What we do
We are facilitators of change. Through collaborative partnerships and networks, we support and implement projects that strengthen vulnerable communities around the world. Our focus lies on improving the access to basic services through Water, Waste Management, and Renewable Energy solutions, aimed at building sustainable and resilient communities in the face of climate change and poverty.
Water
Management
Renewable Energy
Waste Management
Social inclusion and gender equality are cross-cutting to all three focus areas.
Our competences
Fit-for-purpose technological choices
We help our partners to find solutions that fit to the local contexts and needs, relying on our technical expertise and access to latest research.
Development & uptake of knowledge
We curate and develop publications that disseminate evidenced-based information to support practitioners and policy makers to make informed decisions.
Capacity strengthening & knowledge sharing
We organise and facilitate online and face-to-face trainings, workshops, events, and webinars in different languages and sizes. These are tailored to the needs of our partners and target audience.
Networks
We develop, run, and participate in many networks and communities of practice, enabling practitioners, professionals, and other stakeholders to come together to collaborate and learn.
Our approach is rooted on 20 years of evidence-based work
Comprising four pillars, our approach aims to improve the living conditions of vulnerable communities through the access to basic services.
Locally-led
We bring expertise, strengthen local networks, and work hand-in-hand with local governments for scaling up access and replication.
Locally-owned
We promote technologies that meet the needs of local communities and that can be adapted locally.
Human-centred
We advocate for solutions that are affordable, simple, and effective.
Market-oriented
We facilitate upskilling and business growth opportunities for local entrepreneurs, including the creation of new markets.
Collective action
is at the heart of our work
Enabling knowledge uptake
By learning from each other and facilitating collective thinking, we avoid reinventing the wheel and duplication of efforts.
Breaking
down silos
By encouraging collaboration instead of competition, we leverage the differences and complementarities of local and global actors.
Empowering actors
By tapping into our networking capacity, we strengthen partnerships and support the emergence of solutions that are relevant to the local context.
Where we work
We implement our projects and activities in eleven countries spread across four continents. Our global outreach is achieved via the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN), through which we implement six global projects, and the Hydro Empowerment Network (HPNET).