Our approach

Page introduction
Leadership as usual won't build the services people deserve. We help galvanise the political will and local momentum that make transformation irreversible – from district offices to the global stage.
Our approach spotlights
Introduction
The nations that deliver essential public services to everyone – safe water and sanitation, health, education and beyond – share a common foundation: systems that work.
Subtitle
Growing systems leadership
More text
Political commitment, capable institutions, predictable finance, effective regulation, professional providers – all working together, over time. Building and sustaining that architecture requires systems leadership. That’s why today, it’s our driving force.
We’ve spent more than fifty years learning how to strengthen systems and grow systems leaders: people who see beyond the boundaries of their own organisation or mandate. Who work across sectors. Who build coalitions. And find the leverage points where a small shift can trigger a cascade. From presidential compacts to village water committees, from national policy to ministerial reform, we’ve developed and worked with systems leaders in government and in service providers, in communities and in financial institutions. We believe that systems leadership is the only approach equal to the scale of the challenges we face today.
Introduction
The question that shapes our work is not “where is the money?” but “how do we build systems worth investing in?”
Subtitle
Building Institutional Credibility
More text
Long-term investment in essential public services only comes when there is institutional credibility. It rarely grows from project funding alone. Instead, it flows to institutions that govern clearly, regulate consistently, manage their assets and know their costs – ones that have earned the trust from funders and investors to deploy investment well. Building that credibility, from the inside out, is central to our institutional strengthening work.

Institutional credibility is the ability of national and local institutions to be seen as reliable, investable and accountable – by citizens, governments and financiers alike. It is built from the inside out: through strong governance and clear regulation, through service providers who know their assets, their costs and their customers, through fiscal systems that blend tariffs, taxes and external finance in sustainable ways. When those foundations are in place, public services stop being a drain on the national budget and become a credible target for long-term investment – and the foundation on which thriving and resilient nations are built.
Introduction
Essential public services – are the foundations of economic and human flourishing and will only reach everyone, everywhere, when those who govern nations place them at the heart of national development.
Subtitle
Enabling Nation Builders
More text
Safe water and sanitation, health, education, energy are the bedrock of resilient communities capable of facing changing climate. Placing essential public services at the heart of national development requires all kinds of nation builders to own the agenda, lead the reform, and finance it themselves. These nation builders might be political leaders, civil servants, experts, businesspeople, civil society activists or citizens – people who, like us are working to transform the lives of people – for the better, for all of us.

We are living through a pivotal moment. The old architecture of international development assistance is changing, fast. Within that disruption lies a real opportunity: for governments across Africa and Asia to invest in the public services that will strengthen their nations and create healthy, resilient, communities and economies. Our own transformation – from a Dutch-based international NGO to a network of independent, locally-led national organisations – is our answer to that same imperative. We believe in locally-led change – and we’re proof of it.
Introduction
The systems that deliver public services are made up of people, organisations and the links between them. No government, no organisation and or sector delivers transformation alone. So building collection action is vital.
Subtitle
Building Collective Impact
More text
Safe water and sanitation, health, education, climate resilience, energy are the interconnected foundations of public life, and the connections run in every direction. Working across those intersections – in new alliances, across traditional sectors is how public services move from sector priority to national imperative.
We’ve spent decades building the coalitions and platforms that make collective action possible – hosting secretariats, shaping global networks, working with partners across sectors and borders. Collective action demands more than coordination. It requires a shared belief that systems can change, a willingness to work at the pace required to build relationships and trust, and the discipline to align strategies rather than simply attend the same meetings. That is the kind of collaboration we seek, and the kind we try to model.
Theme slideshows
Slideshow
Aspect ratio
Three Two
Introduction
Anyone can build. It takes systems leadership to make it last.
Subtitle
Systems leadership
Number columns
Three
Slideshow items

Systems leadership essay

English
Display title
Systems leadership
Strapline
An interactive essay
Node read time
3 minutes
Listing introduction text
Whether you're working in health, education, climate, water or sanitation, your role in shaping strong public services that serve both people and planet is vital.
Page introduction
Systems leadership is continuous journey of practice, learning and even failure. Whether you're working in health, education, climate, water or sanitation, your role in shaping strong public services that serve both people and planet is vital.
Member
RIVA Authors
RIVA author profile link

Patrick Moriarty

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Moriarty
RIVA role
Listing introduction
A Civil Engineer by first degree and Water Resource Management expert by main experience, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary work on water service delivery and local water governance. Patrick has over twentyfive years experience of a broad range of issues around water, its management and its use in improving human well-being , predominantly in Africa and South Asia.

The world knows how to deliver essential public services to everyone. What unlocks it is political will, the right systems, and leaders who understand that water and sanitation are not technical problems – they are governance ones. Patrick Moriarty has spent twenty-five years making that case, and building the intellectual tools to back it up. 

His central contribution has been to shift how the sector thinks: from infrastructure to systems, from projects to services, from delivery to sustainability. The concepts of systems thinking, systems strengthening and systems leadership – now embedded in the vocabulary of the field – were developed in significant part through his work at IRC and Riva over more than two decades. 

That intellectual agenda has always been matched by political engagement. Through his work in Riva and as chair of Sanitation and Water for All, he helped build the Presidential Compact model – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority – into a movement in more than ten countries. A civil engineer by training with a PhD in Water Resource Management, he brings technical grounding to debates that are fundamentally about politics and human behaviour. He is Irish and lives between Bristol and The Hague. 

A few highlights 

  • Secretary General of the Riva Network – leading the transformation of IRC from a Dutch NGO into a federated global network of nationally-led organisations, a decade in the making 
  • Architect of the Presidential Compacts movement – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority, now active in more than ten countries across Africa and Asia 
  • Co-founder of the One For All alliance – a unique partnership with Water for People built around a shared strategy, shared results framework (Destination 2030), and a jointly registered UK legal entity; one of the few genuine peer alliances in international development 
  • Co-founder of the Agenda for Change – a network of organisations committed to driving systems change in water and sanitation globally 
  • Pioneer of the systems strengthening agenda in water and sanitation – co-developing the life-cycle costing approach to sustainable services, and convening the All Systems Connect Symposium to connect water, health, climate and social justice 
  • Working languages: English and French 
RIVA author profile link

Anita Holford

English
Surname
Holford
RIVA role
Job description
Riva Associate
Listing introduction
Lorem
First name
Anita
Publisher
IRC
Place published
The Hague
Publication language/s
English
Page sections
Video
Embed title
Systems leadership video
content

In an ever-more complex world, confronted by ‘wicked’, interconnected, problems, the world calls for a different form of leadership: systems leadership. Now is the time to lead differently. But how can we all be systems leaders? 

Title
Be inspired by Patrick Moriarty,
Rich text

CEO of IRC who explores what systems leadership is and what we can do to accelerate the thinking and behaviours that we need now, and for the future. 

Media
Image alignment
Right
Rich text

Explore our working paper 

Media
Image alignment
Left
Image width
One third
Title
Grow the mindset, behaviours and actions
Section introduction text
Learn to embrace systems leadership and register for our systems leadership course
Year
2025

In search of deeper leverage points: going beyond the technical to transform systems and lives

English
Display title
In search of deeper leverage points
Strapline
Going beyond the technical to transform systems and lives
Node read time
1 minute
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A working paper that is going beyond the technical to transform systems and lives
Page introduction
A working paper that is going beyond the technical to transform systems and lives
Member
Location
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Angela Huston

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Angela
External author/speaker surname
Huston
External organisation name
Former IRC Associate
External author/speaker role
Director of Policy, External organisation name

Angela Huston joined IRC in 2016 and after seven and a half years of full commitment to the WASH sector, she moved to the role of IRC Associate. In this role, she supported IRC's CONNECT initiative.

Angela has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from McGill University, completed in close collaboration with the IRC Uganda team. Angela is experienced in dialogue facilitation and inclusive multi-stakeholder methods. She values pragmatism and humour. 

Angela speaks English, French, and Spanish, and is currently learning Italian and German. 

Publisher
IRC
Place published
The Hague
Page sections
content
This exploratory working paper sets out our latest learning about systems change. It explores new ways we can evolve as an organisation – and as a sector – to become a stronger force for change. It asks us to go beyond surface fixes and find deeper leverage points that can trigger transformative change. Also check out the interactive Systems Leadership essay for more on this topic.
Title
In search of deeper leverage points: going beyond the technical to transform systems and lives
Downloadable documents
Title
In search of deeper leverage points
Description
Explore this working paper
Year
2025

Shift the system mapping

English
Display title
Shift the system mapping
Strapline
See what's stuck, shift what matters
Node read time
1 minute
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A tool to map complex systems, understand relationships, and uncover opportunities for meaningful, lasting change
Page introduction
A tool to map complex systems, understand relationships, and uncover opportunities for meaningful, lasting change
Member
Location
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Angela Huston

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Angela
External author/speaker surname
Huston
External organisation name
Former IRC Associate
External author/speaker role
Director of Policy, External organisation name

Angela Huston joined IRC in 2016 and after seven and a half years of full commitment to the WASH sector, she moved to the role of IRC Associate. In this role, she supported IRC's CONNECT initiative.

Angela has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from McGill University, completed in close collaboration with the IRC Uganda team. Angela is experienced in dialogue facilitation and inclusive multi-stakeholder methods. She values pragmatism and humour. 

Angela speaks English, French, and Spanish, and is currently learning Italian and German. 

Publisher
IRC
Place published
The Hague
Page sections
content
The Shift the System mapping methodology offers a practical way to move from "what's going on" to "what could be", guiding users to identify leverage points, envision alternatives, and support collective action. This method draws on systems thinking and leadership practice from IRC and those who have inspired us over the years. It also builds on applied tools such as causal loop diagramming, influence mapping, and systems mapping frameworks developed by other organisations working at the interface of social impact and systemic change.
Title
Shift the system mapping
Downloadable documents
Title
Shift the system mapping
Description
Download the tool
Year
2025

Advancing the evidence for water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening: a Delphi study to define research priorities

English
Display title
Advancing the evidence for water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening
Strapline
A Delphi study to define research priorities
Publication DOI
10.31219/osf.io/z64vq_v1
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A Delphi study identifying priority research questions to strengthen WASH systems and evidence-based decision-making
Page introduction
A Delphi study identifying priority research questions to strengthen WASH systems and evidence-based decision-making
Member
Location
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Angela Huston

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Angela
External author/speaker surname
Huston
External organisation name
Former IRC Associate
External author/speaker role
Director of Policy, External organisation name

Angela Huston joined IRC in 2016 and after seven and a half years of full commitment to the WASH sector, she moved to the role of IRC Associate. In this role, she supported IRC's CONNECT initiative.

Angela has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from McGill University, completed in close collaboration with the IRC Uganda team. Angela is experienced in dialogue facilitation and inclusive multi-stakeholder methods. She values pragmatism and humour. 

Angela speaks English, French, and Spanish, and is currently learning Italian and German. 

Author role
Secondary Author
External author

Lauren D’Mello-Guyett

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Lauren
External author/speaker surname
D’Mello-Guyett
External organisation name
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Job description
Assistant professor
Author role
Tertiary Author
External author

Ruth Sylvester

External author/speaker first name
Ruth
External author/speaker surname
Sylvester
External organisation name
University of Leeds
Job description
Research fellow in water and health
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Beda Levira

External author/speaker first name
Beda
External author/speaker surname
Levira
External organisation name
WaterAid Tanzania
Job description
Head of programmes
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Jane Falconer

External author/speaker first name
Jane
External author/speaker surname
Falconer
External organisation name
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Job description
User support services librarian
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Tommy Kai Kit Ngai

External author/speaker first name
Tommy
External author/speaker surname
Kai Kit Ngai
External organisation name
WaterAid UK
Job description
Head of WASH technical effectiveness
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Brian Reed

External author/speaker first name
Brian
External author/speaker surname
Reed
Job description
Expert trainer in water, sanitation and hygiene
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Euphresia Luseka

External author/speaker first name
Euphresia
External author/speaker surname
Luseka
Job description
Water governance and markets systems development specialist
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Claire Grisaffi

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Claire
External author/speaker surname
Grisaffi
External organisation name
University of Leeds
Job description
Senior research fellow in urban sanitation ecomomics
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Jamie Bartram

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Jamie
External author/speaker surname
Bartram
External organisation name
University of Leeds
Job description
Professor
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Robert Dreibelbis

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Robert
External author/speaker surname
Dreibelbis
External organisation name
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Job description
Professor
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Barbara Evans

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Barbara
External author/speaker surname
Evans
External organisation name
University of Leeds
Job description
Professor of public health engineering
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Paul Hutchings

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Paul
External author/speaker surname
Hutchings
External organisation name
University of Leeds
Job description
Associate professor in water, sanitation and health
Publisher
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
IRC
University of Leeds
Place published
London
Page sections
content
Strengthening WASH systems is critical to ensure long-term service reliability, equity, and resilience. However, empirical evidence on WASH systems strengthening remains limited. This study employed a Delphi process to identify high-priority research questions to guide systems strengthening efforts, future investments, and policymaking. This study highlights the growing recognition that WASH systems strengthening requires a broad approach, addressing dynamic linkages between building blocks, context, and stakeholders. It also underscores the importance of improved knowledge sharing to bridge gaps between researchers, implementers, and policymakers and provides a guide to generate evidence that informs sectoral investments and interventions. By addressing key research priorities, it supports evidence-based decision-making to enhance the reliability, inclusion, and sustainability of WASH services. The following organisations were involved: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK, University of Leeds, UK, IRC WASH, Netherlands, WaterAid, UK, Independent Consultant, UK, Rural Water Supply Network, Cranfield University, UK, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
Year
2025

Measuring what matters: rethinking evaluation in WASH systems strengthening programmes

English
Display title
Measuring what matters
Strapline
Rethinking evaluation in water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening programmes
Node read time
5 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A briefing note that challenges us to rethink evaluation in WASH systems strengthening programmes
Page introduction
A briefing note that challenges us to rethink evaluation in WASH systems strengthening programmes
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Ruchika Shiva

English
Surname
Shiva
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Director, Global Hub and Asia Hub (Regional Programme)
Listing introduction
Ruchika helps close the gap between what government systems promise and what communities actually receive: by building better evidence, strengthening governance, and designing services with the people most likely to be left out.

Ruchika Shiva came to her work through the people that public services most often miss. Before joining Riva, she worked on rights of children in difficult circumstances, including street children in Delhi and ran advocacy campaigns on girls' right to education. That background gave her a conviction that ripples through all of her work: a system that doesn’t reach everyone isn’t finished yet.

Ruchika works with the governments and institutions that deliver essential services – village councils deciding how to allocate and spent water budgets, city utilities trying to reach informal settlements, state governments understanding where money flows through their systems and where it stops. She helps them close the gap between what their systems promise and what communities actually receive: by building better evidence, strengthening governance, and designing services with the people most likely to be left out.

Nineteen years working in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Cambodia have given Ruchika a deep understanding of how this region's institutions work – and where they fail. She firmly believes that the first question we should ask is: who is this system designed for? Ruchika’s 2025 paper on gender equity and social inclusion, now a WASH Systems Academy course, has shifted how practitioners across six countries work. She holds an MA in Social Work from Delhi University, is fluent in English and Hindi, and is based in Delhi.


A few highlights

  • 19 years in development; 11 years leading Riva's Asia programme across India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Cambodia
  • Systems leadership for water-secure cities – Water4Change programme with city governments in Bhopal, Bhuj and Kozhikode
  • Climate resilience and institutional strengthening in four climate hotspots in Bangladesh, in partnership with BRAC, supported by the Dutch Embassy
  • Lead for gender equity and social inclusion across the FCDO WASH Systems for Health programme in six countries
  • Co-author of the 2025 learning note on GESI-responsive systems strengthening which is also the basis for a WASH Systems Academy course
  • Working languages: English and Hindi
First name
Ruchika
Publisher
Welthungerhilfe
Page sections
content
The paper Measuring What Matters reinterprets OECD-DAC criteria through a systems lens, introduces a practical framework for assessing progress in complex system contexts, and proposes ways to design evaluations that reflect the realities of systemic change. Evaluating WASH programmes has traditionally focused on measuring tangible outputs and service-level outcomes. However, systems strengthening programmes require a different evaluative lens—one that can capture long-term change in how institutions, behaviours, and structures interact. The paper Measuring What Matters shares key insights from the evaluation of Welthungerhilfe's Global WASH Programme, which applied a systems strengthening approach across four countries. The paper reinterprets OECD-DAC criteria through a systems lens, introduces a practical framework for assessing progress in complex system contexts, and proposes ways to design evaluations that reflect the realities of systemic change.
Title
Measuring what matters: rethinking evaluation in WASH systems strengthening programmes
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Measuring what matters
Description
Explore this paper
Year
2025

Principles for water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening

English
Display title
Principles for water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening
Strapline
Principles to guide action for WASH systems strengthening
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
An overview of the key principles and vital role of coordinated water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6.
Page introduction
An overview of the key principles and vital role of coordinated water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6.
Member
Location
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Angela Huston

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Angela
External author/speaker surname
Huston
External organisation name
Former IRC Associate
External author/speaker role
Director of Policy, External organisation name

Angela Huston joined IRC in 2016 and after seven and a half years of full commitment to the WASH sector, she moved to the role of IRC Associate. In this role, she supported IRC's CONNECT initiative.

Angela has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from McGill University, completed in close collaboration with the IRC Uganda team. Angela is experienced in dialogue facilitation and inclusive multi-stakeholder methods. She values pragmatism and humour. 

Angela speaks English, French, and Spanish, and is currently learning Italian and German. 

Author role
Secondary Author
External author

Hélene LeDeunff

External author/speaker first name
Hélene
External author/speaker surname
LeDeunff
External organisation name
SIWI
Author role
Tertiary Author
External author
Job description
Head of WASH Governance Group
Publisher
UNICEF
IRC
SIWI
Page sections
content
Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services are the product of complex systems comprised of many interacting factors and actors. Over the past ten years, it has become widely recognized that an intentional and coordinated strengthening of these WASH systems is essential to realising Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. A quadrupling of current rates of progress is required to achieve SDG6 by 2030. A systems strengthening approach is vital both to accelerating progress while ensuring services will be climate resilient in the long term. In April 2023, representatives from UNICEF, IRC, and SIWI came together for a two-day workshop to discuss UNICEF's emerging WASH systems strengthening framework. During this workshop, the importance of understanding WASH as a system was discussed and a set of principles to guide action for WASH systems strengthening was developed.
Title
Principles for water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening
Downloadable documents
Title
Principles for water, sanitation, and hygiene systems strengthening
Description
Explore the principles to guide action for water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening
Year
2024

Building strong WASH systems for the SDGs

English
Display title
Building strong WASH systems for the SDGs
Strapline
Understanding the WASH system and its building blocks
Node read time
3 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
This working paper sets out to understand the WASH system and its building blocks
Page introduction
This working paper sets out to understand the WASH system and its building blocks
Member
Location
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Patrick Moriarty

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Moriarty
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Secretary General, Riva Network
Listing introduction
A visionary leader who has played a leading role in redefining global water policy, turning systems thinking into a movement for lasting change

The world knows how to deliver essential public services to everyone. What unlocks it is political will, the right systems, and leaders who understand that water and sanitation are not technical problems – they are governance ones. Patrick Moriarty has spent twenty-five years making that case, and building the intellectual tools to back it up. 

His central contribution has been to shift how the sector thinks: from infrastructure to systems, from projects to services, from delivery to sustainability. The concepts of systems thinking, systems strengthening and systems leadership – now embedded in the vocabulary of the field – were developed in significant part through his work at Riva over more than two decades. 

That intellectual agenda has always been matched by political engagement. Through his work in Riva and as chair of Sanitation and Water for All, he helped build the Presidential Compact model – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority – into a movement in more than ten countries. A civil engineer by training with a PhD in Water Resource Management, he brings technical grounding to debates that are fundamentally about politics and human behaviour. He is Irish and lives between Bristol and The Hague. 

A few highlights 

  • Secretary General of the Riva Network – leading the transformation of IRC from a Dutch NGO into a federated global network of nationally-led organisations
  • An architect of the Presidential Compacts movement – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority, now active in more than ten countries across Africa and Asia 
  • Co-founder of the One For All alliance – a unique partnership with Water for People built around a shared strategy, shared results framework (Destination 2030), and a jointly registered UK legal entity; one of the few genuine peer alliances in international development 
  • Co-founder of the Agenda for Change – a network of organisations committed to driving systems change in water and sanitation globally 
  • Pioneer of the systems strengthening agenda in water and sanitation – co-developing the life-cycle costing approach to sustainable services, and convening the All Systems Connect Symposium to connect water, health, climate and social justice 
  • Working languages: English and French 
First name
Patrick
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Angela Huston

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Angela
External author/speaker surname
Huston
External organisation name
Former IRC Associate
External author/speaker role
Director of Policy, External organisation name

Angela Huston joined IRC in 2016 and after seven and a half years of full commitment to the WASH sector, she moved to the role of IRC Associate. In this role, she supported IRC's CONNECT initiative.

Angela has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from McGill University, completed in close collaboration with the IRC Uganda team. Angela is experienced in dialogue facilitation and inclusive multi-stakeholder methods. She values pragmatism and humour. 

Angela speaks English, French, and Spanish, and is currently learning Italian and German. 

Publisher
IRC
Place published
The Hague
Page sections
content
This paper presents a set of nine building blocks of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems intended to reduce complexity to a manageable level, enabling and supporting action whilst neither oversimplifying reality nor losing sight of the entirety of the broader WASH system. By assessing the condition of each of the building blocks – institutions, policy and legislation, finance, regulation and accountability, monitoring, planning, infrastructure, water resource management, and learning and adaptation – and of the linkages between them, WASH practitioners can identify weak points and target their interventions for greater effect.
Title
Building strong WASH systems for the SDGs
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Understanding the WASH system and its building blocks
Description
Explore what is needed for a strong and healthy water, sanitation and hygiene system
Year
2018

Trends in rural water supply

English
Display title
Trends in rural water supply
Strapline
Towards a service delivery approach
Node read time
5 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
An overview of challenges in rural water supply and actions needed for sustainable, universal access.
Page introduction
An overview of challenges in rural water supply and actions needed for sustainable, universal access.
Member
Location
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Patrick Moriarty

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Moriarty
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Secretary General, Riva Network
Listing introduction
A visionary leader who has played a leading role in redefining global water policy, turning systems thinking into a movement for lasting change

The world knows how to deliver essential public services to everyone. What unlocks it is political will, the right systems, and leaders who understand that water and sanitation are not technical problems – they are governance ones. Patrick Moriarty has spent twenty-five years making that case, and building the intellectual tools to back it up. 

His central contribution has been to shift how the sector thinks: from infrastructure to systems, from projects to services, from delivery to sustainability. The concepts of systems thinking, systems strengthening and systems leadership – now embedded in the vocabulary of the field – were developed in significant part through his work at Riva over more than two decades. 

That intellectual agenda has always been matched by political engagement. Through his work in Riva and as chair of Sanitation and Water for All, he helped build the Presidential Compact model – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority – into a movement in more than ten countries. A civil engineer by training with a PhD in Water Resource Management, he brings technical grounding to debates that are fundamentally about politics and human behaviour. He is Irish and lives between Bristol and The Hague. 

A few highlights 

  • Secretary General of the Riva Network – leading the transformation of IRC from a Dutch NGO into a federated global network of nationally-led organisations
  • An architect of the Presidential Compacts movement – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority, now active in more than ten countries across Africa and Asia 
  • Co-founder of the One For All alliance – a unique partnership with Water for People built around a shared strategy, shared results framework (Destination 2030), and a jointly registered UK legal entity; one of the few genuine peer alliances in international development 
  • Co-founder of the Agenda for Change – a network of organisations committed to driving systems change in water and sanitation globally 
  • Pioneer of the systems strengthening agenda in water and sanitation – co-developing the life-cycle costing approach to sustainable services, and convening the All Systems Connect Symposium to connect water, health, climate and social justice 
  • Working languages: English and French 
First name
Patrick
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
Author role
Tertiary Author
RIVA author profile link
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Richard Franceys

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Richard
External author/speaker surname
Franceys
External organisation name
Riva Associate
Job description
Chartered Civil Engineer
Publisher
Water Alternatives
Page sections
content
Behind headline successes in providing first-time access to water lie a number of pressing challenges to the dominant approach to rural water supply in developing countries, namely community management following a demand-responsive approach. These challenges manifest themselves in poor performance of service providers, high rates of hardware failure, and very low levels of service. The papers in this special issue argue that tackling these challenges requires a shift in emphasis in rural water supply in developing countries: away from a de-facto focus on the provision of hardware for first-time access towards the proper use of installed hardware as the basis for universal access to rural water services. The outline of the main actions required to achieve this shift are becoming clearer. Chief amongst these are the professionalisation of community management and/or provision of direct support to community service providers; adoption of a wider range of service delivery models than community management alone; and addressing the sustainable financing of all costs with a particular focus on financing capital maintenance (asset management) and direct support costs. This introductory paper provides an overview of these issues and a guide to the other articles, which demonstrate these points.
Year
2013

Driving change : strengthening local systems in the water and sanitation sectors

English
Display title
Driving change
Strapline
Strengthening local systems in the water and sanitation sectors
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Guide to improve public services like water and sanitation through multi-stakeholder collective action and action research
Page introduction
Guide to improve public services like water and sanitation through multi-stakeholder collective action and action research
Location
External authors
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Author role
Corporate Author
External author

LINC

External organisation name
LINC
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Publisher
Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership
USAID
Place published
Washington DC
Page sections
content
This guide offers insights, tips, and advice to improve public services like water and sanitation through multi-stakeholder collective action and action research. It builds on 5 years of local systems change processes in Ethiopia and Uganda under the Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership (SWS), as well as the authors' decades of experience around the world. The aim of the guide is to equip the reader with some of the tools and knowledge needed to become a champion and "systems leader" for radical improvements in public services. This is achieved through a series of case studies, including reflections and wisdom from systems change facilitators in each context. The case studies in this guide were written to demonstrate three main pillars of local systems change: (1) understanding systems, (2) using learning alliances to convene stakeholders and develop a vision and change agenda, and (3) using action research for developing and testing innovations and making direct changes to the system. The final section presents cross-cutting analysis of the lessons learned through the case studies. It presents some general principles to adhere to, as well as common pitfalls to avoid, when taking this approach. In particular, contextual considerations and funding and project setup must be considered before choosing to embark on a local systems change journey.
Title
Driving change : strengthening local systems in the water and sanitation sectors
Downloadable documents
Title
Driving change : strengthening local systems in the water and sanitation sector
Description
Explore this guide
Year
2021

Scenarios for public systems transition using learning alliances : the case of water supply in Uganda

English
Display title
Scenarios for public systems transition using learning alliances
Strapline
The case of water supply in Uganda
Publication DOI
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07900627.2021.1969223
Node read time
5 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
An overview of Uganda’s efforts to modernise rural water supply through collaborative learning alliances and action research.
Page introduction
An overview of Uganda’s efforts to modernise rural water supply through collaborative learning alliances and action research.
Member
Location
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Patrick Moriarty

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Moriarty
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Secretary General, Riva Network
Listing introduction
A visionary leader who has played a leading role in redefining global water policy, turning systems thinking into a movement for lasting change

The world knows how to deliver essential public services to everyone. What unlocks it is political will, the right systems, and leaders who understand that water and sanitation are not technical problems – they are governance ones. Patrick Moriarty has spent twenty-five years making that case, and building the intellectual tools to back it up. 

His central contribution has been to shift how the sector thinks: from infrastructure to systems, from projects to services, from delivery to sustainability. The concepts of systems thinking, systems strengthening and systems leadership – now embedded in the vocabulary of the field – were developed in significant part through his work at Riva over more than two decades. 

That intellectual agenda has always been matched by political engagement. Through his work in Riva and as chair of Sanitation and Water for All, he helped build the Presidential Compact model – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority – into a movement in more than ten countries. A civil engineer by training with a PhD in Water Resource Management, he brings technical grounding to debates that are fundamentally about politics and human behaviour. He is Irish and lives between Bristol and The Hague. 

A few highlights 

  • Secretary General of the Riva Network – leading the transformation of IRC from a Dutch NGO into a federated global network of nationally-led organisations
  • An architect of the Presidential Compacts movement – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority, now active in more than ten countries across Africa and Asia 
  • Co-founder of the One For All alliance – a unique partnership with Water for People built around a shared strategy, shared results framework (Destination 2030), and a jointly registered UK legal entity; one of the few genuine peer alliances in international development 
  • Co-founder of the Agenda for Change – a network of organisations committed to driving systems change in water and sanitation globally 
  • Pioneer of the systems strengthening agenda in water and sanitation – co-developing the life-cycle costing approach to sustainable services, and convening the All Systems Connect Symposium to connect water, health, climate and social justice 
  • Working languages: English and French 
First name
Patrick
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Jane Nabunnya Mulumba

English
Surname
Nabunnya Mulumba
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO, Riva Uganda
Listing introduction
From grassroots advocacy to national reform, Jane Mulumba makes systems work for the people they serve

Before Jane Nabunnya Mulumba joined Riva, she spent a decade helping civil society organisations across Uganda find their voice – learning how to document evidence, engage local government and hold public institutions to account. She brought that understanding with her when she joined, and it shapes everything she does: systems don't transform because of better plans. They transform because the right people are involved and heard.

Jane connects grassroots-level evidence with the policy tables where decisions are made – helping Uganda's institutions build the accountability structures that make services work for everyone. She’s equally at home moderating a national planning dialogue with government ministries as she is helping local leaders find their seat at the table. What she brings to both is the conviction that the least-heard voices should shape what happens next – and the skill to make that happen.

Twenty years of being embedded in Uganda's public service landscape have given Jane a depth of relationships and understanding that goes well beyond her formal roles. Recognised among the Top 100 African Women Leading Africa’s Water and Sanitation Future in 2026, and as one of the women influencing change in Uganda in 2015, she holds three Master’s degrees – in Communication, in Public Policy and Management, and in Public Health Leadership. She is based in Kampala.

A few highlights

  • 15 years building systems leadership and institutional reform in Uganda – from district networks to national planning tables
  • Country Coordinator, Triple-S initiative in Uganda – multi-country systems change programme supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Member of the National WASH Steering Committee – cross-ministerial body working to break institutional silos and strengthen accountability for service delivery
  • Board of Directors, UWASNET – the national civil society network for water and sanitation, representing a unified voice for policy influence
  • National Coordinator, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) – a UN-hosted global membership organisation
  • One of the Women Influencing Change in Uganda, UWASNET, 2015
  • One of the 100 women leading Africa’s Water and Sanitation Future, the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) and Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN), 2026
  • Working languages: English and Luganda

 

Profile quote
First name
Jane
Author role
Tertiary Author
RIVA author profile link

Martin Watsisi

English
Surname
Watsisi
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Regional water and sanitation advisor
Listing introduction
Martin has worked alongside local leaders, governments, and communities, recognising that meaningful development is built on local knowledge, local ownership, and strong partnerships.
First name
Martin
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Angela Huston

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Angela
External author/speaker surname
Huston
External organisation name
Former IRC Associate
External author/speaker role
Director of Policy, External organisation name

Angela Huston joined IRC in 2016 and after seven and a half years of full commitment to the WASH sector, she moved to the role of IRC Associate. In this role, she supported IRC's CONNECT initiative.

Angela has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from McGill University, completed in close collaboration with the IRC Uganda team. Angela is experienced in dialogue facilitation and inclusive multi-stakeholder methods. She values pragmatism and humour. 

Angela speaks English, French, and Spanish, and is currently learning Italian and German. 

Author role
Secondary Author
External author

Susan Gaskin

External author/speaker first name
Susan
External author/speaker surname
Gaskin
External organisation name
McGill University
Job description
Professor in Civil Engineering
Publisher
International Journal of Water Resources Development
Page sections
content
Uganda's Vision 2040 aims to modernize rural water supply through a transition from community-managed point sources to professionally managed piped water services. At the start of the transition period, a learning alliance established in Kabarole District participated in action research to develop scenarios predicting possible future development trajectories. The diversity of its membership, whose formal institutional roles spanned national, district and niche levels, increased the robustness of the strategies proposed for the adaptively managed transition of the public water service. The learning alliance has been facilitated by a non-governmental organization providing funding and expert advice; the effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated.[author abstract]
Year
2021

All Systems Connect

English
Display title
All Systems Connect
Strapline
How can systems leadership achieve justice for all?
Node read time
3 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A background paper to the All Systems Connect International Symposium 2023
Page introduction
A background paper to the All Systems Connect International Symposium 2023
Member
Location
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Patrick Moriarty

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Moriarty
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Secretary General, Riva Network
Listing introduction
A visionary leader who has played a leading role in redefining global water policy, turning systems thinking into a movement for lasting change

The world knows how to deliver essential public services to everyone. What unlocks it is political will, the right systems, and leaders who understand that water and sanitation are not technical problems – they are governance ones. Patrick Moriarty has spent twenty-five years making that case, and building the intellectual tools to back it up. 

His central contribution has been to shift how the sector thinks: from infrastructure to systems, from projects to services, from delivery to sustainability. The concepts of systems thinking, systems strengthening and systems leadership – now embedded in the vocabulary of the field – were developed in significant part through his work at Riva over more than two decades. 

That intellectual agenda has always been matched by political engagement. Through his work in Riva and as chair of Sanitation and Water for All, he helped build the Presidential Compact model – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority – into a movement in more than ten countries. A civil engineer by training with a PhD in Water Resource Management, he brings technical grounding to debates that are fundamentally about politics and human behaviour. He is Irish and lives between Bristol and The Hague. 

A few highlights 

  • Secretary General of the Riva Network – leading the transformation of IRC from a Dutch NGO into a federated global network of nationally-led organisations
  • An architect of the Presidential Compacts movement – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority, now active in more than ten countries across Africa and Asia 
  • Co-founder of the One For All alliance – a unique partnership with Water for People built around a shared strategy, shared results framework (Destination 2030), and a jointly registered UK legal entity; one of the few genuine peer alliances in international development 
  • Co-founder of the Agenda for Change – a network of organisations committed to driving systems change in water and sanitation globally 
  • Pioneer of the systems strengthening agenda in water and sanitation – co-developing the life-cycle costing approach to sustainable services, and convening the All Systems Connect Symposium to connect water, health, climate and social justice 
  • Working languages: English and French 
First name
Patrick
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Jorge Alvarez-Sala

External author/speaker first name
Jorge
External author/speaker surname
Alvarez-Sala
External organisation name
UNICEF
Job description
WASH Specialist
Publisher
IRC
Page sections
content
This background paper triggers thinking around the topic of systems leadership for the All Systems Connect International Symposium 2023, World Forum, The Hague, The Netherlands, 2-4 May 2023. The paper was authored by IRC CEO, Patrick Moriarty on behalf of the symposium organisers.
Title
All systems connect
Downloadable documents
Title
All Systems Connect: How can systems leadership achieve justice for all?
Description
Download the background paper [English]
Title
All systems connect (Français)
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Comment le leadership des systèmes peut-elle assurer la justice pour tous ?
Description
Document d'information déclenche une réflexion sur le thème de la direction des systèmes pour le symposium international All Systems Connect 2023
Title
All systems connect (Español)
Downloadable documents
Title
All Systems Connect : ¿Cómo puede el liderazgo de sistemas lograr la justicia para todos?
Description
Este documento de antecedentes desencadena la reflexión sobre el tema del liderazgo de sistemas para el Simposio Internacional All Systems Connect 2023
Year
2023
Introduction
Anyone can build. It takes systems leadership to make it last.
Title intro alignment
Left
Slideshow
Aspect ratio
Three Two
Introduction
Reaching everyone is a plan, not a hope.
Subtitle
Planning
Number columns
Three
Slideshow items

We have a district WASH master plan: now what?

Display title
We have a district WASH master plan: now what?
Article type
Article Date
Strapline
Guest blog by Laura Brunson, Water For People
Listing introduction
Master Plans provide a roadmap, but need to be applied creatively and consistently as there is no perfect linear path.

As the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector seeks to support progress quickly towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), several beneficial tools have been developed to foster progress. One is to develop Master Plans that provide a roadmap for how a set of partners; including government, NGOs, private sector, donors, and other stakeholders; can provide their contributions and move together towards a shared vision. Developing this type of collaborative, detailed, and long-term plan for an entire district is an accomplishment to be celebrated; indeed, the celebration itself often serves as an influencing and partnership development opportunity. To date, at least four countries [Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Uganda] have master plans leading to 2030, but when the launching celebration is over we are left with the question – now what?

 

Page section
content

A learning event on February 19, 2021, convened by IRC and Millennium Water Alliance with the topic, “The art of master planning and leveraging strategic partnerships” suggested the answer to this question is: Use the master plan – creatively and consistently as there is no perfect linear path.

The initial thinking behind the development of master plans was that if you have a fully costed plan for how to achieve SDG 6 targets across a district, the plan will do two things: 1. Provide a point of entry to utilise methods beyond ‘business as usual’ and push the sector toward systems approaches and 2. Serve as a roadmap to be shared with funders which would result in full funding to achieve the plan. The reality of course is always messier than the initial thinking (see this document to learn more about the messiness of an envisioned planning process versus reality). Once the master plans were finished, next steps were murkier than hoped and new funding did not immediately appear.

But one district provides an example of how to figure out what comes next and make it happen. The learning session featured Juste Nansi, Country Director for IRC Burkina Faso. Juste presented the creative efforts of the Mayor and other stakeholders of Banfora District in Burkina Faso to work creatively to reach out to a multitude of potential stakeholders. The developed master plan identified a finance gap (difference between available funds and funds needed to implement the master plan) of 30.4 million USD. Once the plan was developed the Mayor of Banfora took up the mantle and went to anyone and everyone to find creative sources of funding to get to full coverage.  Funding partners included:

  • Communities via tariffs and household investments
  • Local businesses (e.g. bakeries, hotels, restaurants, trades people, materials suppliers)
  • Diaspora communities living in other areas of Burkina Faso and abroad
  • National water utility
  • Central government
  • International NGOs and donors.

The Mayor also used the master plan to advocate to the national water utility and the national government to provide more funding and support to show great progress for water in Banfora. One way the district jump-started these efforts was to host a major launch ceremony for the finalised master plan. This event was chaired by a National State Minister who made a significant public commitment to the plan and funding during the ceremony. These efforts have been successful in leveraging 12.5 million USD in increased funding to support the implementation of the master plan. The Mayor of Banfora has continued to utilise public events to raise awareness of the master plan and to advocate for more funding and partnerships. This has been so successful that national media have been reporting on the progress of the master plan in Banfora. Finally, the Mayor developed a Master Plan Investor’s Platform where information related to planning, reporting, and learning is shared regularly with contributors to the plan.

The efforts in Banfora to obtain the funding to implement the master plan required not just using the plan to ask for money but also intensive efforts to build and strengthen partnerships with multiple sectors, including new actors who were not previously involved in funding WASH.   

Following these insights from Juste three other experts including Jane Nabunnya, IRC Uganda Country Director; Abiy Girma, Head of National One WASH Coordination Office, Ethiopia; James Ata-Era, Asutifi North District Planning Officer, Ghana, provided their reflections on the use of the master plan in Banfora and what they have seen in their own countries and districts.

One of the most interesting aspects of the learning session was the similarities that emerged from all four country situations. All four identified that:

  1. Understanding where resources (money and in-kind support) come from is an important step.
  2. Local government leadership (ownership) of development, use, and implementation of the plan is critically important.
  3. Government has a critical role in coordinating the roles and contributions of each partner.
  4. Partnerships are required if you expect to get far in funding and implementing the master plan.

The audience was very engaged throughout the presentations and discussion. Insightful questions were raised both by the panellists for each other and by the audience. Select questions included:

  • If you raise all the money to implement the master plans – does the district have the adsorption capacity to fully utilise the resources? 
  • How would the options and progress be different if the baseline coverage rates were much lower and the finance required much higher as a starting point for this work? Would as much progress be possible if the starting point was even more challenging?
  • Is it possible to suggest what funding and partnerships were made available due to the master plan versus what might have been obtained regardless?
  • What are ideas and suggestions for how to build on the work done thus far to scale the use of master plan development as a nation-wide practice?
  • Is this a zero-sum process whereby new funds coming into this district means funding to another district has to decrease?

Many of these questions do not currently have simple answers and it remains up to all stakeholders working in water to continue innovating and piloting new systems approaches to push our collective learning forward.

To conclude the session Magdalene Matthews of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation shared that while the master plans are an excellent resource, the process of developing the plans is just as important in the way it brings stakeholders together to coalesce around a shared vision for how to address challenges in a district. The Hilton Foundation wants to continue providing support in ways that are aligned with local and national government priorities and focused on system strengthening approaches that should result in high-performing districts that can serve as demonstration districts to promote scale. The Hilton Foundation views the master plans as having a strategic role in driving increased financing to districts, supporting and ensuring government ownership and leadership, and fostering the development of strategic partnerships for improved sustainability and impact. Magdalene’s final words looking forward served to inspire session attendees to continue advancing on this sometimes messy path, piloting, learning, and engaging together to progress towards the SDGs.

More Learning

For more resources and learning you can view the full session recording here or visit this webpage for extensive resources on the Collective Action work of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Safe Water Strategy grantees.

Blog information

Authors: Laura Brunson of Millennium Water Alliance and Juste Nansi of IRC
Review/Editing by: John Butterworth, Vera van der Grift and Tettje van Daalen

Information about the series

This e-learning series is convened by IRC with topic-specific assistance from other partners. The series is open to all Safe Water Strategy partners and friends and aims to support cross-context learning and strategic exchange within the Safe Water Strategy community. Funding for the e-learning series is generously provided by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Next topics for the e-learning series

  • April – Improving water quality in different settings 
  • May – Finance

 

Theme
RIVA Authors
RIVA author profile link

Juste Nansi

English
Surname
Nansi
Member
RIVA role
Listing introduction
Juste works with the people who carry national reform: ministers and ministry directors writing the policies; finance officials deciding what gets paid for; mayors and district teams who must deliver.
Is Member Hub?
Off
External authors
External author

WASH master plan for Asutifi North District Assembly : 2019 annual performance report

English
Display title
WASH master plan for Asutifi North District Assembly
Strapline
2019 annual performance report
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
An assessment of progress in implementing the Asutifi North District WASH master plan since 2018, highlighting key activities and outcomes.
Page introduction
An assessment of progress in implementing the Asutifi North District WASH master plan since 2018, highlighting key activities and outcomes.
Member
Location
Publisher
IRC Ghana
Place published
Accra
Page sections
content
This report provides an assessment on progress made in implementing the WASH master plan for Asutifi North District, Ghana. since its commencement in 2018. The master plan is being implemented by the Asutifi North Ahonidie Mpontuo (ANAM) initiative consisting of the Asutifi North District Assembly, IRC Ghana, Safe Water Network, Netcentric Campaigns, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Vision Ghana and Aquaya Institute, with the support of Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Several studies including water and sanitation service monitoring, budget tracking, outcome harvesting, district capacity assessment, and water quality testing have been undertaken. The results of the evidence-based monitoring studies have informed the preparation of this performance report. The progress report provides an overview of the different roles played by the ANAM partners and the key activities have undertaken in the following areas: Water services; Sanitation and hygiene; WASH in schools and health facilities; Integrated water resources management and drainage; District capacity development; Communication, advocacy and networks; and Monitoring, evaluation and learning. This is followed progress made based based on a series of high-level indicators related to water services, sanitation services, institutional WASH services, water resources management and the WASH system. The report concludes by looking at critical success factors and challenges that need to be resolved.
Title
WASH master plan for Asutifi North District Assembly : 2019 annual performance report
Downloadable documents
Title
WASH master plan for Asutifi North District Assembly : 2019 annual performance report
Description
Read about the progress made
Year
2020

Planning differently : developing long-term, strategic plans for district-wide water, sanitation and hygiene services

English
Display title
Planning differently
Strapline
Developing long-term, strategic plans for district-wide water, sanitation and hygiene services
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A position paper outlining the piloting and results of district-level long-term strategic planning for WASH services in Amhara, Ethiopia.
Page introduction
A position paper outlining the piloting and results of district-level long-term strategic planning for WASH services in Amhara, Ethiopia.
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author
Job description
Global Director of Monitoring & Strategic Accountability
Publisher
Millennium Water Alliance
IRC Ethiopia
Page sections
content
Long-term strategic planning at the district level helps to identify improved service delivery models, system strengthening activities, financing sources and partnerships. By the time of publication, the approach recommended within this position paper was piloted. Starting in 2018, with facilitation and support from the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA), three districts (North Mecha, Dera, and Farta) in the Amhara National Regional State (ANRS) began piloting this approach to long-term strategic planning. The effort, utilizing the process proposed in this paper, resulted in fully costed, twelve-year plans for how to achieve global Sustainable Development Goal target 6.1 by 2030. A follow-up learning document shares the activities conducted to implement this planning process, lessons learned and detailed results achieved. This long-term strategic planning pilot was built on years of collaboration and WASH experience in the selected districts and throughout the region. In line with this, MWA consulted with and built on the lessons learned by partners and other stakeholders. This paper shares the thinking of the MWA Ethiopia partnership on why these planning efforts are important and what they can look like. This is the first position paper in a series of five produced through the 2017-19 Millennium Water Alliance Bridge Program in Ethiopia. It is made possible through support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Title
Planning differently : developing long-term, strategic plans for district-wide water, sanitation and hygiene services
Downloadable documents
Title
Planning differentl
Description
Explore the paper
Year
2021

Strong WASH systems: the importance of master planning

English
Display title
Strong WASH systems: the importance of master planning
Strapline
The importance of master planning, video
Node read time
1 minute
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A video introducing systems agents working to realise universal access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Page introduction
A video introducing systems agents working to realise universal access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Theme
Publisher
IRC
Page sections
content
Achieving the sustainable development goal for water and sanitation is hard to imagine. The first step is to work out the steps needed to get there. Meet these systems agents driving the change required to ensure clean water and safe sanitation and hygiene for everyone.
media
Embed title
Strong WASH systems: the importance of master planning
Year
2021

Guidelines for strengthening woreda-wide WASH systems in Ethiopia

English
Display title
Guidelines for strengthening woreda-wide WASH systems in Ethiopia
Strapline
Implementing WASH systems-strengthening at the local level
Node read time
6 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Guidelines for implementing water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening at district level using the woreda-wide approach.
Page introduction
Guidelines for implementing water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening at district level using the woreda-wide approach.
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Gezahegn Lemecha Boru

English
Name prefix
Mr
Surname
Boru
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Programme Manager
Listing introduction
Lorem ipsum

Gezahegn Lemecha is a water and sanitation and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) systems specialist with more than 30 years of experience supporting governments and development partners to improve how public services are planned, governed, financed, and delivered. He believes that lasting development is achieved not through isolated projects, but by building capable institutions, fostering meaningful partnerships, and creating systems that continue to serve people long after projects have ended.

His career spans government, public enterprises, international NGOs, multilateral organisations, and the private sector, where he has worked as a client, contractor, consultant, and programme leader. This wide experience gives him a nuanced understanding of the priorities and constraints that shape decision-making across institutions. He is skilled at bridging the gap between policy and implementation, working closely with different stakeholders to build partnerships, facilitate dialogue, and support evidence-informed action.

Gezahegn's expertise includes water, sanitation and hygiene systems (WASH) strengthening, programme leadership, IWRM, institutional development, water governance, groundwater resources development, programme evaluation, action research, and knowledge management. In his current role as Programme Manager at Riva, he provides strategic direction for programmes that strengthen rural and urban water and sanitation systems through institutional capacity development, programme evaluation, partnership management, and sector learning. His work has contributed to policy dialogue, organisational improvement, and the generation of practical evidence that informs sector reforms and supports the scaling of effective approaches.

Earlier in his career, Gezahegn led large-scale groundwater exploration and water supply engineering programmes, managed regional water supply and water resources management operations, and guided multidisciplinary teams responsible for infrastructure development, utility governance, and public sector reform. This combination of technical and leadership experience allows him to connect engineering solutions with institutional and policy change.

Gezahegn is passionate about helping organisations learn, adapt, and improve. He values collaborative leadership, continuous learning, and locally led development, believing that the most effective solutions emerge when governments, communities, development partners, and the private sector work together towards shared goals. His work is guided by a commitment to strengthening public systems that improve people's lives and build resilience for future generations.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Master of Science in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), both from Addis Ababa University. He is fluent in English, Amharic, and Afan Oromo.

Career highlights

  • Supported the development and implementation of district-wide WASH master plans, resource mobilization strategies, expenditure tracking, asset management systems, and urban utility strengthening initiatives to improve service sustainability and institutional performance.
  • Contributed to the development of Ethiopia's Guidelines for Strengthening Woreda-Wide WASH Systems, led the preparation of the policy brief Improving Rural Water Supply Financing in Ethiopia, and contributed to the policy brief on Climate Resilient WASH: Working Across SDG 6, supporting evidence-informed policy and sector reform.
  • Was Deputy Bureau Head of the Oromia Water, Mineral and Energy Bureau, chaired the Regional One WASH Technical Coordination Platform, the Regional WASH Cluster, and was a director of the Boards of Directors of the Adama and Bishoftu Water Supply and Sewerage Utilities.
Profile quote
First name
Gezahegn
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Marieke Adank

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Adank
RIVA role
Job description
Senior programme officer
Listing introduction
Marieke ensures that data is not just collected but that there is a vision and a proper use of data

A researcher at heart, Marieke loves working with local and national governments, non-governmental organisations, private sector and academic institutions on identifying and addressing challenges related to the provision of public services, especially water supply and sanitation. The practical application and use of research findings, information and data is central to Marieke’s work. She has supported local governments and their partners in Ghana, Ethiopia and Rwanda, in using data to develop and implement robust master plans. Based on these experiences, and those of others, she developed a comprehensive resources base on district WASH master planning, including a Systems Academy course, which has been accessed and applied by various stakeholders. Districts and municipalities in Ghana, Ethiopia, and beyond now have and implement such plans, to ensure water and sanitation for all.

Over the years, she has played an active role in informing, facilitating and stimulating sector debate both at national and global levels. This has included the establishment of Ghana’s National Level Leaning Alliance Platform, and facilitation of the Thematic Group on Sustainable Services of the rural Water Supply Network (RWSN). In addition, she has co-authored several papers bringing together global experiences, lessons and insights on issues like small town water supply, utilitisation of rural water supply, and regulation of water and sanitation services. She has also been instrumental in developing and applying monitoring and evaluation frameworks for systems-strengthening projects and programmes, as well as strengthening sectoral monitoring systems. 

Her PhD, completed at Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2026, examined the political, cultural, and institutional factors that determine whether monitoring data shape decisions and accountability. This combination of academic and practical insights sets Marieke apart and enables her to contribute to systems strengthening, transition and change processes that ensure the provision of sustainable public services for all. 

 Some highlights

  • Years and geography: Over 23 years of experience in a great variety of countries, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Peru, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe.
  • Types of clients/partners: The Blue Deal Office, FCDO, USAID, UNICEF, DGIS, CNHF, Osprey Foundation, BMGF, VEI  
  • Flagship assignments: Managed the 1 million USD monitoring and learning part of the ONEWASH Plus project in 8 small towns in Ethiopia (2014-2020). Developed and manages a facility which provides (local) governments and its partners with access to case examples, tools, and resources for developing and implementing district master plans (2020-ongoing). Led strategic monitoring of FCDO’s WASH Systems for Health Project in six countries (2024-2026).  
  • Global/institutional roles: Has (co-)authored many peer-reviewed publications, including on monitoring and data use, ‘utilitisation’ of rural water supply, and regulation. Published her PhD dissertation on the use of monitoring data in early 2026. 
  • Languages:  Dutch (mother tongue), English (fluent), French (intermediate), Spanish (basic) 
Profile quote
Publisher
WaterAid Ethiopia
IRC Ethiopia
Page sections
content
This document provides guidelines for the implementation of WASH systems-strengthening at the woreda/district level. The guidelines are based on the woreda-wide approach (WWA), which is a proven model for improving WASH systems at the local level. The guidelines provide an overview of the woreda-wide approach and the principles that underpin it and a step-by-step guide on how to implement the approach. This document is primarily for Agenda for Change members, government bodies, and other organizations involved in WASH systems change. For the guidelines to be effective, all stakeholders need to agree and buy into them.
Title
Guidelines for strengthening woreda-wide WASH systems in Ethiopia
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Guidelines for strengthening woreda-wide WASH systems in Ethiopia
Description
Explore these guidelines developed by WaterAid Ethiopia and IRC Ethiopia
Year
2021

Pathways to universal WASH coverage in Ghana: lessons from scaling Asutifi North’s master planning approach

English
Display title
Pathways to universal WASH coverage in Ghana
Strapline
Lessons from scaling Asutifi North’s master planning approach
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4 minutes
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Listing introduction text
A practical reflection on replicating the Asutifi North district approach to achieving universal water, sanitation and hygiene coverage at scale in Ghana.
Page introduction
A practical reflection on replicating the Asutifi North district approach to achieving universal water, sanitation and hygiene coverage at scale in Ghana.
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Theme
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RIVA author profile link

Jeremiah Atengdem

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Surname
Atengdem
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RIVA role
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Jeremiah works with district authorities and national partners to help leaders organise how they plan, track, and follow through on delivery.
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Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Sára Bori

English
Surname
Bori
RIVA role
Job description
Knowledge management and communication expert
Listing introduction
Sára works at the intersection of knowledge, evidence and influence. As a knowledge management and communications expert, she helps institutions harvest outcomes and lessons as systems evolve, ensuring that learning travels between countries, organisations and levels of decision making.

Sára Bori’s work is shaped by an early, lived understanding of how water systems touch everyday life. In the Netherlands, through a grandfather who settled in the 1980s in a town newly carved from the sea, and an aunt who made her home on a boat. In rural Hungary, her family relied on self‑supply, so during her childhood years she had to get drinking water from her grandmother’s piped town connection because the water at home was unsafe to drink. More than 30 years later, she lives in the same region and sees how those self‑supply challenges persist and are now exacerbated by climate change. These stories continue to guide how she understands development, inequality and public systems. 

Sára works at the intersection of knowledge, evidence and influence. As a knowledge management and communications expert, she helps institutions harvest outcomes and lessons as systems evolve, ensuring that learning travels between countries, organisations and levels of decision‑making. A core part of this work is translating complex evidence into high‑quality publications and audiovisual products – through openness to innovation, rigorous editorial processes and publishing to recognised quality standards - so that insights are credible, accessible and fit for purpose. Her attention to detail, combined with strong project management skills, ensures that complex, multi‑stakeholder initiatives are delivered with clarity, coherence and care. 

Over the past decade, Sara has led flagship knowledge and communications initiatives in the water and sanitation sector with global reach. Across her work, she keeps returning to one question: who benefits when systems function – and who pays the price when they don’t? Seeing how access to water creates and reinforces social divides, she consistently interrogates the ultimate goal of generating, sharing and using knowledge: achieving social justice for all. 

A few highlights

  • Over 10 years’ experience in global knowledge management, communications and learning for systems change
  • Adviser to the Government of the Netherlands on strategic communications for World Water Week (2020–2026) and the UN 2023 Water Conference
  • Co‑author of UNICEF’s WASH Knowledge Management Strategy 2022–2025
  • Knowledge management lead for All Systems Connect 2023, international symposium, The Hague, the Netherlands
  • Communications lead for All Systems Go Africa 2022, supporting national water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening across the African continent
  • Project manager of annual reports, strategies and organisational annual planning for over eight years
  • Keen implementer of outcome harvesting to capture stories of change
  • Working languages: English, Dutch, Hungarian
Profile quote
First name
Sára
Publisher
IRC Ghana
Page sections
content
This paper provides a detailed practical reflection on the pathways used to replicate the Asutifi North district-based approach for achieving universal universal water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) coverage on a wider scale. The lessons and experiences garnered from the district-led approach will provide the blueprint to inform sector discussions on the challenges of scaling from a pilot in a district to the regional and national level. These reflections are based on an evaluation of master planning conducted under IRC's work in Ghana, supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The objective of this paper is to provide deeper insights into the master planning approach implemented in Asutifi North and its replication, assessing what worked, what did not, and areas for improvement. Lessons from this process will guide stakeholders at all levels looking to adopt and scale this innovation in their respective areas. Ultimately this will contribute to the goal of Ghana to enhance access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services, promote the sustainable management of water resources in Ghana by 2030, in alignment with with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Title
Pathways to universal WASH coverage in Ghana: lessons from scaling Asutifi North’s master planning approach
Downloadable documents
Title
Pathways to universal WASH coverage in Ghana
Description
Learn from our experiences scaling from a pilot in a district to regional and national level
Year
2025
Introduction
Reaching everyone is a plan, not a hope.
Title intro alignment
Left
Theme
Slideshow
Aspect ratio
Three Two
Introduction
You can’t fix what you refuse to measure.
Subtitle
Monitoring
Number columns
Three
Slideshow items

Measuring what matters: rethinking evaluation in WASH systems strengthening programmes

English
Display title
Measuring what matters
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Rethinking evaluation in water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening programmes
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5 minutes
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Listing introduction text
A briefing note that challenges us to rethink evaluation in WASH systems strengthening programmes
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A briefing note that challenges us to rethink evaluation in WASH systems strengthening programmes
RIVA Authors
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Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Ruchika Shiva

English
Surname
Shiva
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Director, Global Hub and Asia Hub (Regional Programme)
Listing introduction
Ruchika helps close the gap between what government systems promise and what communities actually receive: by building better evidence, strengthening governance, and designing services with the people most likely to be left out.

Ruchika Shiva came to her work through the people that public services most often miss. Before joining Riva, she worked on rights of children in difficult circumstances, including street children in Delhi and ran advocacy campaigns on girls' right to education. That background gave her a conviction that ripples through all of her work: a system that doesn’t reach everyone isn’t finished yet.

Ruchika works with the governments and institutions that deliver essential services – village councils deciding how to allocate and spent water budgets, city utilities trying to reach informal settlements, state governments understanding where money flows through their systems and where it stops. She helps them close the gap between what their systems promise and what communities actually receive: by building better evidence, strengthening governance, and designing services with the people most likely to be left out.

Nineteen years working in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Cambodia have given Ruchika a deep understanding of how this region's institutions work – and where they fail. She firmly believes that the first question we should ask is: who is this system designed for? Ruchika’s 2025 paper on gender equity and social inclusion, now a WASH Systems Academy course, has shifted how practitioners across six countries work. She holds an MA in Social Work from Delhi University, is fluent in English and Hindi, and is based in Delhi.


A few highlights

  • 19 years in development; 11 years leading Riva's Asia programme across India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Cambodia
  • Systems leadership for water-secure cities – Water4Change programme with city governments in Bhopal, Bhuj and Kozhikode
  • Climate resilience and institutional strengthening in four climate hotspots in Bangladesh, in partnership with BRAC, supported by the Dutch Embassy
  • Lead for gender equity and social inclusion across the FCDO WASH Systems for Health programme in six countries
  • Co-author of the 2025 learning note on GESI-responsive systems strengthening which is also the basis for a WASH Systems Academy course
  • Working languages: English and Hindi
First name
Ruchika
Publisher
Welthungerhilfe
Page sections
content
The paper Measuring What Matters reinterprets OECD-DAC criteria through a systems lens, introduces a practical framework for assessing progress in complex system contexts, and proposes ways to design evaluations that reflect the realities of systemic change. Evaluating WASH programmes has traditionally focused on measuring tangible outputs and service-level outcomes. However, systems strengthening programmes require a different evaluative lens—one that can capture long-term change in how institutions, behaviours, and structures interact. The paper Measuring What Matters shares key insights from the evaluation of Welthungerhilfe's Global WASH Programme, which applied a systems strengthening approach across four countries. The paper reinterprets OECD-DAC criteria through a systems lens, introduces a practical framework for assessing progress in complex system contexts, and proposes ways to design evaluations that reflect the realities of systemic change.
Title
Measuring what matters: rethinking evaluation in WASH systems strengthening programmes
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Measuring what matters
Description
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Year
2025

WASH master plan for Asutifi North District Assembly : 2019 annual performance report

English
Display title
WASH master plan for Asutifi North District Assembly
Strapline
2019 annual performance report
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
An assessment of progress in implementing the Asutifi North District WASH master plan since 2018, highlighting key activities and outcomes.
Page introduction
An assessment of progress in implementing the Asutifi North District WASH master plan since 2018, highlighting key activities and outcomes.
Member
Location
Publisher
IRC Ghana
Place published
Accra
Page sections
content
This report provides an assessment on progress made in implementing the WASH master plan for Asutifi North District, Ghana. since its commencement in 2018. The master plan is being implemented by the Asutifi North Ahonidie Mpontuo (ANAM) initiative consisting of the Asutifi North District Assembly, IRC Ghana, Safe Water Network, Netcentric Campaigns, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Vision Ghana and Aquaya Institute, with the support of Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Several studies including water and sanitation service monitoring, budget tracking, outcome harvesting, district capacity assessment, and water quality testing have been undertaken. The results of the evidence-based monitoring studies have informed the preparation of this performance report. The progress report provides an overview of the different roles played by the ANAM partners and the key activities have undertaken in the following areas: Water services; Sanitation and hygiene; WASH in schools and health facilities; Integrated water resources management and drainage; District capacity development; Communication, advocacy and networks; and Monitoring, evaluation and learning. This is followed progress made based based on a series of high-level indicators related to water services, sanitation services, institutional WASH services, water resources management and the WASH system. The report concludes by looking at critical success factors and challenges that need to be resolved.
Title
WASH master plan for Asutifi North District Assembly : 2019 annual performance report
Downloadable documents
Title
WASH master plan for Asutifi North District Assembly : 2019 annual performance report
Description
Read about the progress made
Year
2020

Monitoring methods for systems-strengthening activities toward sustainable water and sanitation services in low-income settings

English
Display title
Monitoring methods for systems-strengthening activities toward sustainable water and sanitation services in low-income settings
Strapline
Systems approaches, evaluation methodologies, and several applications in East Africa
Publication DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12177044
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A review of systems approaches and evaluation methods for strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene services in low income settings.
Page introduction
A review of systems approaches and evaluation methods for strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene services in low income settings.
Member
Theme
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Daniel Hollander

External author/speaker first name
Daniel
External author/speaker surname
Hollander
External organisation name
University of Colorado Boulder
Author role
Secondary Author
External author

Brittany Ajroud

External author/speaker first name
Brittany
External author/speaker surname
Ajroud
External organisation name
Environmental Incentives
Author role
Tertiary Author
External author

Evan Thomas

External author/speaker first name
Evan
External author/speaker surname
Thomas
External organisation name
University of Colorado Boulder
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Shawn Peabody

External author/speaker first name
Shawn
External author/speaker surname
Peabody
External organisation name
Environmental Incentives
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Elizabeth Jordan

External author/speaker first name
Elizabeth
External author/speaker surname
Jordan
External organisation name
United States Agency for International Development
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Amy Javernick-Will

External author/speaker first name
Amy
External author/speaker surname
Javernick-Will
External organisation name
University of Colorado Boulder
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Karl Linden

External author/speaker first name
Karl
External author/speaker surname
Linden
External organisation name
University of Colorado Boulder
Page sections
content
To address the complex challenge of sustaining basic water and sanitation services in low income settings, international organizations and local and national government entities are beginning to design and implement interventions explicitly aimed at addressing system weaknesses. Often referred to as “systems approaches,” these interventions seek to understand, engage with, and positively influence the network of actors and the interacting factors that deliver services. As WASH sector assistance and support activities shift toward systems approaches, many associated intermediate results and desired outcomes become less quantifiable than those of more traditional WASH activities. This paper reviews systems approaches, evaluation methodologies, and several applications in East Africa, at varying geographic scales. Early findings from the application of outcome mapping and system-wide assessments within the USAID-funded Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership (SWS) indicate the importance of including both within an overall monitoring approach to support systems strengthening of water and sanitation services. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not necessarily the views and opinions of the United States Agency for International Development, or the U.S. Government. [author abstract]
content

Access the journal article

https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12177044

Year
2020

WASH system building block assessment tool

English
Display title
WASH system building block assessment tool
Strapline
Building block assesment tool
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
An Excel tool for assessing the status of building blocks to deliver water, sanitation and hygiene services in schools or health care facilities.
Page introduction
An Excel tool for assessing the status of building blocks to deliver water, sanitation and hygiene services in schools or health care facilities.
Member
Location
Theme
Publisher
IRC
The Hague
Page sections
content
This Excel tool can be used to assess the status of the building blocks to deliver water, sanitation and hygiene services or WASH services away from home (i.e. at schools or health care facilities). You can also use the tool to assess the functioning of the building blocks for a specific Service Delivery Model. Each building block is assessed by scoring statements with a score of 1–5, where 1 stands for non-existent/ very weak and 5 means fully compliant/ very strong (or N/A if the statement is not applicable). Next to a score per statement (1–5 or N/A), you are asked to provide a short explanation for the score and include sources or references which can support the reasoning behind the score. Together the statements produce an average score for each building block that is visualised with a traffic light score (from red to dark green). This provides a snapshot of the building blocks that are weak (or strong) in your context. The snapshot shows the entry points to start strengthening the system, and will help to start a discussion with other stakeholders on the status of the system, and how to coordinate, align and target interventions for greater effect.
Title
WASH system building block assessment tool
Downloadable documents
Title
WASH system building block assessment tool
Description
Download it here
Year
2020

Government-led monitoring for sustained water service delivery

English
Display title
Government-led monitoring for sustained water service delivery
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Opportunities and recommendations for strengthening monitoring capacities, processes and systems in Ethiopia
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2 minutes
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Listing introduction text
A position paper on strengthening government-led WASH monitoring systems, capacities and processes in Ethiopia.
Page introduction
A position paper on strengthening government-led WASH monitoring systems, capacities and processes in Ethiopia.
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Location
RIVA Authors
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Primary Author
RIVA author profile link
Publisher
Millennium Water Alliance
IRC Ethiopia
Place published
Addis Abeba
Page sections
content
The purpose of monitoring is to enable effective decision-making using continuous, reliable, and relevant data. This data can then be processed, analysed and used to inform decisions. Monitoring efforts have the potential to track interventions, inform corrective actions, guide planning and resource allocation, and increase accountability to citizens for service providers and authorities. They may also guide regulation of services and service providers. While NGOs, the private sector and others can support monitoring efforts or collect data for their own decision-making, governments in most countries are charged with monitoring functions and, as the ongoing local entity, it is critical to have strong government-led monitoring systems. Monitoring requires coordination mechanisms, strong institutions and governance, analytical capacity, and regulatory and accountability mechanisms that put data to use. Information must be available and presented as insights, which support planning and budgeting cycles and inform financial investments. Monitoring should also respond to and satisfy the needs of various stakeholders and support coherent accountability and sector performance management frameworks. Ultimately, monitoring should result in greater sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) service delivery. This position paper presents and discusses WASH sector monitoring in Ethiopia. It highlights recent experiences designed to improve monitoring capacities, processes and systems and outlines opportunities and recommendations for monitoring strengthening activities. This is the third position paper in a series of five produced through the 2017-2019 Millennium Water Alliance Bridge Program in Ethiopia. It is made possible through support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Title
Government-led monitoring for sustained water service delivery
Downloadable documents
Title
Government-led monitoring for sustained water service delivery
Description
Explore this position paper
Year
2019

Looking beyond headline indicators : water and sanitation services in small towns in Ethiopia

English
Display title
Looking beyond headline indicators
Strapline
Water and sanitation services in small towns in Ethiopia
Publication DOI
10.2166/washdev.2016.034
Node read time
4 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Journal article revealing the gap between reported WASH coverage and actual service quality in small-town Ethiopia
Page introduction
Journal article revealing the gap between reported WASH coverage and actual service quality in small-town Ethiopia
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Marieke Adank

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Adank
RIVA role
Job description
Senior programme officer
Listing introduction
Marieke ensures that data is not just collected but that there is a vision and a proper use of data

A researcher at heart, Marieke loves working with local and national governments, non-governmental organisations, private sector and academic institutions on identifying and addressing challenges related to the provision of public services, especially water supply and sanitation. The practical application and use of research findings, information and data is central to Marieke’s work. She has supported local governments and their partners in Ghana, Ethiopia and Rwanda, in using data to develop and implement robust master plans. Based on these experiences, and those of others, she developed a comprehensive resources base on district WASH master planning, including a Systems Academy course, which has been accessed and applied by various stakeholders. Districts and municipalities in Ghana, Ethiopia, and beyond now have and implement such plans, to ensure water and sanitation for all.

Over the years, she has played an active role in informing, facilitating and stimulating sector debate both at national and global levels. This has included the establishment of Ghana’s National Level Leaning Alliance Platform, and facilitation of the Thematic Group on Sustainable Services of the rural Water Supply Network (RWSN). In addition, she has co-authored several papers bringing together global experiences, lessons and insights on issues like small town water supply, utilitisation of rural water supply, and regulation of water and sanitation services. She has also been instrumental in developing and applying monitoring and evaluation frameworks for systems-strengthening projects and programmes, as well as strengthening sectoral monitoring systems. 

Her PhD, completed at Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2026, examined the political, cultural, and institutional factors that determine whether monitoring data shape decisions and accountability. This combination of academic and practical insights sets Marieke apart and enables her to contribute to systems strengthening, transition and change processes that ensure the provision of sustainable public services for all. 

 Some highlights

  • Years and geography: Over 23 years of experience in a great variety of countries, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Peru, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe.
  • Types of clients/partners: The Blue Deal Office, FCDO, USAID, UNICEF, DGIS, CNHF, Osprey Foundation, BMGF, VEI  
  • Flagship assignments: Managed the 1 million USD monitoring and learning part of the ONEWASH Plus project in 8 small towns in Ethiopia (2014-2020). Developed and manages a facility which provides (local) governments and its partners with access to case examples, tools, and resources for developing and implementing district master plans (2020-ongoing). Led strategic monitoring of FCDO’s WASH Systems for Health Project in six countries (2024-2026).  
  • Global/institutional roles: Has (co-)authored many peer-reviewed publications, including on monitoring and data use, ‘utilitisation’ of rural water supply, and regulation. Published her PhD dissertation on the use of monitoring data in early 2026. 
  • Languages:  Dutch (mother tongue), English (fluent), French (intermediate), Spanish (basic) 
Profile quote
Author role
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RIVA author profile link
Author role
Tertiary Author
RIVA author profile link
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Samuel Godfrey

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Samuel
External author/speaker surname
Godfrey
External organisation name
Unicef
Job description
Chief water, sanitation and hygiene, Sudan
Publisher
Journal of water, sanitation and hygiene for development
Place published
Addis Abeba
Page sections
content
This paper presents findings on water and sanitation service levels from 16 small and medium towns in four regions of Ethiopia. In these settlements, the proportion of people with access to improved water and sanitation services is found to be high and consistent with other major datasets and reports for urban Ethiopia. However, when service characteristics such as reliability, quality, quantity and accessibility (including travel and queuing time) of water are considered, and for sanitation, quality and use, a different picture emerges. Only a small minority of households, 9% for water and 3% for sanitation, were found to receive services that meet the standards set in the Ethiopian government's first Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP I). Under the second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP 11), standards for urban water services have been set higher and current performance levels are even lower. This paper illustrates the discrepancies between average coverage figures, actual service delivery levels and the increased demands of the GTP II. The paper illustrates the huge scale of the challenge faced in improving WASH service delivery levels in small towns in Ethiopia, which is an issue of wider relevance in the context of the sustainable Development Goals
Title
Looking beyond headline indicators : water and sanitation services in small towns in Ethiopia
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Looking beyond headline indicators: water and sanitation in small towns in Ethiopia
Description
Download this paper
Year
2016

From infrastructure to services: trends in monitoring sustainable WASH services

English
Display title
From infrastructure to services
Strapline
Trends in monitoring sustainable WASH services
Publication DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.3362/9781780448138
Node read time
3 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Book presenting the state of the art in monitoring sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services in developing countries, for WASH policymakers and researchers.
Page introduction
Book presenting the state of the art in monitoring sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services in developing countries, for WASH policymakers and researchers.
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Craig Hempfling

External author/speaker first name
Craig
External author/speaker surname
Hempfling
External organisation name
LINC
Job description
Former Head of Fundraising and Business Development
Publisher
Practical Action
Place published
Rugby
Page sections
content
From Infrastructure to Services reveals important breakthroughs in country-led and country-wide monitoring of rural and small towns water supplies; ICT for monitoring sustainable service delivery; monitoring the finance needed for service delivery; monitoring for sanitation and hygiene; and building coherence in global–regional–national monitoring. It asks: does project monitoring emphasize donor rather than user accountability or is it a necessary stepping stone to better national WASH sector monitoring? The book presents a state of the art of strengthening monitoring water supply and sanitation in developing countries and is essential reading for programme managers and policy makers in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector, both in development agencies and government departments. It should also be read by researchers and students in the WASH sector.
Title
From infrastructure to services: trends in monitoring sustainable WASH services
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
From infrastructure to services
Description
Download this book now
Year
184
Introduction
You can’t fix what you refuse to measure.
Title intro alignment
Left
Theme
Slideshow
Aspect ratio
Three Two
Introduction
Services run on money that lasts — not goodwill.
Subtitle
Finance
Number columns
Three
Slideshow items

Using WASH Accounts for improved financial data management

English
Display title
Using WASH Accounts for improved financial data management
Strapline
The WASH Accounts methodology tracks financial flows, demonstrates financial trends and highlights gaps in funding
Node read time
1 minute
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Case study highlighting how the analysis on sector financial flows over the long term have led to better understanding and action on sector funding and financing levels.
Page introduction
Case study highlighting how the analysis on sector financial flows over the long term have led to better understanding and action on sector funding and financing levels.
Member
Location
Theme
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Richard Ward

External author/speaker first name
Richard
External author/speaker surname
Ward
Publisher
Sanitation and Water for All
Place published
New York
Page sections
content
This case study highlights how the analysis on sector financial flows over the long term have led to better understanding and action on sector funding and financing levels. The WASH Accounts methodology, developed by WHO/GLAAS to track financial flows in the WASH sector, demonstrates financial trends and highlights gaps in funding, which would otherwise not be evident from service level data alone. This brief case study was written for the 2025 SWA Sector Ministers' Meeting held in Madrid, 22-23 October.
Title
Using WASH Accounts for improved financial data management
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Using WASH Accounts for improved financial data management
Description
Download this SWA case study snapshot
Year
2025

Accessing GCF funds for water security and climate-resilient water and sanitation

English
Display title
Accessing Green Climate Fund funds for water security and climate-resilient water and sanitation
Strapline
An outline of actions to access climate finance for water security
Node read time
3 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A brief case study outlining Vanuatu's experience of securing funding from GCF
Page introduction
A brief case study outlining Vanuatu's experience of securing funding from GCF
Member
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
Publisher
Sanitation and Water for All
Place published
New York
Page sections
content
This case study explains the actions that need to be undertaken to access climate finance for water security, and climate-resilient water and sanitation, from adaptation funds, particularly the Green Climate Fund (GCF). These actions include putting water and sanitation at the heart of climate change adaptation policies and strategies; and bringing the climate rationale into water and sanitation priorities. Moreover, an entity needs to become accredited to receive GCF funds, for which GCF can also provide readiness support. The process steps are illustrated by the case of Vanuatu. This brief case study was written for the 2025 SWA Sector Ministers' Meeting held in Madrid, 22-23 October.
Title
Accessing GCF funds for water security and climate-resilient water and sanitation
Downloadable documents
Title
Accessing GCF funds for water security and climate-resilient water and sanitation
Description
Download this SWA case study
Year
2025

The experience of Vanuatu in securing Green Climate Funds for water security

English
Display title
The experience of Vanuatu in securing Green Climate Funds for water security
Strapline
Description of steps taken
Node read time
3 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A case study snapshot how Vanuatu accessed Green Climate Fund finance for improved water security.
Page introduction
A case study snapshot how Vanuatu accessed Green Climate Fund finance for improved water security.
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
Publisher
Sanitation and Water for All
Place published
New York
Page sections
content
This snapshot describes the steps taken by Vanuatu to access Green Climate Fund finance for improved water security. A strong integrated approach towards identifying and implementing capital investments in water supply was a fundamental first step. This programme was positioned as a priority intervention by the government for the cooperation with GCF, as it aligned well with the country's climate resilience policies and strategies. Another requirement was having an accredited entity to receive the funding. Although the application process took a number of years, the funding received represent a substantial increase of over 28 million USD in ODA for water security. This brief case study was written for the 2025 SWA Sector Ministers' Meeting held in Madrid, 22-23 October.
Title
The experience of Vanuatu in securing Green Climate Funds for water security
Downloadable documents
Title
The experience of Vanuatu in securing Green Climate Funds for water security
Description
Download this SWA case study snapshot
Year
2025

Closing the financing gap: public policy actions for water and sanitation

English
Display title
Closing the financing gap
Strapline
Public policy actions for water and sanitation
Node read time
3 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
An advocacy brief for governments and partners
Page introduction
An advocacy brief for governments and partners
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
External authors
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Publisher
Sanitation and Water for All
Place published
New York
Page sections
content
This brief uses global and national-level insights to persuade ministers to lead an ambitious public policy approach focused on increasing and improving the efficiency of public spending, alongside water sector reforms that enable attracting, mobilizing and absorbing long-term finance. This brief was written for the 2025 SWA Sector Ministers' Meeting held in Madrid, 22-23 October.
Title
Closing the financing gap: public policy actions for water and sanitation
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Closing the financing gap
Description
Download this SWA advocacy brief
Year
2025

Unlocking finance for water and sanitation with nature-based solutions

English
Display title
Unlocking finance for water and sanitation with nature-based solutions
Strapline
Snapshot showing how nature-based solutions can be cost-effective alternatives to conventional infrastructure
Node read time
3 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
This is snapshot shows how nature-based solutions can be cost-effective alternatives to conventional infrastructure.
Page introduction
This is snapshot shows how nature-based solutions can be cost-effective alternatives to conventional infrastructure.
Member
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Richard Ward

External author/speaker first name
Richard
External author/speaker surname
Ward
Publisher
Sanitation and Water for All
Place published
New York
Page sections
content
This case explores how nature-based solutions (NbS) can provide cost-effective alternatives to conventional infrastructure while attracting diverse sources of funding for water and sanitation. Payments for environmental services (PES) and debt-for-nature swaps are mechanism through which one can invest in ecosystems that reduce future costs, extend infrastructure lifetimes, and mobilise new finance streams. Experiences from Freetown and El Salvador highlight the potential of NbS to reduce the water and sanitation finance gap. This brief case study was written for the 2025 SWA Sector Ministers' Meeting held in Madrid, 22-23 October.
Title
Unlocking finance for water and sanitation with nature-based solutions
Downloadable documents
Title
Unlocking finance for water and sanitation with nature-based solutions
Description
Download this SWA case study snapshot
Year
2025

Climate finance from carbon markets for water and sanitation, illustrated by safe water projects in East Africa

English
Display title
Climate finance from carbon markets for water and sanitation, illustrated by safe water projects in East Africa
Strapline
A short case study looking into climate finance through carbon credits
Node read time
3 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Case study on carbon-market climate finance for water and sanitation, its limited scale so far, and growth potential in East Africa
Page introduction
Case study on carbon-market climate finance for water and sanitation, its limited scale so far, and growth potential in East Africa
Member
Location
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Richard Ward

External author/speaker first name
Richard
External author/speaker surname
Ward
Publisher
Sanitation and Water for All
Place published
New York
Page sections
content
Climate finance for water and sanitation through carbon markets has been small in total volume relative to other financial flows in the water sector, as well as relative to the entire carbon market. Moreover, to date, it has been concentrated in a limited number of countries in East Africa, and for specific types of NGO and private sector projects. At the same time, there is scope for growth whereby the share of carbon credits from water and sanitation projects could further be increased. This is not likely to generate substantial amounts of additional finance, but can play a role in very specific interventions, particularly by NGOs. This brief case study was written for the 2025 SWA Sector Ministers' Meeting held in Madrid, 22-23 October.
Title
Climate finance from carbon markets for water and sanitation, illustrated by safe water projects in East Africa
Downloadable documents
Title
Climate finance from carbon markets for water and sanitation
Description
Download this brief SWA case study
Year
2025

Reducing the finance gap across the water and sanitation sector

English
Display title
Reducing the finance gap across the water and sanitation sector
Strapline
Case study on the experience of developing and implementing water, sanitation and hygiene finance strategies
Node read time
3 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Case study on developing coordinated WASH finance strategies to close the sector funding gap, drawing on Malawi and Rwanda experiences
Page introduction
Case study on developing coordinated WASH finance strategies to close the sector funding gap, drawing on Malawi and Rwanda experiences
Member
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
Publisher
Sanitation and Water for All
Place published
New York
Page sections
content
There is not one single way of reducing the finance gap for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). A range of measures may need to be taken to influence the multiple financial flows in the sector and need to be well coordinated and sequenced for maximum effectiveness. Developing a WASH finance strategy is a central step in articulating the measures to be taken. This case study reviews the experiences in developing and implementing such strategies from across multiple countries, highlighting the experience of Malawi and Rwanda. This brief case study was written for the 2025 SWA Sector Ministers' Meeting held in Madrid, 22-23 October.
Title
Reducing the finance gap across the water and sanitation sector
Downloadable documents
Title
Reducing the finance gap
Description
Download this SWA case study
Year
2025

Financial credibility: key to the systemic transformation of water and sanitation in Africa

English
Display title
Financial credibility
Strapline
Key to the systemic transformation of water and sanitation in Africa
Node read time
4 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Paper proposing a strategic framework for WASH system transformation centred on building financial credibility across governance, regulation and operations
Page introduction
Paper proposing a strategic framework for WASH system transformation centred on building financial credibility across governance, regulation and operations
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Juste Nansi

English
Surname
Nansi
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Sahel | Director Riva Africa
Listing introduction
A transformation architect turning political ambition into resilient institutions across more than 20 African countries

Africa’s water and public services crisis, Juste argues, is not a financing problem. It is an institutional one. Donors can build infrastructure and pay for programmes; what they cannot build is the credibility of the state that has to run them. That gap – between money spent and systems that actually work – is what he has spent twenty years closing.

Juste works with the people who carry national reform: ministers and ministry directors writing the policies; finance officials deciding what gets paid for; mayors and district teams who must deliver. He helps them turn ambition into systems that hold – sequencing reform so it survives political turnover, building the accountability that makes domestic financing credible to citizens and to development finance institutions, and connecting national strategy to what can actually be done in a commune in the Sahel. The result, when it works, is institutions that hold their shape under pressure – and finance that follows them.

What’s unusual about Juste is his ability to operate at every level. He moves between a minister’s office and a district planning meeting in the same week, and brings the same quality of attention to both. Twenty years working across Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Niger, Ghana, Senegal, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Ethiopia and the wider continent have given him an inside-out reading of how African public systems actually work – where they get stuck, what reform agendas miss, what makes change stick. His training in agronomy and political sociology means he reads institutions the way others read engineering drawings: as systems that either function under stress, or don’t.

A few highlights

  • Director: Africa Water and Sanitation Systems Symposium – Kigali, August 2026 (convened by AMCOW and the Government of Rwanda, with continental support of the African Union Commission, facilitated by Riva Africa)
  • 20+ years of systems leadership work with governments, regulators and operators across more than 20 African countries, with deep field experience in the Sahel
  • National sector programmes designed and supported to strengthen institutions and build lasting delivery capacity (in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Senegal, Rwanda and other countries)
  • Governance and accountability frameworks and long-term service delivery plans developed across 100+ municipalities in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger
  • Strategic advisor to WHO and UNICEF – member of the independent advisory groups for JMP (Joint Monitoring Programme) and GLAAS (Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water) since 2023
  • Strategic advisor to the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) – member of the independent strategic council since 2024
  • Trusted partner to the Governments of Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali, Niger and Rwanda; to AMCOW, ESAWAS, AfWASA, AfDB, AFD, the West African Development Bank (BOAD), UNICEF and WHO; the European Union Delegations in Burkina Faso and Niger; the Embassies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Benin; and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Vitol Foundation on sector strategy and reform
  • Academic foundation: PhD in Development Sociology, engineering degree in agronomy 
  • Working languages: French and English
First name
Juste
Publisher
IRC
Place published
The Hague
Page sections
content
This paper proposes a strategic framework for system transformation consisting of a comprehensive and interdependent reform process that addresses the root causes of WASH sector underperformance across governance, regulation, finance, and operations. This transformation is centred on delivering a core outcome: financial credibility. More than a technical score, financial credibility reflects the ability of national and local entities to earn trust—from citizens, and development finance institutions alike—by operating with coherence, reliability, and accountability.
Title
Financial credibility: key to the systemic transformation of water and sanitation in Africa
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Financial credibility
Description
Download this working paper
Year
2025

From commitments to action: financing equitable WASH services in Ghana

English
Display title
From commitments to action: financing equitable WASH services in Ghana
Strapline
On the urgent need for increased investment and smarter financial strategies to strengthen WASH systems
Node read time
1 minute
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Briefing note on urgent need for increased investment and smarter financial strategies to strengthen WASH systems
Page introduction
Briefing note on urgent need for increased investment and smarter financial strategies to strengthen WASH systems
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Veronica Ayi-Bonte

English
Surname
Ayi-Bonte
Member
RIVA role
Listing introduction
Veronica Ayi Bonte has spent her career working at the point where systems either turn ambition into real services or fall short.
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Basilia Nanbigne

External author/speaker first name
Basilia
External author/speaker surname
Nanbigne
External organisation name
CONIWAS
Job description
Executive Secretary
Author role
Secondary Author
External author

Beata Awinpoka-Akanyani

External author/speaker first name
Beata
External author/speaker surname
Awinpoka-Akanyani
External organisation name
CONIWAS
Job description
Chairperson
Author role
Tertiary Author
External author

Anita Djandoh

External author/speaker first name
Anita
External author/speaker surname
Djandoh
External organisation name
Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources Ghana
Job description
WASH consultant
Publisher
CONIWAS
IRC Ghana
Place published
Accra
Page sections
content
This briefing note contains advocacy messages on increasing funding for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Ghana and ensuring equitable distribution of existing funds. These messages have been developed based on reports on budget and expenditure analysis for the period 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Title
From commitments to action: financing equitable WASH services in Ghana
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
From commitments to action
Description
Download this brieifing note
Year
2025

Assessment of India’s 15th Finance Commission recommended WASH sector grants through Rural Local Bodies

English
Display title
Assessment of India’s 15th Finance Commission recommended WASH sector grants through Rural Local Bodies
Strapline
Learning from Odisha's Gram Panchayats to strengthen water and sanitation financing under India's Finance Commission
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Paper documenting 15th Finance Commission fund allocation and use for water and sanitation in Odisha, India, informing 16th Commission recommendations.
Page introduction
Paper documenting 15th Finance Commission fund allocation and use for water and sanitation in Odisha, India, informing 16th Commission recommendations.
Member
Location
Theme
Publisher
IRC Asia
Place published
The Hague
Page sections
content
This paper documents allocation and utilisation of 15th Finance Commission Funds, across India, with special focus on the state of Odisha (particularly, four Gram Panchayats – Arjyapalli, Agastinuagaon, Kanamana, and Podapadar in Chhatrapur block of Ganjam district). The purpose of the paper is to document the experience of the 15th Finance Commission recommendations to tie 60% of grants to Rural Local Bodies for utilisation on Water and Sanitation, and provide recommendations for the 16th Finance Commission, based on that. Reviewing the budget allocations and expenditures for water and sanitation comes with the intent to learn and contribute to making services accessible and sustainable for all. Although a large portion of inter-governmental grants is earmarked for drinking water and sanitation, many Indian states are falling short of meeting this target in their actual spending. This paper builds on IRC's previous work on the experience of allocation and utilisation of 14th Finance Commission funds, submitted as recommendations for the 15th Finance Commission.
Title
Assessment of India’s 15th Finance Commission recommended WASH sector grants through Rural Local Bodies
Downloadable documents
Title
Assessment of India’s 15th Finance Commission recommended WASH sector grants through rural local bodies
Description
Download the report
Year
2025

Advancing sustainable WASH finance: an ESG collaborative dialogue with commercial financial institutions

English
Display title
Advancing sustainable WASH finance: an ESG collaborative dialogue with commercial financial institutions
Strapline
Uganda charts a path to sustainable sector financing
Node read time
1 minute
Resource type
Listing introduction text
WASH sector and banking leaders unite to unlock sustainable financing
Page introduction
Uganda launches financial sector dialogue to close WASH funding gaps
Member
Location
Theme
External authors
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
External author
External author
Publisher
Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda
Place published
Kampala, Uganda
Publication language/s
English
Page sections
content

Unlocking Sustainable finance for WASH: Uganda's banking sector steps In

On 17 June 2025, Uganda's WASH sector and the Uganda Bankers' Association convened in Kampala to launch a new platform for unlocking local, sustainable financing for water, sanitation, and hygiene services. With only 19% of Ugandans accessing safely managed water and 18% accessing safely managed sanitation as of 2022, the Ministry of Water and Environment is leading efforts to close this gap by working with the financial sector. The breakfast dialogue explored how Uganda's recently launched Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework could underpin a dedicated Sustainable Financing Framework for WASH, bringing ESG champions, banks, and WASH stakeholders together to define practical next steps. It marks the first in a planned series of engagements aimed at making sustainable WASH financing a lasting reality ahead of the 2030 SDG 6 deadline.

Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Event report
Description
Learn about the event objectives, the outcomes and the way forward
Year
2025

Life-cycle costs approach: costing sustainable services

English
Display title
Life-cycle costs approach
Strapline
Costing sustainable services
Node read time
9 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
riefing note explaining the WASHCost life-cycle cost approach for comparing and reporting WASH service delivery expenditures
Page introduction
riefing note explaining the WASHCost life-cycle cost approach for comparing and reporting WASH service delivery expenditures
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Catarina Fonseca

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Fonseca
RIVA role
Job description
Economist
Listing introduction
Catarina's background in economy and water science makes for a winning combination which is highly valued by Ministers of Finance and district water authorities.

There is enough money in the world to give everyone safe water and sanitation. The problem is the gap between where capital sits and where it needs to flow. For more than twenty-six years, Catarina Fonseca has worked on closing that gap: building the economic frameworks, financial tools and evidence that help governments and development banks stop treating water as a cost and start treating it as an investment.

She works with finance ministers, development banks and multilateral agencies to identify the changes needed in regulation and institutional set-ups to make essential water services for everyone viable over the long term. Her analyses help governments answer the questions that investors and treasuries always ask first: what will this cost over its whole life, who will pay for it, and will it be sustainable? 

She’s carried out that work across Africa, Asia and Latin America – developing national finance strategies for Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi and Cambodia, and advising on investment frameworks for the European Investment Bank, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the Agence Française de Développement. She also served as independent expert advisor to the Dutch Prime Minister's High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa – bringing Riva's analytical depth to the conversations where the largest commitments are made.

Catarina trained as an economist in Lisbon before completing a doctoral degree in Water Sciences at Cranfield University – a combination that explains why finance ministers and district water authorities find her equally credible. She is the author of the Handbook for Finance Ministers on water and sanitation investment, and has written or co-authored more than 100 papers, briefing notes and books that now form the reference library the sector draws on. As a senior associate of Riva and through Pulsing Tide, her own advisory practice, she brings that body of knowledge in-person and online to all corners of the world.

A few highlights

  • Author of the Handbook for Finance Ministers – how to make public investment work – the defining reference for governments making the case at the highest political levels
  • Independent expert advisor to the Dutch Prime Minister's High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa
  • National water finance strategies developed for Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi and Cambodia – with UNICEF, FCDO and AFD
  • WASHCost Director (2008–2013) – a landmark five-year programme costing sustainable water services across four countries, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Advisor to the Water Finance Coalition, bringing together national and international public development banks to improve financing for SDG 6 and the Paris Agreement
  • More than 100 published papers, books and briefing notes and developed Riva’s Systems Academy finance course 
  • Working languages: Portuguese, English, French and Spanish
Profile quote
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link
Author role
Tertiary Author
RIVA author profile link

Patrick Moriarty

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Moriarty
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Secretary General, Riva Network
Listing introduction
A visionary leader who has played a leading role in redefining global water policy, turning systems thinking into a movement for lasting change

The world knows how to deliver essential public services to everyone. What unlocks it is political will, the right systems, and leaders who understand that water and sanitation are not technical problems – they are governance ones. Patrick Moriarty has spent twenty-five years making that case, and building the intellectual tools to back it up. 

His central contribution has been to shift how the sector thinks: from infrastructure to systems, from projects to services, from delivery to sustainability. The concepts of systems thinking, systems strengthening and systems leadership – now embedded in the vocabulary of the field – were developed in significant part through his work at Riva over more than two decades. 

That intellectual agenda has always been matched by political engagement. Through his work in Riva and as chair of Sanitation and Water for All, he helped build the Presidential Compact model – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority – into a movement in more than ten countries. A civil engineer by training with a PhD in Water Resource Management, he brings technical grounding to debates that are fundamentally about politics and human behaviour. He is Irish and lives between Bristol and The Hague. 

A few highlights 

  • Secretary General of the Riva Network – leading the transformation of IRC from a Dutch NGO into a federated global network of nationally-led organisations
  • An architect of the Presidential Compacts movement – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority, now active in more than ten countries across Africa and Asia 
  • Co-founder of the One For All alliance – a unique partnership with Water for People built around a shared strategy, shared results framework (Destination 2030), and a jointly registered UK legal entity; one of the few genuine peer alliances in international development 
  • Co-founder of the Agenda for Change – a network of organisations committed to driving systems change in water and sanitation globally 
  • Pioneer of the systems strengthening agenda in water and sanitation – co-developing the life-cycle costing approach to sustainable services, and convening the All Systems Connect Symposium to connect water, health, climate and social justice 
  • Working languages: English and French 
First name
Patrick
Author role
Subsidiary Author
RIVA author profile link

Arjen Naafs

English
Surname
Naafs
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Associate
Listing introduction
Expert on water & climate and monitoring

Born in the leprosy mission ALERT in Ethiopia, where my father served as a doctor, I drank water with excessive levels of fluoride in my younger years — enough to leave my teeth brown and brittle, hard on the outside, soft and fragile within. This daily reminder while brushing my teeth is one of my drivers to change the system. Providing good basic services such as safe water, decent sanitation and good hygiene secures a more dignified life with white smiles and less leprosy. After all, prevention is better than a cure (apologies Dad, for not becoming a doctor!).

As a hydrogeologist, my first job was finding water and drilling boreholes for remote communities in Uganda. Great, rewarding work. However, quite soon I noticed that the boreholes stopped working. Spare parts were unavailable. There was no maintenance budget. No technician. It was never just one thing; it was a whole range of interlinked aspects. That put me on a 25-year journey: from hydrogeologist to systems thinker, from field practitioner to data strategist. I now work with governments, national utilities and district leaders who want to understand how best to provide services that last.

Having been fortunate to have lived in seven, worked in 15+ countries, I thrive on facilitating change across cultures — running a consultancy in Mozambique for a decade, directing WaterAid's technical programme across five South Asian countries, and working as hydrogeology lead with mWater. Now as an associate with Riva, I work at the intersection of water resources, climate change and water and sanitation services. I have shaped climate-resilient strategies with national utilities in Rwanda and Malawi, and drive change through data. I do this with energy, passion and a knack for creating an understanding which lever of the system need to be shifted.

  • Senior water and climate leader with 25+ years’ experience of working across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Lived in Mozambique and Uganda, and lead multi-year programmes in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan and Rwanda. 
  • Learning, knowledge & evidence champion, supporting external accountability (annual monitoring reports), strengthening national monitoring systems (SINAS Mozambique, Guinea Bissau). Translating programme evidence into guidance (WaterAid’s frameworks on Water quality, Sustainability and Disasters).
  • Inclusive and dynamic facilitator, with a strong track record in training (both in-person and virtual training sessions such as masterclasses on Climate Resilience for the Global Centre for Adaptation), and former chair of Riva’s Global and Netherlands Staff Council.
  • Dynamic innovator, as managing partner build consultancy company from zero to US$ 800,000 annual turnover; delivered 100+ projects including developing groundbreaking water coverage maps and creating world-first sustainability checks with UNICEF.
  • Author or co-author of 20+ publications on Climate (e.g. Climate change, water resources and WASH systems, IRC), Hydrogeology (e.g. “Hydrogeology of Mozambique, BGS) and Life-cycle Costing (e.g. “The Cost of Capital”, IRC)
  • Globally oriented and multi-lingual in five languages - English, Dutch, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Additionally strong, nerdy level, digital and analytical skills. MSc in Hydrogeology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Profile quote
Author role
Subsidiary Author
RIVA author profile link
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Charles Batchelor

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Charles
External author/speaker surname
Batchelor
Author role
Secondary Author
External author

Amah Klutse

External author/speaker first name
Amah
External author/speaker surname
Klutse
Author role
Tertiary Author
External author

Kristin Komives

External author/speaker first name
Kristin
External author/speaker surname
Komives
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Kwabena Nyarko

External author/speaker first name
Kwabena
External author/speaker surname
Nyarko
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Christelle Pezon

External author/speaker first name
Christelle
External author/speaker surname
Pezon
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

V. Ratna Reddy

External author/speaker first name
V. Ratna
External author/speaker surname
Reddy
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Mekala Snehalata

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Mekala
External author/speaker surname
Snehalata
Publisher
IRC
Place published
The Hague
Page sections
content
Estimating the true cost of extending sustainable WASH services to poor households is an on-going problem for WASH service providers. How can we achieve the most while spending the least? WASHCost addresses this challenge by developing and testing the life-cycle cost approach in rural and peri-urban areas of developing countries. Using the life-cycle cost approach enables service providers to consider a wider range of costs. The life-cycle cost approach compares effectively the different WASH delivery systems within a district, country or region. The approach can therefore be tailored to specific needs and critical issues in different countries. This briefing note describes the life-cycle costs approach and why it was developed. It explains the main cost components for water and sanitation in rural and peri-urban areas. Detailed cost breakdowns are presented in the annexes. Different types of analysis can be made with disaggregated cost information : comparing costs of infrastructure components, comparing the cost of services delivered or comparing the costs of difference service delivery models. The briefing note explains the building blocks used in the life-cycle costs approach for all these types of analysis and explores how these fit with different accounting practices. It explains why the WASHCost Project has adopted a regulatory accounting approach to calculate aggregated total expenditure costs and provides a step-by step approach to comparing and reporting costs.
Title
Life-cycle costs approach: costing sustainable services
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Briefing note 1a life-cycle cost approach
Description
Download this briefing note
Year
2011

Turn up the dial : system dynamics modeling of resource allocations toward rural water supply maintenance in East Africa

English
Display title
Turn up the dial
Strapline
System dynamics modeling of resource allocations toward rural water supply maintenance in East Africa
Publication DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.1061/%28ASCE%29EE.1943-7870.0001982
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
System dynamics modeling of resource allocations toward rural water supply maintenance in East Africa
Page introduction
System dynamics modeling of resource allocations toward rural water supply maintenance in East Africa
Member
Location
Theme
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Anna Libey

External author/speaker first name
Anna
External author/speaker surname
Libey
External organisation name
Water For People
Job description
Manager of Evaluating and Learning
Author role
Secondary Author
External author

Pranav Chintalapati

External author/speaker first name
Pranav
External author/speaker surname
Chintalapati
Job description
Academic researcher
Author role
Tertiary Author
External author

Styvers Kathuni

External author/speaker first name
Styvers
External author/speaker surname
Kathuni
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Bernard Amadei

External author/speaker first name
Bernard
External author/speaker surname
Amadei
Job description
Professor
Author role
Subsidiary Author
External author

Evan Thomas

External author/speaker first name
Evan
External author/speaker surname
Thomas
External organisation name
University of Colorado Boulder
Job description
Professor
Publisher
Journal of environmental engineering
Page sections
content
Water stress is increasingly affecting hundreds of millions of people around the world. In East Africa, severe and persistent drought periods negatively impact health and livelihoods. Drought increases reliance on mechanized boreholes to extract groundwater. However, without adequate resource allocations, effective monitoring of borehole functionality, and reliable maintenance service, breakdown rates increase and downtimes last many months. Our study applies system dynamics modeling to investigate the effects of allocating resources to borehole maintenance and repair in the Afar Region in Ethiopia and Turkana County in Kenya. We inform model calibration with runtime and functionality estimates derived from sensors installed on 245 boreholes and apply sensitivity analyses varying budget allocations to optimize for functionality. We conclude that increasing the borehole repair and maintenance budgets in Turkana from the current 30% to 85% of available budgets could result in an additional 83 working boreholes and 95% functionality in 2030. In Afar, increasing maintenance budgets from 38% to 79% could result in functionality levels of 75% by 2030, well above currently projected levels of 54%. [author abstract]
Year
2022

Improving rural water supply financing in Ethiopia

English
Display title
Improving rural water supply financing in Ethiopia
Strapline
Policy recommendations to achieve Ethiopia's ambitious goal of reaching 100% coverage with at least basic drinking water service by 2030 and ensuring sustainability.
Node read time
5 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
An analysis of Ethiopia’s slow progress towards water, sanitation and hygiene targets, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable finance, better monitoring, and innovative approaches.
Page introduction
An analysis of Ethiopia’s slow progress towards water, sanitation and hygiene targets, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable finance, better monitoring, and innovative approaches.
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Gezahegn Lemecha Boru

English
Name prefix
Mr
Surname
Boru
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Programme Manager
Listing introduction
Lorem ipsum

Gezahegn Lemecha is a water and sanitation and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) systems specialist with more than 30 years of experience supporting governments and development partners to improve how public services are planned, governed, financed, and delivered. He believes that lasting development is achieved not through isolated projects, but by building capable institutions, fostering meaningful partnerships, and creating systems that continue to serve people long after projects have ended.

His career spans government, public enterprises, international NGOs, multilateral organisations, and the private sector, where he has worked as a client, contractor, consultant, and programme leader. This wide experience gives him a nuanced understanding of the priorities and constraints that shape decision-making across institutions. He is skilled at bridging the gap between policy and implementation, working closely with different stakeholders to build partnerships, facilitate dialogue, and support evidence-informed action.

Gezahegn's expertise includes water, sanitation and hygiene systems (WASH) strengthening, programme leadership, IWRM, institutional development, water governance, groundwater resources development, programme evaluation, action research, and knowledge management. In his current role as Programme Manager at Riva, he provides strategic direction for programmes that strengthen rural and urban water and sanitation systems through institutional capacity development, programme evaluation, partnership management, and sector learning. His work has contributed to policy dialogue, organisational improvement, and the generation of practical evidence that informs sector reforms and supports the scaling of effective approaches.

Earlier in his career, Gezahegn led large-scale groundwater exploration and water supply engineering programmes, managed regional water supply and water resources management operations, and guided multidisciplinary teams responsible for infrastructure development, utility governance, and public sector reform. This combination of technical and leadership experience allows him to connect engineering solutions with institutional and policy change.

Gezahegn is passionate about helping organisations learn, adapt, and improve. He values collaborative leadership, continuous learning, and locally led development, believing that the most effective solutions emerge when governments, communities, development partners, and the private sector work together towards shared goals. His work is guided by a commitment to strengthening public systems that improve people's lives and build resilience for future generations.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Master of Science in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), both from Addis Ababa University. He is fluent in English, Amharic, and Afan Oromo.

Career highlights

  • Supported the development and implementation of district-wide WASH master plans, resource mobilization strategies, expenditure tracking, asset management systems, and urban utility strengthening initiatives to improve service sustainability and institutional performance.
  • Contributed to the development of Ethiopia's Guidelines for Strengthening Woreda-Wide WASH Systems, led the preparation of the policy brief Improving Rural Water Supply Financing in Ethiopia, and contributed to the policy brief on Climate Resilient WASH: Working Across SDG 6, supporting evidence-informed policy and sector reform.
  • Was Deputy Bureau Head of the Oromia Water, Mineral and Energy Bureau, chaired the Regional One WASH Technical Coordination Platform, the Regional WASH Cluster, and was a director of the Boards of Directors of the Adama and Bishoftu Water Supply and Sewerage Utilities.
Profile quote
First name
Gezahegn
Publisher
IRC Ethiopia
Place published
Addis Abeba
Page sections
content
In monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), all countries are ranked by their overall score. This overall score measures a country's total progress towards achieving the SDGs. Ethiopia’s SDG Index scores a meagre 54.5 and therefore has a very low Index Ranking 136/165 (Figure 1). Access to at least basic drinking water improved only by 7.5% over 6 years, from 42.1% in 2015 to 49.6% in 2020 (JMP report 2021). Ethiopia is one of the countries that may be considered ‘off track’ on the pathway to meeting the 2030 drinking water SDG. The urgency to explore more innovative approaches to addressing the water access challenge is affirmed with the SDG Index score and ranking. In 2020, 23.6% of Ethiopia’s population drinks water from unimproved and surface water sources (JMP, 2021). The water access problem is accentuated by the shortage of finance and the lack of sustainability mechanisms for water supply services. A draft National WASH Inventory II (2021) report indicates that the non-functionality of rural water supply in Ethiopia is between 17 and 47% (average of 19%). Key challenges in the WASH sector attributed to the high rate of non-functionality include - low level of WASH financing, lack of a spare part supply chain, lack of financing Life Cycle Cost (LCC), absence of a functional monitoring system, lack of timely preventive maintenance the issue of competency of caretakers, and lack of timely back up support from service authority (Woreda Government). In addition to scaling up and increasing water access to unserved communities, it is equally important to design an approach that ensures sustainability of the services for the served segment of the communities. To achieve Ethiopia’s ambitious goal of reaching 100% coverage with at least basic drinking water service by 2030, the following policy improvements/implementation in relation to ensuring sustainability are recommended: Increase WASH sector finance Life Cycle Cost financing Rural tariff setting/revision Functional monitoring system National standard of service authority Spare part supply chain
Title
Improving rural water supply financing in Ethiopia
Downloadable documents
Title
Improving rural water supply financing in Ethiopia
Description
Read the policy brief
Year
2022

The role of National Public Development Banks in financing the water and sanitation SDG 6, the water related goals of the Paris Agreement and biodiversity protection

English
Display title
The role of National Public Development Banks in financing the water and sanitation SDG 6, the water related goals of the Paris Agreement and biodiversity protection
Strapline
Global assessment of national public development banks’ (PDBs) involvement in the water sector in its broadest sense.
Node read time
6 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A global assessment of national public development banks’ involvement in financing water, sanitation and hygiene sector investments.
Page introduction
A global assessment of national public development banks’ involvement in financing water, sanitation and hygiene sector investments.
Member
Location
Theme
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Catarina Fonseca

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Fonseca
RIVA role
Job description
Economist
Listing introduction
Catarina's background in economy and water science makes for a winning combination which is highly valued by Ministers of Finance and district water authorities.

There is enough money in the world to give everyone safe water and sanitation. The problem is the gap between where capital sits and where it needs to flow. For more than twenty-six years, Catarina Fonseca has worked on closing that gap: building the economic frameworks, financial tools and evidence that help governments and development banks stop treating water as a cost and start treating it as an investment.

She works with finance ministers, development banks and multilateral agencies to identify the changes needed in regulation and institutional set-ups to make essential water services for everyone viable over the long term. Her analyses help governments answer the questions that investors and treasuries always ask first: what will this cost over its whole life, who will pay for it, and will it be sustainable? 

She’s carried out that work across Africa, Asia and Latin America – developing national finance strategies for Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi and Cambodia, and advising on investment frameworks for the European Investment Bank, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the Agence Française de Développement. She also served as independent expert advisor to the Dutch Prime Minister's High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa – bringing Riva's analytical depth to the conversations where the largest commitments are made.

Catarina trained as an economist in Lisbon before completing a doctoral degree in Water Sciences at Cranfield University – a combination that explains why finance ministers and district water authorities find her equally credible. She is the author of the Handbook for Finance Ministers on water and sanitation investment, and has written or co-authored more than 100 papers, briefing notes and books that now form the reference library the sector draws on. As a senior associate of Riva and through Pulsing Tide, her own advisory practice, she brings that body of knowledge in-person and online to all corners of the world.

A few highlights

  • Author of the Handbook for Finance Ministers – how to make public investment work – the defining reference for governments making the case at the highest political levels
  • Independent expert advisor to the Dutch Prime Minister's High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa
  • National water finance strategies developed for Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi and Cambodia – with UNICEF, FCDO and AFD
  • WASHCost Director (2008–2013) – a landmark five-year programme costing sustainable water services across four countries, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Advisor to the Water Finance Coalition, bringing together national and international public development banks to improve financing for SDG 6 and the Paris Agreement
  • More than 100 published papers, books and briefing notes and developed Riva’s Systems Academy finance course 
  • Working languages: Portuguese, English, French and Spanish
Profile quote
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Goufrane Mansour

External author/speaker first name
Goufrane
External author/speaker surname
Mansour
External organisation name
ECOPSIS
Job description
Director
Author role
Secondary Author
External author

Maricela Rodríguez

External author/speaker first name
Maricela
External author/speaker surname
Rodríguez
Publisher
Agence Française de Développement
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content
This report is a global assessment of national public development banks’ (PDBs) involvement in the water sector in its broadest sense. It was commissioned by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in the context of the Finance in Common Initiative, which seeks to enhance PDBs’ role in financing countries’ commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Paris Agreement. PDBs are banks located within the public sphere by mandate, ownership or governance. PDBs have a specific mandate to deliver on public policy objectives that support the economic and social development of a country or region. Historically, national PDBs have played a significant role in water sector development in high-income countries such as France, Italy and the Netherlands. Whilst there are examples that PDBs play a similar role in middle-income countries, it also appears that their involvement in the water sector has not yet reached its full potential. The main hypothesis of the assessment was that national public development banks are underused and that they have the potential to raise finance for achieving both the SDG 6 and the water-related Paris Agreement goals. To test this hypothesis, this research assessed: 1) the nature and extent of PDB involvement in financing water-related investments, and 2) the drivers and constraints for PDB involvement in the water sector. Finally, the assessment sought to define recommendations for enhancing PDBs’ role in water-related investments, to see if the hypothesis could be confirmed.
Title
The role of National Public Development Banks in financing the water and sanitation SDG 6, the water related goals of the Paris Agreement and biodiversity protection
Title
The role of National Public Development Banks in financing the water and sanitation SDG 6, the water related goals of the Paris Agreement and biodiversity protection
Title
The role of National Public Development Banks in financing the water and sanitation SDG 6, the water related goals of the Paris Agreement and biodiversity protection
Downloadable documents
Title
The role of National Public Development Banks in financing the water and sanitation SDG 6, the water related goals of the Paris Agreement and biodiversity protection
Year
2021

Life-cycle cost analysis for Splash school interventions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Life-cycle cost analysis for Splash school interventions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Identifyingchanges and trends since the start of the WISE project and identifying mechanisms that need tobe put in place for longer-term financial sustainability.
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5 minutes
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An analysis of the costs, funding gaps, and sustainability challenges of providing water, sanitation and hygiene services to schools in Addis Ababa through the WISE project.
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An analysis of the costs, funding gaps, and sustainability challenges of providing water, sanitation and hygiene services to schools in Addis Ababa through the WISE project.
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Arjen Naafs

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Naafs
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Associate
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Expert on water & climate and monitoring

Born in the leprosy mission ALERT in Ethiopia, where my father served as a doctor, I drank water with excessive levels of fluoride in my younger years — enough to leave my teeth brown and brittle, hard on the outside, soft and fragile within. This daily reminder while brushing my teeth is one of my drivers to change the system. Providing good basic services such as safe water, decent sanitation and good hygiene secures a more dignified life with white smiles and less leprosy. After all, prevention is better than a cure (apologies Dad, for not becoming a doctor!).

As a hydrogeologist, my first job was finding water and drilling boreholes for remote communities in Uganda. Great, rewarding work. However, quite soon I noticed that the boreholes stopped working. Spare parts were unavailable. There was no maintenance budget. No technician. It was never just one thing; it was a whole range of interlinked aspects. That put me on a 25-year journey: from hydrogeologist to systems thinker, from field practitioner to data strategist. I now work with governments, national utilities and district leaders who want to understand how best to provide services that last.

Having been fortunate to have lived in seven, worked in 15+ countries, I thrive on facilitating change across cultures — running a consultancy in Mozambique for a decade, directing WaterAid's technical programme across five South Asian countries, and working as hydrogeology lead with mWater. Now as an associate with Riva, I work at the intersection of water resources, climate change and water and sanitation services. I have shaped climate-resilient strategies with national utilities in Rwanda and Malawi, and drive change through data. I do this with energy, passion and a knack for creating an understanding which lever of the system need to be shifted.

  • Senior water and climate leader with 25+ years’ experience of working across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Lived in Mozambique and Uganda, and lead multi-year programmes in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan and Rwanda. 
  • Learning, knowledge & evidence champion, supporting external accountability (annual monitoring reports), strengthening national monitoring systems (SINAS Mozambique, Guinea Bissau). Translating programme evidence into guidance (WaterAid’s frameworks on Water quality, Sustainability and Disasters).
  • Inclusive and dynamic facilitator, with a strong track record in training (both in-person and virtual training sessions such as masterclasses on Climate Resilience for the Global Centre for Adaptation), and former chair of Riva’s Global and Netherlands Staff Council.
  • Dynamic innovator, as managing partner build consultancy company from zero to US$ 800,000 annual turnover; delivered 100+ projects including developing groundbreaking water coverage maps and creating world-first sustainability checks with UNICEF.
  • Author or co-author of 20+ publications on Climate (e.g. Climate change, water resources and WASH systems, IRC), Hydrogeology (e.g. “Hydrogeology of Mozambique, BGS) and Life-cycle Costing (e.g. “The Cost of Capital”, IRC)
  • Globally oriented and multi-lingual in five languages - English, Dutch, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Additionally strong, nerdy level, digital and analytical skills. MSc in Hydrogeology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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RIVA author profile link

Abinet Kebede

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Surname
Kebede
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Job description
Associate
Listing introduction
Lorem
First name
Abinet
Publisher
IRC
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The WISE project is set to provide safe water, good sanitation, and healthy hygiene to all the schools in Addis Ababa. To put these services in place, both AAEB and SPLASH are investing considerable amounts of money. Hand washing stations, drinking water filters, latrine blocks are being built and hygiene behaviour change campaigns rolled out. But how much does it cost to keep these running once the project is over? Who will finance these operational costs? IRC WASH did a study in 2019 to look at all the different costs (using the so-called – Life-Cycle Cost Approach- LCCA) and has now updated it for 2021. This has provided the following insights: The WISE project has adapted since 2019 and has been raising the provided service levels. Particularly by reducing intermittent water, by including faecal sludge aspects, and by broadening hygiene training with janitors. This has led to an increase in CapEx cost per student from ETB 886 to ETB 3103. The Main CapEx cost is sanitation (63%) and therefore improving costs effectiveness of sanitation should have priority. The annual recurrent expenditure is ETB 256 per student per year, of which ETB 184 (71%) is covered by Taxes (School budgets), 6% by Tariffs (parents paying for soap), and ETB 57 by Transfers (Splash mainly on support costs and operation costs for water). To achieve good quality basic service levels ETB 595 per student per year on recurrent cost is needed. This gives a current finance gap of ETB 338, which is mainly toilet paper for students, which arguably should be covered by Tariffs (parents or other sources of income). The key to securing funds for sustainable funding for WASH is working with sub-city and woreda staff on the allocation of the available budget. The annual recurrent expenditure of ETB 184 per student per year should be raised to ETB 240 to remove dependency on SPLASH funds for annual recurrent costs. This is respectively 6% and 4% of primary and secondary school fund allocation.
Title
Life-cycle cost analysis for Splash school interventions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
ife-cycle cost analysis for Splash school interventions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Update 2021
Description
Read the research report
Year
2021

An assessment of sanitation financing options for enterprises and households

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An assessment of sanitation financing options for enterprises and households
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A study on financing approaches used under the USAID Transform WASH programme in Ethiopia
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3 minutes
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A summary of financing approaches and challenges in improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene.
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A summary of financing approaches and challenges in improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene.
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External author

Girma Aboma

External author/speaker first name
Girma
External author/speaker surname
Aboma
Publisher
USAID Transform WASH
IRC WASH
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content
This learning note summarizes the findings of a study undertaken of the financing approaches used under the USAID Transform WASH programme in Ethiopia, which was conducted to better understand their performance and how they compared to other viable approaches. The consumer financing mechanism implemented by Transform WASH is based on the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) approach. The programme also conducted a pilot project, which supported Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) to develop and test WASH loan products for households. The second part of the study included a review of other examples of sanitation financing approaches, such as the Iqub model, a widely used and accepted indigenous Ethiopian financing mechanism. The learning notes concludes with recommend ways to increase access to affordable financing for both consumers and businesses, and to strengthen the approaches of Transform WASH. One important finding was that all of the consumer financing programs reviewed in the study tend to exclude the lowest socioeconomic groups. Includes 4 ref. This is an ongoing series of blogs and publications by IRC under the USAID Transform WASH project. Please click here for all IRC's work on this project. USAID Transform WASH aims to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) outcomes in Ethiopia by increasing market access to and sustained use of a broader spectrum of affordable WASH products and services, with a substantial focus on sanitation. Transform WASH achieves this by transforming the market for low-cost quality WASH products and services: stimulating demand at the community level, strengthening supply chains, and improving the enabling environment for a vibrant private market. USAID Transform WASH is a USAID-funded activity implemented by PSI in collaboration with SNV, Plan International, and IRC WASH. The consortium is working closely with government agencies, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity, the One WASH National Program, and regional and sub-regional governments.
Title
An assessment of sanitation financing options for enterprises and households
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Title
An assessment of sanitation financing options for enterprises and households
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Download the learning note
Year
2020

Conditions for private sector involvement and financing in rural water supply

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Conditions for private sector involvement and financing in rural water supply
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Paper for the WASH systems symposium
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2 minutes
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An overview of the UDUMA model, an innovative private sector-led approach to delivering and financing sustainable rural water, sanitation and hygiene services in sub-Saharan Africa.
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An overview of the UDUMA model, an innovative private sector-led approach to delivering and financing sustainable rural water, sanitation and hygiene services in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Primary Author
External author

Nicolaas Van der Wilk

External author/speaker first name
Nicolaas
External author/speaker surname
Van der Wilk
External organisation name
UDUMA
Publisher
IRC
Page sections
content
340 million people living in rural areas across sub-Sahara Africa still lack access to basic drinking water services. In order to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030, it is essential to explore new water service delivery models and means of funding these. The UDUMA model put forward by the Odial Solutions Group demonstrates that private sector actors, under certain conditions, can lead the development and financing of such new sustainable rural water supply initiatives. UDUMA introduces an alternative operation and maintenance (O&M) model for small piped networks and manual pumps in rural and semi-urban areas. An innovative revenue collection system and the large scale at which projects are developed guarantee a steady cash flow and reduce risks. The use of new technologies contributes to operational efficiency. The users benefit from an improved and sustainable access to clean drinking water, with elevated service standards, affordable for even the poorest households. Based on long-term affermage contracts with local authorities, the financial and social returns on investment make it possible to attract alternative public and private funds for modernising and expanding rural drinking water infrastructure. There are however a number of pre-conditions to be able to call upon such blended finance solutions. [author abstract]
Title
Conditions for private sector involvement and financing in rural water supply
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Title
Conditions for private sector involvement and financing in rural water supply
Description
Read this paper developed for the All systems go! WASH Systems Symposium 2019
Year
2019

Water & sanitation: how to make public investment work — a handbook for finance ministers

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Water & sanitation: how to make public investment work
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A handbook for finance ministers
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4 minutes
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A handbook for finance ministers, offering case studies and strategies to close the water and sanitation financing gap worldwide.
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A handbook for finance ministers, offering case studies and strategies to close the water and sanitation financing gap worldwide.
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Catarina Fonseca

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Fonseca
RIVA role
Job description
Economist
Listing introduction
Catarina's background in economy and water science makes for a winning combination which is highly valued by Ministers of Finance and district water authorities.

There is enough money in the world to give everyone safe water and sanitation. The problem is the gap between where capital sits and where it needs to flow. For more than twenty-six years, Catarina Fonseca has worked on closing that gap: building the economic frameworks, financial tools and evidence that help governments and development banks stop treating water as a cost and start treating it as an investment.

She works with finance ministers, development banks and multilateral agencies to identify the changes needed in regulation and institutional set-ups to make essential water services for everyone viable over the long term. Her analyses help governments answer the questions that investors and treasuries always ask first: what will this cost over its whole life, who will pay for it, and will it be sustainable? 

She’s carried out that work across Africa, Asia and Latin America – developing national finance strategies for Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi and Cambodia, and advising on investment frameworks for the European Investment Bank, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the Agence Française de Développement. She also served as independent expert advisor to the Dutch Prime Minister's High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa – bringing Riva's analytical depth to the conversations where the largest commitments are made.

Catarina trained as an economist in Lisbon before completing a doctoral degree in Water Sciences at Cranfield University – a combination that explains why finance ministers and district water authorities find her equally credible. She is the author of the Handbook for Finance Ministers on water and sanitation investment, and has written or co-authored more than 100 papers, briefing notes and books that now form the reference library the sector draws on. As a senior associate of Riva and through Pulsing Tide, her own advisory practice, she brings that body of knowledge in-person and online to all corners of the world.

A few highlights

  • Author of the Handbook for Finance Ministers – how to make public investment work – the defining reference for governments making the case at the highest political levels
  • Independent expert advisor to the Dutch Prime Minister's High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa
  • National water finance strategies developed for Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi and Cambodia – with UNICEF, FCDO and AFD
  • WASHCost Director (2008–2013) – a landmark five-year programme costing sustainable water services across four countries, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Advisor to the Water Finance Coalition, bringing together national and international public development banks to improve financing for SDG 6 and the Paris Agreement
  • More than 100 published papers, books and briefing notes and developed Riva’s Systems Academy finance course 
  • Working languages: Portuguese, English, French and Spanish
Profile quote
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Lesley Pories

Name prefix
Mrs
External author/speaker first name
Lesley
External author/speaker surname
Pories
External organisation name
WaterAid
Job description
Head of Policy
Author role
Secondary Author
External author

Victoria Delmon

Name prefix
Mrs
External author/speaker first name
Victoria
External author/speaker surname
Delmon
External organisation name
World Bank
Job description
Country Manager for Mongolia
Author role
Tertiary Author
External author

Bill Kingdom

External author/speaker first name
Bill
External author/speaker surname
Kingdom
Publisher
Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)
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content
This handbook is a call to action for ministers of finance, with inspirational case studies and forward-looking sector perspectives. It is part of an initiative by the Sanitation and Water for All global partnership to provide succinct insights and curated knowledge to ministers working in the water and sanitation sector. The handbook begins with providing a background to the water and sanitation sector and the financing gap. It then identifies four target areas for finance ministers' support: (1) maximize value from existing public funding; (2) mobilise more funding; (3) increase repayable domestic finance; and (4) encourage innovation and least-explored new approaches. Each of the four areas highlights short case studies from different regions including Africa (Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda), Asia and Oceania (Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Philippines and South Korea), South America (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru,) and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria and Czech Republic). The handbook concludes with an overview of which areas finance ministers should focus on and a call to action.
Title
Water & sanitation: how to make public investment work — a handbook for finance ministers
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Handbook for finance ministers
Description
Download this SWA handbook
Year
2020

Payment modalities for low-income households

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Payment modalities for low-income households
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Recommendations for both water supply projects aimed at low-income households and RVO
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6 minutes
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A study exploring payment modalities and cost contributions in Netherlands Enterprise Agency-supported public-private partnerships for water supply projects.
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A study exploring payment modalities and cost contributions in Netherlands Enterprise Agency-supported public-private partnerships for water supply projects.
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RIVA Authors
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Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Lemessa Mekonta

English
Name prefix
Mr
Surname
Mekonta
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO, Riva Ethiopia
Listing introduction
Lemessa Mekonta is a hydrogeologist and systems-strengthening expert with more than 20 years of experience helping governments and institutions across Ethiopia improve water service planning, financing, and operations.

Lemessa Mekonta began his career in groundwater development for human uses, which involves mapping groundwater occurrence and dynamics – learning to read what lies beneath the surface, and how it behaves. That instinct for going deeper than what is immediately visible has stayed with him. For two and half decades, it has shaped how he reads institutions and systems and discovers what’s holding them back. 

He works with governments and institutions across Ethiopia to build the planning, financing and operational systems that make essential services reliable over time – from developing district-wide master plans with local governments to strengthening town water utilities to withstand the pressures of a changing climate. His expertise spans urban and rural, formal utility and household self-supply, highland and pastoral lowland. He brings the same discipline to each: understand the whole system before designing any part of it.  

What makes Lemessa rare is a trajectory that most advisers lack. He started his career inside Ethiopia's government – as a geologist/hydrogeologist for Oromia's Water, Mineral and Energy Bureau, from junior to senior positions including as a department head for Water Resources management; while with government, Lemessa was also a board chair for a town water utility for five years. He then built and ran his own consultancy for seven years before joining Riva. He has worked inside every part of the system he now helps to reform, and understands what each sector needs, how each thinks, and where they fail to connect. He leads the national Agenda for Change coalition in Ethiopia – convening a collaboration of more than a dozen organizations, involving government, INGOs, multilateral and bilateral organizations around a shared approach to systems strengthening. He holds an MSc in Hydrogeology from Addis Ababa University, and a postgraduate certificate in Engineering geology and hydrogeology from the University of Tübingen, Germany; and he is based in Addis Ababa.  

A few highlights  

  • 25 years of systems leadership across Ethiopia's water sector – spanning government, private consultancy and the NGO sector  
  • Water resource development including mapping and construction with focus on groundwater for different uses 
  • Research on Rural water supply operation and maintenance, including governance, supply chains and finance 
  • Lead, Agenda for Change Ethiopia collaboration – convening 13 plus organisations including government and development partners around a shared systems strengthening approach 
  • Co-chair national WASH finance working group 
  • District-wide master planning with local governments, translating long-term visions for water and sanitation into life cycle costed, implementable roadmaps  
  • Urban water utility strengthening– building the governance, financing and operational capacity that makes town utilities viable  
  • Research on household self-supply and multiple use water services (MUS) as complements to formal systems – including published work on multiple-use water services in Ethiopia  
  • MSc in Hydrogeology from Addis Ababa University, and postgraduate certificate in Engineering geology and hydrogeology from the University of Tübingen 
  • Working languages: Afan Oromo, Amharic and English 
First name
Lemessa
Publisher
IRC
Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)
Page sections
content
This study aims to generate insights into the payment modalities across Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)-supported public-private partnerships (PPPs) in water supply projects, in terms of: the type of costs to which users contribute, the modalities through which payments are made, and their effectiveness, accompanying social, technical and financial measures, and the relation between these modalities and external contextual factors. It contains: case studies of payment modalities in 10 selected projects, and a synthesis, leading to a typology of the modalities and a cross-case assessment of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of these modalities. The study uses a conceptual framework, which differentiates between the types of costs to which payments are made: capital costs of new water supply systems costs of connecting to an existing system (connection fees), and operation, maintenance and replacement costs, through user charges. This study confirms the high relevance of payment modalities that reduce the barrier of the upfront payment to get access to a water supply service. This is in the interest of both low-income households and service providers who can increase their revenue base more rapidly. It concludes with recommendations for both water supply projects aimed at low-income households and RVO.
Title
Payment modalities for low-income households
Downloadable documents
Title
Payment modalities for low-income households
Description
Download this study developed in assignment to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency
Year
2023

Costing and financing of small-scale water supply and sanitation services

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Costing and financing of small-scale water supply and sanitation services
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Strategies for the sustainable financing of service provision through small-scale water supply and sanitation systems.
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6 minutes
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A guide for policy-makers on strategies for sustainable financing of small-scale water supply and sanitation systems in the pan-European region.
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A guide for policy-makers on strategies for sustainable financing of small-scale water supply and sanitation systems in the pan-European region.
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Location
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RIVA Authors
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RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Catarina Fonseca

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Fonseca
RIVA role
Job description
Economist
Listing introduction
Catarina's background in economy and water science makes for a winning combination which is highly valued by Ministers of Finance and district water authorities.

There is enough money in the world to give everyone safe water and sanitation. The problem is the gap between where capital sits and where it needs to flow. For more than twenty-six years, Catarina Fonseca has worked on closing that gap: building the economic frameworks, financial tools and evidence that help governments and development banks stop treating water as a cost and start treating it as an investment.

She works with finance ministers, development banks and multilateral agencies to identify the changes needed in regulation and institutional set-ups to make essential water services for everyone viable over the long term. Her analyses help governments answer the questions that investors and treasuries always ask first: what will this cost over its whole life, who will pay for it, and will it be sustainable? 

She’s carried out that work across Africa, Asia and Latin America – developing national finance strategies for Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi and Cambodia, and advising on investment frameworks for the European Investment Bank, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the Agence Française de Développement. She also served as independent expert advisor to the Dutch Prime Minister's High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa – bringing Riva's analytical depth to the conversations where the largest commitments are made.

Catarina trained as an economist in Lisbon before completing a doctoral degree in Water Sciences at Cranfield University – a combination that explains why finance ministers and district water authorities find her equally credible. She is the author of the Handbook for Finance Ministers on water and sanitation investment, and has written or co-authored more than 100 papers, briefing notes and books that now form the reference library the sector draws on. As a senior associate of Riva and through Pulsing Tide, her own advisory practice, she brings that body of knowledge in-person and online to all corners of the world.

A few highlights

  • Author of the Handbook for Finance Ministers – how to make public investment work – the defining reference for governments making the case at the highest political levels
  • Independent expert advisor to the Dutch Prime Minister's High-Level Panel on Water Investments in Africa
  • National water finance strategies developed for Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi and Cambodia – with UNICEF, FCDO and AFD
  • WASHCost Director (2008–2013) – a landmark five-year programme costing sustainable water services across four countries, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Advisor to the Water Finance Coalition, bringing together national and international public development banks to improve financing for SDG 6 and the Paris Agreement
  • More than 100 published papers, books and briefing notes and developed Riva’s Systems Academy finance course 
  • Working languages: Portuguese, English, French and Spanish
Profile quote
Publisher
WHO Regional Office for Europe
Place published
Copenhagen
Page sections
content
Small-scale water supply and sanitation systems form an essential part of the provision of services in the pan-European region, particularly in rural areas, and sufficient financial means are required to facilitate their safe operation and safeguard public health. Challenges for these systems include a large financial gap between the costs of providing services and availability of funding sources, insufficiency in ability to cover all recurrent costs, low economies of scale and lower policy attention and financial priority from governments. This publication guides national and subnational policy-makers responsible for water and sanitation interventions in defining strategies for the sustainable financing of service provision through small-scale water supply and sanitation systems. [Publisher abstract] This publication contains two main chapters, bookended by an introduction and conclusion. Chapter 2 presents the conceptual framework, describing the six life-cycle costs of drinking-water and sanitation services and the three potential sources of finance, and how these can be brought together. Chapter 3 provides specific considerations for application of this framework to small-scale water supply and sanitation systems. An analysis of the particular financial challenges and opportunities to identify strategies to address them is presented for each of the cost categories.
Year
2020

Developing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) finance strategies : a guide

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Developing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) finance strategies
Strapline
A guide
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2 minutes
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Listing introduction text
A guide to developing water, sanitation and hygiene finance strategies for governments and sector experts in developing and transition countries.
Page introduction
A guide to developing water, sanitation and hygiene finance strategies for governments and sector experts in developing and transition countries.
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Location
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External authors
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Corporate Author
External author

UNICEF

External organisation name
UNICEF
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Publisher
UNICEF Programme Group/WASH & CEED
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content
The objective of this guidet is to support governments and WASH sector experts in promoting and facilitating the development of WASH finance strategies. The primary target audience are senior officials in developing and transition countries who are responsible for the development of the WASH sector (including planners in WASH-related minis tries, ministries of finance, regulators and utilities), representatives of civil society organizations, and experts from technical and financial development partners interested in supporting the development of a WASH finance strategy. The guide is divided into three parts. Part I presents the concept of a WASH finance strategy. It discusses what a WASH finance strategy is – both as a document and as a process – why develop it, what is required to develop it and when to develop it. Part II discusses the process of developing a WASH finance strategy. It describes the initial phase of conceptual development and preparatory work, the middle phase of analytical work and policy dialogue, and the final phase of supporting implementation. Part III discusses the contents that would be included in a WASH finance strategy document. It identifies four sections: (i) objectives and context, (ii) the finance gap, (iii) closing the finance gap, and (iv) recommended policy package and implementation arrangements. The guide is available in English, French and Spanish.
Title
Developing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) finance strategies : a guide
Downloadable documents
Title
Developing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Finance Strategies A Guide
Description
Download the English report
Title
Developing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) finance strategies : a guide (Français)
Downloadable documents
Title
Élaboration de stratégies financières en matière d’eau, d’hygiène et d’assainissement (EAH):Un guide
Description
Télécharger le PDF
Title
Developing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) finance strategies : a guide (Español)
Downloadable documents
Title
Guía para la elaboración de estrategias financieras en materia de agua, saneamiento e higiene (WASH)
Description
Descargue el informe
Year
2022
Introduction
Services run on money that lasts — not goodwill.
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Professional providers, professional services — quality that lasts.
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Professionalisation
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Professional providers, professional services — quality that lasts.
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Trust is earned through rules, not promises.
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Governance and regulation
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Trust is earned through rules, not promises.
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Water is political. We win the argument at the cabinet table.
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Political economy
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Water is political. We win the argument at the cabinet table.
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Introduction
Public services are the foundations on which nations are built — treat them that way.
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National development
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Public services are the foundations on which nations are built — treat them that way.
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Introduction
Resilient services build resilient communities
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Climate and water security
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Resilient services build resilient communities
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Hygiene depends on safe water and sanitation — the bedrock of public health
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Public health
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Hygiene depends on safe water and sanitation — the bedrock of public health
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No one changes a system alone
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Collective action
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A hub keeps WASH systems in motion : lessons from Ghana

English
Display title
A hub keeps WASH systems in motion
Strapline
Lessons from Ghana
Node read time
7 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A paper presenting our lessons from IRC Ghana acting as a 'hub' to support collective action in the Asutifi North District of Ghana
Page introduction
A paper presenting our lessons from IRC Ghana acting as a 'hub' to support collective action in the Asutifi North District of Ghana
Member
Location
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Vida Duti

English
Surname
Duti
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO, Riva Ghana | Deputy Secretary General, Riva Network
Listing introduction
Vida Duti drives systemic reform, political commitment, and sustainable public service transformation across Ghana and beyond

Growing up in rural Ghana, Vida Duti carried water from a stream before school every morning. 

Decades later she sat in the Office of the President in the moment before he signed the Compact, and many things went through Vida Duti’s mind. “This was a momentous occasion. A triumph of systems leadership by many people. Ghana had raised water, sanitation and hygiene to the highest possible political level. I thought back to our early conversations in IRC, when Patrick Moriarty said ‘I want us to move beyond water and sanitation relationships to work with other sectors; beyond the Ministries of Water to work with Heads of State. That is the only way that we’re going to achieve real, lasting change.'

For more than 25 years as a leader in international development, Vida has reshaped public systems, influenced national policy, and built durable coalitions across Ghana and internationally. Her unique expertise lies in organisational change management, high-level political advocacy, and network stewardship. She excels at breaking down institutional silos, bringing discordant political actors to the table, and identifying the exact leverage points where small systemic shifts unlock large-scale, sustainable transformations. 

Her career spans deep structural engagement at every level of governance - from district assemblies to the Office of the President of Ghana, and up to international multilateral alliances. An exceptional networker and systems thinker, Vida brings deep patience and sharp political instinct required to guide complex institutional reforms. 

Experience and Reach 

  • 25+ years of systems leadership: proven track record driving structural public sector reform and policy change from district assemblies to the Office of the President.
  • Securing high level political commitment: member of the core team that catalysed and designed the Ghana Presidential WASH Compact, aligning state ministries, development partners, and civil society under high-level political commitments.
  • Institutional reform: specialist in restructuring public agencies, professionalizing rural water delivery, and transitioning entities into modern, efficient utilities.
  • Scaling of districtwide initiativessecured local government and NGO partnerships to deliver universal water and sanitation services, successfully scaling district-level models into national planning guidelines.
  • State and international governance: served on boards of Ghana Water Limited, Community Water and Sanitation Agency, Ghana Water Institute and SafiSana Ghana, and currently serving on global boards such as the Global Water Center (USA).
  • National financing strategy: leading teams across government and international partners to build the financial case for essential services, create political commitment, and translate that commitment into plans that governments can deliver
  • Change management: directing complex organisational restructuring and network evolution.
  • Canadian High Commission, Senior Development Officer (2004–2009): working directly with Parliament and the Office of the President to establish national models for executive decision making and local government accountability
  • Recipient of the 2018 OPEC Fund Annual Award for International Development.
  • Languages: Sefwi, Asante-Twi, Fante, English, and basic French.

Personal & philanthropic highlights

  • Vida used her 2018 OPEC Fund prize money to build vital, life-changing water and sanitation infrastructure for the community health facility and school in Sefwi Bodi, the village where she grew up.

 

First name
Vida
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link
Author role
Tertiary Author
RIVA author profile link

Sára Bori

English
Surname
Bori
RIVA role
Job description
Knowledge management and communication expert
Listing introduction
Sára works at the intersection of knowledge, evidence and influence. As a knowledge management and communications expert, she helps institutions harvest outcomes and lessons as systems evolve, ensuring that learning travels between countries, organisations and levels of decision making.

Sára Bori’s work is shaped by an early, lived understanding of how water systems touch everyday life. In the Netherlands, through a grandfather who settled in the 1980s in a town newly carved from the sea, and an aunt who made her home on a boat. In rural Hungary, her family relied on self‑supply, so during her childhood years she had to get drinking water from her grandmother’s piped town connection because the water at home was unsafe to drink. More than 30 years later, she lives in the same region and sees how those self‑supply challenges persist and are now exacerbated by climate change. These stories continue to guide how she understands development, inequality and public systems. 

Sára works at the intersection of knowledge, evidence and influence. As a knowledge management and communications expert, she helps institutions harvest outcomes and lessons as systems evolve, ensuring that learning travels between countries, organisations and levels of decision‑making. A core part of this work is translating complex evidence into high‑quality publications and audiovisual products – through openness to innovation, rigorous editorial processes and publishing to recognised quality standards - so that insights are credible, accessible and fit for purpose. Her attention to detail, combined with strong project management skills, ensures that complex, multi‑stakeholder initiatives are delivered with clarity, coherence and care. 

Over the past decade, Sara has led flagship knowledge and communications initiatives in the water and sanitation sector with global reach. Across her work, she keeps returning to one question: who benefits when systems function – and who pays the price when they don’t? Seeing how access to water creates and reinforces social divides, she consistently interrogates the ultimate goal of generating, sharing and using knowledge: achieving social justice for all. 

A few highlights

  • Over 10 years’ experience in global knowledge management, communications and learning for systems change
  • Adviser to the Government of the Netherlands on strategic communications for World Water Week (2020–2026) and the UN 2023 Water Conference
  • Co‑author of UNICEF’s WASH Knowledge Management Strategy 2022–2025
  • Knowledge management lead for All Systems Connect 2023, international symposium, The Hague, the Netherlands
  • Communications lead for All Systems Go Africa 2022, supporting national water, sanitation and hygiene systems strengthening across the African continent
  • Project manager of annual reports, strategies and organisational annual planning for over eight years
  • Keen implementer of outcome harvesting to capture stories of change
  • Working languages: English, Dutch, Hungarian
Profile quote
First name
Sára
Author role
Subsidiary Author
RIVA author profile link

Jeremiah Atengdem

English
Surname
Atengdem
Member
RIVA role
Listing introduction
Jeremiah works with district authorities and national partners to help leaders organise how they plan, track, and follow through on delivery.
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

David Korboe

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
David
External author/speaker surname
Korboe
Job description
Social researcher and monitoring & evaluation professional
Publisher
IRC
Place published
The Hague
Page sections
content
This paper presents IRC Ghana’s experience of acting as a ‘hub’ to support collective action in the Asutifi North District of Ghana. Given that no single actor can deliver the ambitious SDG 6 targets alone, IRC acts as a hub in the districts where it works, supporting broad-based alliances that put learning at the heart of work to bring about lasting change. A hub supports the system of individuals, organisations, technologies and institutions (political, financial and regulatory) to work more effectively. It brings stakeholders together, ensuring that partners share knowledge and information at district and national level, and integrating partners who may otherwise operate in isolated silos. The hub helps actors to focus on a common goal, ensures continuity and consistency of effort, and that emerging lessons are distilled and shared. This collective action gives a voice to socially excluded people and minimises duplication in service provision. Hubs make collective action more effective.
Title
A hub keeps WASH systems in motion : lessons from Ghana
Downloadable documents
Title
A hub keeps WASH systems in motion : lessons from Ghana
Description
Learn about our Riva Ghana's experience acting as a hub
Year
2022
Introduction
No one changes a system alone
Slideshow
Aspect ratio
Three Two
Introduction
Water that flows long after the project ends
Subtitle
Water services
Number columns
Three
Slideshow items

Trends in rural water supply

English
Display title
Trends in rural water supply
Strapline
Towards a service delivery approach
Node read time
5 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
An overview of challenges in rural water supply and actions needed for sustainable, universal access.
Page introduction
An overview of challenges in rural water supply and actions needed for sustainable, universal access.
Member
Location
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Patrick Moriarty

English
Name prefix
Dr
Surname
Moriarty
Member
RIVA role
Job description
Secretary General, Riva Network
Listing introduction
A visionary leader who has played a leading role in redefining global water policy, turning systems thinking into a movement for lasting change

The world knows how to deliver essential public services to everyone. What unlocks it is political will, the right systems, and leaders who understand that water and sanitation are not technical problems – they are governance ones. Patrick Moriarty has spent twenty-five years making that case, and building the intellectual tools to back it up. 

His central contribution has been to shift how the sector thinks: from infrastructure to systems, from projects to services, from delivery to sustainability. The concepts of systems thinking, systems strengthening and systems leadership – now embedded in the vocabulary of the field – were developed in significant part through his work at Riva over more than two decades. 

That intellectual agenda has always been matched by political engagement. Through his work in Riva and as chair of Sanitation and Water for All, he helped build the Presidential Compact model – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority – into a movement in more than ten countries. A civil engineer by training with a PhD in Water Resource Management, he brings technical grounding to debates that are fundamentally about politics and human behaviour. He is Irish and lives between Bristol and The Hague. 

A few highlights 

  • Secretary General of the Riva Network – leading the transformation of IRC from a Dutch NGO into a federated global network of nationally-led organisations
  • An architect of the Presidential Compacts movement – head-of-state commitments to water and sanitation as a national priority, now active in more than ten countries across Africa and Asia 
  • Co-founder of the One For All alliance – a unique partnership with Water for People built around a shared strategy, shared results framework (Destination 2030), and a jointly registered UK legal entity; one of the few genuine peer alliances in international development 
  • Co-founder of the Agenda for Change – a network of organisations committed to driving systems change in water and sanitation globally 
  • Pioneer of the systems strengthening agenda in water and sanitation – co-developing the life-cycle costing approach to sustainable services, and convening the All Systems Connect Symposium to connect water, health, climate and social justice 
  • Working languages: English and French 
First name
Patrick
Author role
Secondary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
RIVA role
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
First name
Stef
Author role
Tertiary Author
RIVA author profile link
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Richard Franceys

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Richard
External author/speaker surname
Franceys
External organisation name
Riva Associate
Job description
Chartered Civil Engineer
Publisher
Water Alternatives
Page sections
content
Behind headline successes in providing first-time access to water lie a number of pressing challenges to the dominant approach to rural water supply in developing countries, namely community management following a demand-responsive approach. These challenges manifest themselves in poor performance of service providers, high rates of hardware failure, and very low levels of service. The papers in this special issue argue that tackling these challenges requires a shift in emphasis in rural water supply in developing countries: away from a de-facto focus on the provision of hardware for first-time access towards the proper use of installed hardware as the basis for universal access to rural water services. The outline of the main actions required to achieve this shift are becoming clearer. Chief amongst these are the professionalisation of community management and/or provision of direct support to community service providers; adoption of a wider range of service delivery models than community management alone; and addressing the sustainable financing of all costs with a particular focus on financing capital maintenance (asset management) and direct support costs. This introductory paper provides an overview of these issues and a guide to the other articles, which demonstrate these points.
Year
2013

Government-led monitoring for sustained water service delivery

English
Display title
Government-led monitoring for sustained water service delivery
Strapline
Opportunities and recommendations for strengthening monitoring capacities, processes and systems in Ethiopia
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A position paper on strengthening government-led WASH monitoring systems, capacities and processes in Ethiopia.
Page introduction
A position paper on strengthening government-led WASH monitoring systems, capacities and processes in Ethiopia.
Member
Location
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link
Publisher
Millennium Water Alliance
IRC Ethiopia
Place published
Addis Abeba
Page sections
content
The purpose of monitoring is to enable effective decision-making using continuous, reliable, and relevant data. This data can then be processed, analysed and used to inform decisions. Monitoring efforts have the potential to track interventions, inform corrective actions, guide planning and resource allocation, and increase accountability to citizens for service providers and authorities. They may also guide regulation of services and service providers. While NGOs, the private sector and others can support monitoring efforts or collect data for their own decision-making, governments in most countries are charged with monitoring functions and, as the ongoing local entity, it is critical to have strong government-led monitoring systems. Monitoring requires coordination mechanisms, strong institutions and governance, analytical capacity, and regulatory and accountability mechanisms that put data to use. Information must be available and presented as insights, which support planning and budgeting cycles and inform financial investments. Monitoring should also respond to and satisfy the needs of various stakeholders and support coherent accountability and sector performance management frameworks. Ultimately, monitoring should result in greater sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) service delivery. This position paper presents and discusses WASH sector monitoring in Ethiopia. It highlights recent experiences designed to improve monitoring capacities, processes and systems and outlines opportunities and recommendations for monitoring strengthening activities. This is the third position paper in a series of five produced through the 2017-2019 Millennium Water Alliance Bridge Program in Ethiopia. It is made possible through support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Title
Government-led monitoring for sustained water service delivery
Downloadable documents
Title
Government-led monitoring for sustained water service delivery
Description
Explore this position paper
Year
2019
Introduction
Water that flows long after the project ends
Slideshow
Aspect ratio
Three Two
Introduction
Health is not a luxury — everyone deserves a safe toilet
Subtitle
Sanitation services
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Three
Introduction
Health is not a luxury — everyone deserves a safe toilet
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Three Two
Introduction
If it doesn’t reach everyone, it isn’t finished
Subtitle
Gender and social inclusion
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Three
Introduction
If it doesn’t reach everyone, it isn’t finished
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Aspect ratio
Three Two
Introduction
Learn, adapt, change the system — together
Subtitle
Knowledge and learning
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Three
Slideshow items

Shift the system mapping

English
Display title
Shift the system mapping
Strapline
See what's stuck, shift what matters
Node read time
1 minute
Resource type
Listing introduction text
A tool to map complex systems, understand relationships, and uncover opportunities for meaningful, lasting change
Page introduction
A tool to map complex systems, understand relationships, and uncover opportunities for meaningful, lasting change
Member
Location
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Angela Huston

Name prefix
Dr
External author/speaker first name
Angela
External author/speaker surname
Huston
External organisation name
Former IRC Associate
External author/speaker role
Director of Policy, External organisation name

Angela Huston joined IRC in 2016 and after seven and a half years of full commitment to the WASH sector, she moved to the role of IRC Associate. In this role, she supported IRC's CONNECT initiative.

Angela has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from McGill University, completed in close collaboration with the IRC Uganda team. Angela is experienced in dialogue facilitation and inclusive multi-stakeholder methods. She values pragmatism and humour. 

Angela speaks English, French, and Spanish, and is currently learning Italian and German. 

Publisher
IRC
Place published
The Hague
Page sections
content
The Shift the System mapping methodology offers a practical way to move from "what's going on" to "what could be", guiding users to identify leverage points, envision alternatives, and support collective action. This method draws on systems thinking and leadership practice from IRC and those who have inspired us over the years. It also builds on applied tools such as causal loop diagramming, influence mapping, and systems mapping frameworks developed by other organisations working at the interface of social impact and systemic change.
Title
Shift the system mapping
Downloadable documents
Title
Shift the system mapping
Description
Download the tool
Year
2025

Driving change : strengthening local systems in the water and sanitation sectors

English
Display title
Driving change
Strapline
Strengthening local systems in the water and sanitation sectors
Node read time
2 minutes
Resource type
Listing introduction text
Guide to improve public services like water and sanitation through multi-stakeholder collective action and action research
Page introduction
Guide to improve public services like water and sanitation through multi-stakeholder collective action and action research
Location
External authors
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Author role
Corporate Author
External author

LINC

External organisation name
LINC
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Author role
Corporate Author
External author
Publisher
Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership
USAID
Place published
Washington DC
Page sections
content
This guide offers insights, tips, and advice to improve public services like water and sanitation through multi-stakeholder collective action and action research. It builds on 5 years of local systems change processes in Ethiopia and Uganda under the Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership (SWS), as well as the authors' decades of experience around the world. The aim of the guide is to equip the reader with some of the tools and knowledge needed to become a champion and "systems leader" for radical improvements in public services. This is achieved through a series of case studies, including reflections and wisdom from systems change facilitators in each context. The case studies in this guide were written to demonstrate three main pillars of local systems change: (1) understanding systems, (2) using learning alliances to convene stakeholders and develop a vision and change agenda, and (3) using action research for developing and testing innovations and making direct changes to the system. The final section presents cross-cutting analysis of the lessons learned through the case studies. It presents some general principles to adhere to, as well as common pitfalls to avoid, when taking this approach. In particular, contextual considerations and funding and project setup must be considered before choosing to embark on a local systems change journey.
Title
Driving change : strengthening local systems in the water and sanitation sectors
Downloadable documents
Title
Driving change : strengthening local systems in the water and sanitation sector
Description
Explore this guide
Year
2021
Introduction
Learn, adapt, change the system — together
Approaches introduction
Four approaches. One driving idea: systems leadership.
Themes introduction

Public services don’t fail for want of pipes or good intentions. They fail when the system around them breaks. Transforming systems means seeing the whole — and the world it operates in — then acting on it. Each of the fifteen themes below is a lens on how we are doing that.