IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre
Bridging the knowledge gap and joint learning with partners for improved, low-cost water supply, sanitation and hygiene in developing countries.
Vacancy: (Senior) Programme Officer Strategic Communication
Are you an experienced communication expert, social marketing professional, political campaigner, or public relations expert? Are you willing to dig into complex issues and make these accessible to wider audiences? Do you have a hands-on approach? We are looking for a candidate that can help strengthening IRC’s communication role as a global advocate for sustainable WASH services.
Apply before Tuesday 01 December 2009
In Focus: Lessons learnt in WASH in Schools
Nine years of cooperation between UNICEF and IRC have resulted in a number of lessons on effective education programmes in water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), especially in primary schools. These have been summarised in a paper. Also the experiences with building and maintaining water supply and sanitation facilities in schools have been gathered, not just technical design choices, but also other factors that are important for the acceptance and sustainability of facilities. To read more click here .
Papers from bi-lingual conference on sanitation in Ghana
The bi-lingual West Africa Regional Symposium on Sanitation and Hygiene (3-5 Nov 2009, Accra, Ghana) brought together about 140 participants from 17 countries. It was jointly organised by the Resource Centre Network Ghana, UNICEF, West Africa Water Initiative (WAWI), WaterAid, and IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, and supported by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council.
A wide range of experts and practitioners, coming from 11 different countries in West Africa, presented papers on issues such as Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), ecological sanitation, school sanitation and hygiene promotion. The presentations were used as an appetizer for more in-depth discussion in smaller groups of maximum 12 participants. The symposium provided a platform both for Anglophone and Francophone participants to share good practices and explore new ways forward.
This symposium is one of the five learning and sharing events on sanitation and hygiene organised by IRC in 2009 and 2010.
Pakistan: Community Led Total Sanitation did not create demand for “improved sanitation”
A recent assessment of CLTS pilots in nine villages in Pakistan revealed that the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) had the potential to motivate communities to achieve open defecation free (ODF) status. However, it did not create demand for “improved sanitation”.
On-site sanitation: peer pressure builds more latrines than financial assistance in Orissa
Government subsidies persuade some people to change habits, but social shame works even better, suggests a recent ground breaking study of efforts to reduce elevated childhood death and disease rates blamed on the microbial pathogens that cause diarrhoea in rural India.
Follow-up workshops on sanitation and hygiene (2009-2010)
An important milestone has been reached by IRC's sanitation and hygiene group: the Big Five! A total of five key follow-up workshops on sanitation and hygiene have been planned for 2009-2010. In an overview you can find in which regions the workshops will take place and what the expected outputs are.
South Africa is rethinking its decentralized water services
Water service delivery failures at the municipal level are a widespread and fundamental problem in South Africa. There are recurring stories in the popular press since early 2009 of poor communities receiving sub-standard basic services, and sometimes no services at all. Municipalities continue to receive qualified audits, to have barely reduced service delivery backlogs in almost a decade, to be plagued by poor physical infrastructure, and there is a generalised problem of poor governance at the municipal level.
Latest issue of Notes & News on WASH in schools
The key focus of this edition of Notes & News is on the role of creating an enabling environment that makes WASH in schools more effective. We start off with a Call for Action. The first article in Notes & News focuses on the latest work by IRC and Emory University for Dubai Cares on key aspects of creating a conducive environment in which WASH in schools programmes can thrive. This is followed by an article on the role of faith in WASH in (faith-based) school programmes. The last contribution is a 3 page article is on school girls and menstruation.
What's new here?
About IRC
Since its foundation in 1968, the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) has facilitated the sharing, promotion and use of knowledge so that governments, professionals and organisations can better support poor men, women and children in developing countries to obtain water and sanitation services they will use and maintain.
