Rural Water Supply Network
The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) is global network of organisations and individuals who are focused on achieving universal access to safe, affordable drinking water for all rural people worldwide. It has no legal structure and instead is a loose collaboration. It has over 13,000 members in 168 countries.[1]
Activities[edit]
RWSN regularly runs activities around knowledge sharing and networking. In the period 2018–2020.[1] these include:
- Webinars in English, French and Spanish on topic relating to rural water supply and WASH.
- Online discussion communities.
- Publishing peer-reviewed guidelines and case studies.
- Young Professional Mentoring
- Hosting the public domain standards for various hand pumps, including the Afridev[2] and India Mark II.[3]
Although RWSN is not a campaigning organisation, it has been used as a platform for raising awareness around chronic failures in water supply systems and championed research and drilling professionalisation and new service delivery models to tackle the problems[4][5][6]
Every five years, RWSN organises the only global conference dedicated to rural water supply. The most recent was the 7th RWSN Forum in Abidjan, co-hosted by the Government of Cote d'Ivoire, in 2016[7][8][9] and opened by the then Prime Minister Kablan Duncan.[10] The 8th RWSN Forum in 2021 has been postponed due to Covid-19.
RWSN is a strategic partner of UNICEF[11] on providing guidance for WASH programmes on practical implementation of topics like "Leave No-one Behind"[12] and Water Well Drilling Professionalization.[13]
RWSN acts as a knowledge broker between researchers and policy and practice, notably for "Unlocking the Potential of Groundwater for the Poor"[14][15] to raise awareness of the opportunities and risks of using groundwater across Africa to benefit the continent's poorest people.[16][17][18]
Funding sources[edit]
Income through the RWSN Secretariat for the period 2018-2020 came from 15 sources of partner contributions and project funding. The largest single contribution (30%) was from the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC)/[19]
Membership fees are not mandatory but donations are encouraged.
Impact and challenges[edit]
RWSN coined the term "Self-supply" to raise awareness of scale of household investments in rural water supply, such as through rainwater harvesting and private boreholes.[20]
An independent evaluation in 2017 included the following main conclusions on relevance and effectiveness:
The Evaluation Team finds that RWSN is highly relevant for the rural water sector, in comparison to other networks, and for the benefits it provides to its members and organizational partners. The network will remain relevant provided it continues to adjust to respond to emerging challenges and demands, and continues to partner with the range of high level organizations represented in its governance with a more clear Southern based steer.[21]
The Evaluation Team finds that the RWSN is a highly effective network on the basis of community building, knowledge generation and knowledge sharing, even if it may not be demonstrated through its current performance framework. It is noted that there is a trade-off for further effectiveness and needing more resources. While difficult to measure, some benefit to sub-national (or remote) members was observed, although more could be done through accessing the outreach of other member organizations.[21]
Structure[edit]
Executive Steering Committee[edit]
RWSN is governed by an Executive Steering Committee comprising representatives from:
- African Development Bank
- IRC
- Skat Foundation
- Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
- UNICEF
- WaterAid
- The World Bank
Theme Leaders[edit]
Theme Leaders are volunteers, or paid by their employers, to assist with running RWSN networking, training and knowledge exchange activities. In the 2018–2023 Strategy[22] there six themes:
| Theme | Description/Objectives | Theme Leader organisations |
|---|---|---|
| Leave no-one behind | To develop practical responses to the SDG mandate to leave no-one behind, recognising that the causes of exclusion include physical, attitudinal and institutional barriers, and that realisation of human rights to water and sanitation for the most marginalised requires a focus on power relations | Simavi, Water Youth Network Nigeria, WaterAid |
| Mapping & monitoring | Decision-making for ensuring sustainable rural water services (e.g. resource allocation, external support) is evidence based and uses information generated by robust data. | WaterAid, University of North Carolina (UNC), Baseflow Malawi |
| Multiple use water services (MUS) | Recognising that most rural people in low- and middleincome countries are also farmers and need water for their livelihoods as well as their household health and wellbeing. | Skat Consulting, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) |
| Self-supply | 1) The potential and limitations of Supported Self-supply as a service delivery approach for rural water supply is understood and recognized by government agencies, development partners, water users and other key actors. 2) The approach of Supported Self-supply is applied where appropriate. | Skat Foundation |
| Sustainable groundwater development | Groundwater resources are properly assessed and sustainably developed and managed for drinking water supply and other uses, so ensuring their long term quality and security. | Ask for Water GmbH, Water Mission |
| Sustainable services | Rural water supply services are adequately financed, meet country service delivery standards, are managed and supported by capacitated service providers and service authorities. | UNICEF, Aguaconsult |
Secretariat[edit]
The Secretariat coordinates and runs the network activities, in partnership with Theme Leaders and under the supervision and guidance of the Executive Steering Committee. The hosting is reviewed every three years and is currently held by Skat Foundation, based in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Members[edit]
Membership for individuals and organisations is free and not time-limited.
Affiliations and partnerships[edit]
- RWSN is a UN-Water Partner[23]
- RWSN is a Research and Learning Partner of Sanitation & Water for All, through the Secretariat Host, Skat Foundation
- RWSN is a strategic network of the SDC Global Programme Water[24]
History[edit]
- The network was founded as the "Handpump Technology Network" (HTN) after The International Handpump Workshop Kakamega, Kenya, 1992[25][26] as working group for Hand Pump technology.
- HTN was renamed the "Rural Water Supply Network" in 2004[27]
- The World Bank and RWSN run their first joint webinar series in 2012[28]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 RWSN (2021). "RWSN 2018-2020 3-Year Overview. VISUAL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY". rural-water-supply.net. Retrieved 2021-08-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Baumann & Keen (2007). "Afridev: Handpump Specification. (Revision 5-2007)". rural-water-supply.net. Retrieved 2021-08-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Erpf, Karl (2007). "India Mark Handpump Specifications. (Revision 2-2007) , v.2". rural-water-supply.net. Retrieved 2021-08-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "How do you solve a problem like a broken water pump?". the Guardian. 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ Carter, Richard C. (2021-05-15). Rural Community Water Supply. PRACTICAL ACTION PUBLISHING. ISBN 978-1-78853-168-9. Search this book on
- ↑ "A better way to provide drinking water in rural Africa". The Economist. 2017-03-04. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ Hierro, Lola (2016-12-05). "Ideas e inventos para que, sea donde sea, tengamos agua". El País (in español). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ Hierro, Lola (2016-12-01). "13 consejos de nuestros ancestros para aprovechar mejor el agua". El País (in español). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ Esipisu, Isaiah. "WATER FINANCING: Only countries with professional rural water projects will benefit from AfDB". www.pamacc.org. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ "La Côte d'Ivoire, premier pays africain francophone à accueillir un Forum international sur l'accès à l'eau potable - Abidjan.net News". news.abidjan.net (in français). Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: A guidance note for leaving no one behind". www.unicef.org. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: A guidance note for leaving no one behind". www.unicef.org. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ "UNICEF Publishes a Guidance Note on Professional Water Well Drilling". Engineering For Change. 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ "UPGro - African Groundwater 2020". UPGro - African Groundwater 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ "NERC - UPGro". nerc.ukri.org. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ Burton, Katie. "Groundwater levels in nine African countries raise hopes for a more resilient future - Geographical Magazine". geographical.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ Ramos, Nuria Ferrer. "Groundwater supplies on Kenya's coast must be managed for people and industry". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Look underground for climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa". news.trust.org. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ RWSN (2021). "RWSN 2018-2020 3-Year Overview". rural-water-supply.net. Retrieved 2021-08-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Sutton, Sally; Butterworth, John (2021-02-15). Self-Supply. PRACTICAL ACTION PUBLISHING. ISBN 978-1-78044-819-0. Search this book on
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "The 2017 Rural Water Supply Network evaluation". www.rural-water-supply.net. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-08-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ RWSN (2020). "RWSN Strategy 2018-2023". www.rural-water-supply.net. Retrieved 2021-08-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ UN-Water. "Partners". UN-Water. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ "Rural Water Supply Network". www.eda.admin.ch. Retrieved 2021-08-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ UNDP-World Bank (1992). "The International Handpump Workshop Kakamega, Kenya, 1992". rural-water-supply.net. Retrieved 2021-08-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Skat (1993). "Handpump Technology Network (HTN) and Interagency Peer Group (IAG)". rural-water-supply.net. Retrieved 2021-08-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "History - Rural Water Supply Network". rural-water-supply.net. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ↑ "Sharing Global Knowledge on Sustainable Rural Water Supply". World Bank. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
External links[edit]
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