IRC WASH and WaterAid Ethiopia recently launched the Agenda for Change District-Wide Approach Project in Ethiopia.
Country Directors from WaterAid, IRC, Splash, and Millennium Water Alliance, with senior staff from CARE, CRS, Helvetas, Welthungerhilfe and AMREF, together at the launch event.
By Tsegaye Yeshiwas, Publications and Knowledge Management Officer, IRC Ethiopia
Different partner organisations attended the launch event and underscored the significance and importance of this initiative to strengthen collaboration among WASH actors. Key messages shared by Agenda for Change members during the event are below.
Collaboration is important as it facilitates sharing of learnings and resources to strengthen water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems, it will pull all WASH actors together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. While the partners are doing good work independently, progress is not happening at the right pace to achieve SDG 6 within the coming nine years; therefore, collaborative initiatives are vital and will allow for greater impact.
– Yacob Metena, WaterAid Country Director
Agenda for Change is a unique platform where WASH systems thinkers engage as a collective to enable national and local governments to achieve sustainable, universal access and advocate for a systems approach. This approach requires us to work differently and in a complementary manner.
– Bethlehem Mengistu, Agenda for Change Global Coordinator
We are building on past efforts. WASH Systems Strengthening remains a priority and the pathway to cross-learning, sharing approaches, fostering shared practices, identifying bottlenecks, and proposing the best approaches that can facilitate the achievement of universal access. IRC Ethiopia is the current Agenda for Change collaboration lead and is looking forward to supporting members’ proactive collaboration.
– Lemessa Mekonta, IRC Country Director
The Agenda for Change District-Wide Approach project is aimed at increasing collaboration in implementing a district-wide WASH systems approach throughout Ethiopia, strengthening national WASH systems with a focus on finance, and scaling up the district-wide approach. The project will be implemented in Ethiopia and Rwanda. IRC WASH and WaterAid are the implementers of the project in the identified seven districts and at the national level.
IRC WASH will engage in increasing collaborative action among Agenda for Change members through regular platforms at the national level, produce learning papers based on best practices, and is in the process of developing a WASH sector financing strategy in South-Ari and Negelle-Arsi districts.
WaterAid Ethiopia will develop a guideline for a District-Wide Approach to WASH system strengthening, create awareness among Agenda for Change members on how to use the roadmap, and develop knowledge products for evidence-based policy in Gololcha, Toka, Burie, North Mecha, and Jabitena districts.