Climate Resilient Wash
At PIN, we have been working with communities and governments to improve access to water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH) since 2003. We focus on rural and semi-urban communities as well as institutions such as schools and health centres. Our goal is to ensure sustainable water services for all.
Rather than delivering donations or focusing on the construction and rehabilitation of water delivery schemes and sanitation infrastructure, we build robust WASH systems. Our work is based on capacity building, education and knowledge transfer. We provide support to technical education through TVETs, artisans, and operator training. Capacity building of multi-village management bodies and town water utilities is part of our routine programming. Therefore, the focus is on the professionalisation of WASH services.
Main challenges
Access to safe drinking water is still a challenge in several part of the world. In Least Developed Countries, only 37,5% of the population has access to safe drinking water. Unreliable water supply or sewerage systems and contaminated or fragile existing water sources are leading to waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid. Inadequate sanitation facilities and poor hygiene practices further aggravate the problem. Moreover, lack of water management causes unsustainability, and thus, the efficiency and effectiveness of WASH interventions are imperilled.
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by inadequate WASH services, as they often bear the responsibility for collecting water and managing household sanitation. The lack of access to safe and private sanitation facilities can compromise their safety, dignity, and overall well-being.
Furthermore, climate change exacerbates water scarcity and variability, affecting the availability and quality of water resources. Increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as floods and droughts, further strain WASH infrastructure and resilience. The IPCC 6th assessment report has identified water as one of the main key risks. About 90% of climate impacts relate to water—too much, too little, or too dirty—yet only 3% of climate finance is currently dedicated to the world’s water systems.
Our expertise
Our climate-resilient WASH programming tackles the problems mentioned above by considering current and long-term climate risks. This includes investments in:
- Improving access to water and sanitation facilities through infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance (including skills development),
- Behaviour change campaigns promoting good hygiene practices,
- Capacity building for local communities, and improving local governance and public accountability of WASH services in climate vulnerable areas,
- Policy support that prioritises WASH initiatives in national development agendas,
- Efficient, integrated use and management of water resources, including reduction and reuse (reduction of water footprint),
- Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation solutions (EbA) for upstream protection, retention/recharge, and watershed/catchment management (results in resilience & downstream water quality increase),
Our projects
Building resilient WASH systems in Ethiopia through multi-sectoral assistance: We have been active in the WASH sector in Ethiopia since 2004. Based on our long-term knowledge and experience, we developed a complex multi-sectoral approach to build resilient WASH systems in the country.
Angola - Omande-Win Integrated Support to the Water and Nutrition Sector in Namibe: We adopted a holistic approach to strengthen food and nutrition resilience and security via interconnected agriculture and WASH components of the population most affected by climate change in Southern Angola
Water and sanitation in Syria: in conflict affected contexts, our nexus approach has contributed to alleviate suffering by improving access to water and sanitation and contributed to climate resilience with sustainable water management practices.
