Our program approach

As WaterAid's programs have evolved so has our approach: from an initial emphasis on providing water supplies to poor communities through simple technologies, to the current approach of ensuring access is gained to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation through equitable, integrated and sustainable services working in partnership with various organizations.

WaterAid works with partners to influence policy and deliver safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation services that are:

• Appropriate
  People living in poverty require effective, reliable and affordable water and sanitation services which meet their needs. We work with local organizations and learn from global advances to ensure we promote the most appropriate solutions. We share our knowledge to maximize our impact.
• Integrated
  Safe, affordable domestic water, improved hygiene and effective sanitation are essential for people’s health, livelihoods and opportunities. We work with communities, local partners, health programs, academics and other specialists to promote behavioral change.
• Sustainable
  We strive for sustainability in all areas of our work, from local water security and community engagement to the technical and managerial capabilities of our partners; we are working for long-term change.
• Informed
  We endeavor to ensure everything we say is supported by strong evidence and by our practical experience.
• Transferable
  Governments have a responsibility to ensure the provision of safe water and sanitation for all their citizens. We use our practical experience to demonstrate how they and other practitioners can provide effective, appropriate and sustainable services to more people.

The practice - policy interface

Our impact enables millions of people to take their first, essential steps out of poverty, but tackling a crisis of this scale is beyond the capability of WaterAid or any other single organization. It is not WaterAid's role to provide universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene education services - that responsibility lies with governments.

The biggest challenge we face is a lack of political will, which is why we work with our partner organizations and forge wider alliances to challenge the political environment. For instance, at the local level we work with our local government partners to scale up service delivery based on best practice and help direct it to where it is needed most.
 
At the national level decentralization of power to the sub-national level often occurs without adequate resources or staff capacities. So we advocate that national governments accord higher priority andr esources to the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene education, especially to the poorest sections of society.

At the international level we work with other organizations to influence the agenda of donors and to raise awareness of the general public in developed nations so they can exert pressure on their elected representatives.

Future directions

The future of WaterAid and our partner organizations is influenced of course by political, social, and economic trends and the effects they have on the water and sanitation sectors in the countries where we work.

There are three specific areas that we need to consider in respect of their implications on our program approach:

• National and international discourse on accountability, transparency and governance
• International aid
• Climate change

Our main challenges are to deepen our understanding of our work and integrate it better, particularly in urban areas, sanitation services, water resources management and strengthening accountability and governance in the water and sanitation sector.

WaterAid is also moving from a 'needs-based' program approach to one that is 'rights-based' - one that recognizes the rights of the poor and excluded to basic services and addresses the immediate, intermediate and fundamental causes of exclusion. Read more about this and our approach to equity and inclusion here.