The Hague (June 20, 2018) – The International Water Association (IWA) and Water for People signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to engage in cooperative efforts to build opportunities for training and capacity development of water professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa. The agreement also facilitates the sharing of knowledge and expertise on intermittent water supply and fecal sludge management.

Since 2009, IWA has conducted human resource capacity gaps studies in 15 countries, nine of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa. The widespread shortfall of trained water and sanitation professionals to meet the rising demand for water and sanitation services was bewildering, furthering the conviction of the need to strengthen capacity gap assessments on which action plans and strategies can be built in order to reach universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Through this MOU, IWA and Water for People will incorporate each other’s experiences in diverse countries south of the Sahara to foster the development of the sector through the transfer of knowledge, experience and specialist skills.

“IWA intends to make a contribution to the development of the sector in those regions and bring water professionals from those countries into its global network. More specifically, IWA is seeking ways to further some of its thematic work and explore opportunities to be more active in a peri-urban context. Central to this approach would be the connections between IWA members and water professionals at large to exchange knowledge and expertise,” said Kala Vairavamoorthy, IWA Executive Director.

“We are excited to work with IWA on building opportunities for training and capacity development of water professionals in engineering, operations, and maintenance in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Water for People CEO, Eleanor Allen. “We also look forward to working with IWA to develop ways to further engage the nonprofit sector in IWA’s work.”

Through this agreement, IWA and Water For People expect to contribute to a greater sustainable water development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Read the signed MOU here.

Watch the video to learn more about Water for People’s Everyone Forever model to solve the global water and sanitation crisis:

Water for People on comprehensive service delivery approaches in low/middle income countries from IWA on Vimeo.

About the International Water Association

IWA works across a range of areas that contribute to the progression of water management worldwide. Members and staff are situated in 130 countries worldwide, forming the largest international network of water professionals working towards a water-wise world. Learn more at www.iwa-network.org.

About Water For People

Water For People is global nonprofit dedicated to providing access to improved water and sanitation systems and services in nine countries. Water For People empowers local governments, community members, and service providers to invest in the long-term solutions and systems so that every family, clinic, and school has lasting access to safe water and sanitation for generations to come. This impact model is called Everyone Forever. Learn more at www.waterforpeople.org.