Sharing water, sanitation and hygiene knowledge through online spaces

The Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) began expanding its services to online spaces in 2012 with a water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) Resources website where CAWST training materials are freely available for downloading, and a Biosand Filter Knowledge Base. This has led to an increase in WASH practitioners who have been able to use our resources and receive remote consulting support. We are currently working to expand our online services to include a Household Water Treatment Knowledge Base and an e-Library. The key challenge faced by CAWST has been the time required to support these services, both technically and with client support. CAWST has increased its team in order to address this challenge

A global review of capacity building organizations in water sanitation, and hygiene for developing countries

Although capacity building is increasingly emphasized in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector, many WASH implementing organizations still lack capacity to effectively and sustainably provide WASH services. This study attempts to review the global capacity building efforts in the WASH sector by identifying the major capacity building organizations, understanding their focus and activities, comparing their efforts, and assessing potential gaps in capacity building services. A review of 72 water and sanitation networks identified 104 organizations providing capacity building services to other organizations. These capacity builders are mostly European Non-Governmental Organizations giving trainings on technical subjects with frequent duplication of services. Capacity building services were found to be concentrated in capital cities with rural and remote areas receiving less capacity building services. A lack of long-term client tracking and support was also found. By addressing these gaps and increased communication between these organizations, capacity could be built much more efficiently