banks: Inter-American Development Bank, African Development Bank, and Asian Development Bank.
The experiences in Rural Water and Sanitation of Latin America to other regions are shared through the Rural Water Supply Network in the form of Webinars and other events, such as the Latinosan.
Cesarina Quintana during the Latinosan 2022 in Cochabamba Bolivia (Skat Foundation, 2022)
Project Period: 2022 – 2023
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Name of Staff involved and functions performed:
Sean Furey – RWSN Director
Aline Okello – Network Manager
Daniela Marko – Communications Intern
Meleesa Naughton – Water Specialist
Rena Salzmann – Junior Programm Officer
Bertha Camacho – Senior Knowledge Management Specialist
Main activities:
Skat Foundation is responsible for the following activities:
- Building a regional rural WASH hub for the RWSN.
- Enhancing south-south cooperation and learning through a series of webinars and online exchanges with entities from other regions, including the Asian and African Development Banks, the academia, nonprofit organisations, and sector entities.
- Strengthening the presence of SIRWASH in key regional and international events.
Presentation of the regional report of the VI Latinosan 2022 in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This session was organized by the Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean on Water and Sanitation (OLAS) (Skat Foundation, 2022)
