Overview - STREAMS

The STREAMS coalition is a Southern led initiative that emerged during the STREAMS project, an action research on resource centre concepts and experiences. This IRC led project involved many partner organisations in different continents. Presently, IRC is an active member of the Coalition and is also involved in the European regional STREAMS alliance. Other regional alliances exist in Asia, East and Southern Africa, West and Central Africa, and in Latin America. IRC ran the STREAMS secretariat in its early days, but the coalition has recently established its own secretariat in the Philippines, in the offices of the Philippine Centre for Water and Sanitation (PCWS).

Funding

STREAMS has secured initial funding from the Dutch Government until 2006. It is registered as a non-profit organisation under Philippine law. STREAMS is now developing a profesional fundraising operation to access different sources of funding to ensure its future.

Activities

Currently, STREAMS is implementing its Development Phase Programme, which focuses on becoming a recognised umbrella organisation, developing a collective track record, and raising funds for the work of resource centres in its network.

The Coalition signed an agreement with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) in June 2003 that formalises the WASH-STREAMS partnership between STREAMS and the WSSCC's WASH campaign for concerted action to help achieve water and sanitation related targets set out in the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals for 2015.

IRC continues to provide management advisory support to the Executive Secretary and the Coalition's Board for a period of two years. It also contributes to thematic programme development for fundraising, development and maintenance of the STREAMS-website.