Rural Water Supply Network (Core contribution)

Project completed

Universal access to safe, affordable water is at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the realisation of human rights. Achieving this in rural areas presents some particular challenges linked to poverty, discrimination and poor infrastructure. The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) is the only global network to offer powerful, effective mechanisms to share expertise and collaborate with local and global partners to trial and scale up innovation and to raise the quality and professionalism in rural water supplies.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Global
Global
Water
Water supply
15.03.2018 - 31.12.2020
CHF  750’000
Background Major progress was achieved during the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) period in improving access to water in rural areas. The challenge for the SDGs will be not only to increase access to basic water services to reach the unserved, but also to raise service levels by improving the availability, accessibility and quality of the water provided, particularly in rural areas, and sustain existing and future water services.
Objectives All rural people have access to sustainable and reliable water supplies which can be effectively managed to provide sufficient, affordable and safe water within a reasonable distance of the home.
Target groups The ultimate target groups are the populations that suffer from insufficient, poor water supply in rural areas, in particular those living in water stressed areas.
The direct target groups are (i) practitioners and professionals and (ii) organisations that are actively engaged in improving rural water supplies, or have a strong interest in the subject, from different stakeholder groups including national and local government, international organisations, the private sector, civil society organisations, donors, research and training institutions and water users.
Medium-term outcomes

Outcome 1: As a dynamic and trusted network, RWSN grows and evolves to meet the demands of its members and makes coherent contribution of knowledge exchange and learning to support the achievement of universal safe water access in rural areas worldwide.

Outcome 2: Women and Young Professionals
Women and young water professionals have a strong and equal voice across the network and play an influential role increasing the equality of decision-making power in regard to provision of rural water services.

Outcome 3: Knowledge-Sharing and Networking
Improved access to knowledge for rural water supply sector professionals and organisations, and sharing of knowledge between rural water supply sector professionals and organisations, to advance on strategic issues to the sector.

Outcome 4: Embedding Good Policies and Practices
Good policies and practices are embedded through rural water supply sector professionals and organisations to enhance sector performance, thereby contributing to improvements of rural water supply at a national/sub-national level.

Results

Expected results:   Flagship outputs include:
RWSN guidance document on how women can empowered through rural water supply interventions.
Defining, adopting, and scaling-up of sustainability indicators within country-led monitoring international benchmarking for rural water supply
Supporting in-country training centres and training opportunities for rural water supply entrepreneurs in the global South
Convening online and in-country courses on professional water well drilling
RWSN guidelines on organizing and financing direct support to service providers and maximise integrity and transparency.


Results from previous phases:  

RWSN as a network has shown dynamic growth over the past years, both in terms of members (now reaching 10’000) and in term of scope. It is considered the leading network for the rural water sector allowing key actors to convene, exchange information, and advance strategic discussions. It is a trusted source of technical and strategic guidance with over 25,000 document downloads per year. From 2015 to 2017, RWSN hosted 68 webinars, in English, French and Spanish, with 2,437 participants and 169 different speakers from across all global regions.

An external evaluation of the network over the period 2012-2017 found that RWSN is ‘a highly competent, advanced network which disseminates valuable knowledge to its members, which can be applied to practice’. To name a few, previous activities have led to: (i) The 2014 United Nations Handbook on human rights to water and sanitation being mainstreamed into the working practices of key WASH organisations; (ii) on Guidance note on cost-effective boreholes developed and institutionalised in countries and organisations in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and (iii) convening a reflection and call to action on designing and institutionalising sustainability indicators for rural water services in partnership with key actors in the sector.


Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Credit area Development cooperation
Project partners Contract partner
Swiss Non-profit Organisation
  • SKAT Foundation


Other partners
Skat Foundation (host organisation of RWSN) – see Annex 3
Coordination with other projects and actors RWSN is well aligned with the overall SDC’s strategy of policy influencing, innovation and knowledge management as well as leveraging partnership. RWSN collaborations with the SDC portfolio are detailed in Annex 10.
Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    750’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    739’911
Project phases Phase 2 01.02.2021 - 31.07.2022   (Completed)

Phase 1 15.03.2018 - 31.12.2020   (Completed)