Training on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Humanitarian and Development Contexts

Program Introduction

Safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are vital for human health and well-being. Access to WASH is a prerequisite for health, contributes to the development of livelihoods, and helps create more resilient communities. Currently, around 2.2 billion people are deprived of safely managed drinking water, while 4.2 billion lack safely managed sanitation services. Poor hygiene practices are omnipresent aggravating health issues of many across the globe. According to the WHO, 829 000 people die each year from diarrhea that originates from unsafe drinking water, sanitation, and hand hygiene.

The provision of WASH is crucial for sustainable development. All contributors to WASH service delivery from planning and construction to operation and maintenance need to possess comprehensive knowledge and adequate skills to work towards improved personal hygiene and environmental sanitation. If these essential groups are poorly trained or undertaking their daily tasks ineffectively, access to WASH facilities will be restricted or reduced. In extreme cases, the facilities might even break down altogether resulting in a total lack of WASH services.

Water Sanitation & Hygiene in Humanitarian & Development Training Course has been designed to help professionals understand the increased complexities of the WASH sector. The program aims to provide its delegates the latest contextual and technical skills that are essential for planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating WASH projects and programs. Moreover, we ensure you comprehend the fundamental principles of WASH and its importance for safeguarding public health and equitable access to water supply and sanitation services.

Target Audience

This Water Sanitation & Hygiene in Humanitarian & Development Training is best suit for:

• Members of Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organizations
• Employees of International Development and Humanitarian Institutions
• Representatives of Government Agencies
• WASH Consultants
• Sector Professionals including field officers, coordinators, decision-makers, and project managers
• Public and Environmental Health Specialists.

Program Objectives

Upon the successful completion of this training course, its participants will be able to:

• Comprehend the significance of environmental health at a community level
• Determine the environmental risk factors involved in the transmission of diseases
• Oversee project activities for WASH interventions
• Understand humanitarian concepts and cross-cutting issues into WASH programming
• Advance their skills in leadership, management, safety and security, communications, logistics, etc.
• Determine and Analyze context-specific challenges and tailor WASH interventions accordingly
• Improve Access to WASH services and facilities in complex institutional environments, both in the field of cooperation and humanitarian aid
• Ensure the WASH programming meets the needs of the affected population
• Apply continuous, functional, cost-effective, and technically sound solutions for WASH programming that integrate Sustainable Development Goals
• Perform a systematic analysis of environmental, social, and technical problems for urban and rural contexts and match intervention strategies.

Program Contents

First Day – Introduction to Humanitarian Infrastructure

• Humanitarian Principles of International and Domestic Law in WASH Programming
• Designing WASH Projects based on national and international Humanitarian Standards
• Sustainable Development Goals, the Grand Bargain, and the Humanitarian-Development Nexus
• Fulfilling the WASH needs of Affected Communities
• Understanding the Impact of Improved WASH on health and social well-being
• Contingency Planning
• Coordinating with other Stakeholders

Second Day – Project Cycle Management

• Resource Mobilization
• Performing Needs Assessment and response analysis
• Needs Assessment-based WASH Project Design
• Behavior Change Activities for better WASH practices
• Designing and Implementing Specific WASH interventions, preparedness, and contingency plans
• MEAL in WASH Projects

Third Day – WASH in Action

• Adult-Hygiene Promotion Activities
• Child-Hygiene Promotion Activities
• Hygiene Promotion Strategy
• Clean Up and Solid Waste
• Constructing and Maintaining Water Tanks and tap stands
• Latrines
• Shower Areas and Wash Slabs
• Wastewater Drainage and Water Trucking

Fourth Day – Cross-Cutting Programming

• Supporting Local partners with Capacity Building
• Employing Local Resources in WASH projects
• Gender, Inclusion, and Mainstream Protection in WASH programming
• Environmental Impact of WASH programming
• Climate Change, Water Scarcity, and the Energy Nexus
• Promoting Livelihoods activities
• Accountability towards donors, authorities, beneficiaries, and other participants
• Rights-Based Approach to WASH programming

Fifth Day – Integrating with other Domains

• HR-related topics in WASH Projects – Recruitment, Selection, Performance Assessment, Training, and Capacity Building
• Procurement Procedures
• Drafting Tenders, contracting and managing suppliers, Supervising Subcontractors work
• Financial Management for WASH Projects
• WASH Project Governance and Compliance; Risk and Security Management
• Effective Communications
• Ethics and Behavior – complying with humanitarian principles
• Empathy and Cultural Sensitivity
• Stress and Adaptation

Sixth Day – Knowledge Reinforcement and Real-life Adoption of Theoretical Base

The last day of the program will entirely be dedicated to hands-on practice and knowledge reinforcement. Throughout this ultimate session, program delegates will become actively involved in a multitude of group assignments, panel discussions, scenario analysis, and case studies. Together with the consultant, participants will perform a critical evaluation of WASH practices from different countries of the world and determine the best approaches for meeting the needs of affected communities in the specific context of their work. Moreover, each delegate will be given a task to present the challenges he/she has come to deal with in his/her respective organization and discuss its obstacles and success points.

To diversify the expertise and acquire specific knowledge regarding the host country’s/region’s WASH practices and the progress achieved to date, Risalat will invite guest speakers from local humanitarian institutions and development organizations.

Program Methodology

During Water Sanitation & Hygiene in Humanitarian & Development Training, the methodology used is designed to encourage maximum participation of all delegates. The consultants will lead sessions through open presentations and support them with interactive exercises, flipped learning, case studies, video demonstrations, and group assignments. Panel Discussions and Scenario Analysis make up a fair share of the program. To make discussions more vibrant and diversified, Risalat will involve several guest presenters that shall speak from the experience of different countries’ WASH practices and successful applications. The speakers will be selected based on audience requirements, interests, and background.