Our Work

Policy and Advocacy

Changes in water policy have great potential to affect much larger numbers of people than is possible through direct intervention in geographic areas. GWI activities in this area include assessing government policies regarding water and environmental resource use, and influencing and lobbying government and other actors for water policy changes that favor the most vulnerable.

Risk Management

Because GWI works with the most vulnerable populations, many of whom are living in environmentally degraded areas or areas with volatile climatic conditions, some interventions involve disaster and emergency management, such as training on soil and water conservation practices like reforestation, environmentally friendly sanitation (for example, EcoSan latrines) and disaster management planning with communities. Another example of risk management work is the purchase and protection of critical watershed recharge areas by communities, using their own funds.

Water

There are several technologies and systems for water access in use by GWI partners. These include boreholes, wells, rainwater harvesting systems, earth dams, rock catchments and low-cost water treatment plants. Beyond the collection point, GWI work involves treatment and storage and how water is used within the home. Options used for water treatment vary according to context. Some examples are ceramic and bio-sand filters and water treatment chemicals for household use. Good water management systems are required to ensure long-term equitable access—different traditional/cultural and modern committee structures must be supported as appropriate and linked to government and private service providers in ways that will strengthen sustainability.

Irrigation

Because water is directly related to the livelihood needs of target populations, many of whom are subsistence farmers, irrigation is another important area of work. Some interventions include the use of drip irrigation or treadle pumps and improvement or construction of small irrigation reservoirs or water tanks. The software elements of irrigation, including equitable transparent management, linkage to government and marketing opportunities, are critical.

Sanitation

Encouraging households to build latrines and maintain their safe use is one significant area of work. Another important area of sanitation is school sanitation, which poses different challenges and opportunities than household sanitation. Various sanitation technologies are used within GWI—for example, EcoSan and Arborloo latrines, as well as VIP latrines. East Africa is encouraging “homegrown” low-cost latrine design innovations, getting people onto the first rung of the sanitation ladder but also moving up the sanitation ladder by, for example, considering both very small slabs for moving to different sites given the mobility of some groups and the eco-sanitation possibilities these provide, and in other cases considering slabs which are relatively big to provide space for bathing. This also involves increasing attention to sustainability and safety, such as by reinforcing pits with local materials to reduce the potential for collapse. The methods of sanitation mobilization are numerous and include using community-led total sanitation (CLTS) approaches.

Hygiene

Hygiene-related behavior change is essential if water and sanitation interventions are to reduce disease. Approaches used by the GWI include community mobilization, training of hygiene promoters, such as government health workers or community volunteers and messaging through mass media (for example, radio and television). The training is often conducted using a participatory learning approach to hygiene and sanitation known as PHAST.

Within school-based water and sanitation approaches, hygiene training often involves teachers and school health clubs and hygiene promotion events and it is sometimes used as a means of outreach to parents.

IWRM

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a holistic approach to managing a watershed that brings together different voices and interests in a deliberate planning process for effective use. IWRM is the lens through which GWI has designed its programs. GWI partners are involved in direct IWRM approach promotion through training and convening of stakeholders, identifying logical physical intervention points—such as the sub-basin or basin—around which to gather concerned parties and training staff on the concept. A critical niche area for GWI has been translating IWRM concepts effectively to the community level.

Partnership and Collaboration

Partners within all regions have made great investments in establishing the GWI consortia through regular and transparent communications, creating shared operational procedures and practices, learning events—such as exchange visits—and the creation and use of common tools for learning, monitoring and evaluation, and joint field-testing of technical innovations. These investments have yielded results. In Central America, for example, CARE’s focus on working with municipal governments has influenced the way Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and its partners have done so. CRS’ reliance on local partners has helped ground the project toward meeting the needs of the local communities. IUCN has contributed expertise and conceptual depth that has provoked analysis and learning by the rest of the partners.

Learning and Information Sharing

Implementing a successful program calls for high levels of innovation and excellence in a breathtaking range of skills, such as behavior change promotion, geology, sustainable agriculture, engineering, collaboration and partnership building. Partners have invested significant amounts of time in trying to improve their program quality through learning activities and in engaging with outside entities on the same. Several of these activities are related to monitoring and evaluation. East Africa, for example, has created a comprehensive kit with qualitative and quantitative tools and has been rolling these out across the four countries. In West Africa, the Niger team has joined an existing pastoral water supply group and taken part in national water week events. And in Central America, learning activities have included conducting a series of exchange visits that involve technical knowledge sharing among staff, and the development of a water resource technical guide.

Community Governance

The importance of a successful water user association cannot be overestimated as it is this group that will collect fees, handle maintenance of water services and promote equitable use of water—all factors tied to long-term sustainability and success of the intervention. There are various models for managing water and no one size that fits all. Often, significant negotiations are required to take into account different interest groups. GWI partners have also used their guiding principles to ensure that these associations promote a more prominent and respected role for women and other marginalized groups.