The launching took place on December 11, 2024 in Addis Ababa
As a "think and do tank" organisation, IRC is leveraging the WASH Systems Academy to share valuable insights and knowledge about WASH systems strengthening. As part of this process, IRC WASH Ethiopia is launching the translation of the’ WASH Systems Strengthening: The basics’ course in Amharic and Afan Oromo.
Published on: 18/12/2024
We are in the era of remote everything, remote learning, remote work, and remote access. In this digital age, sharing knowledge through online platforms has become the most effective way to learn and grow. In pursuit of knowledge, you no longer need to physically attend a school; the school comes to you, right at your fingertips, as long as you have an internet connection.
As a "think and do tank" organisation, IRC is leveraging the WASH Systems Academy to share valuable insights and knowledge about WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) systems strengthening. As part of this process, IRC WASH Ethiopia is launching the translation of the’ WASH Systems Strengthening: The basics’ course in Amharic and Afan Oromo.
In April 2021, IRC WASH Ethiopia, in partnership with the Ethiopian Water Technology Institute (EWTI), provided a training of trainers to selected EWTI staff. During the training, participants recommended adapting the ‘WASH Systems Strengthening: The Basics’ course to the Ethiopian context. Accordingly, IRC WASH and EWTI set to work, incorporating various experiences, challenges, and success stories from Ethiopia. Additionally, there was a recommendation to translate the course into local languages to make the knowledge more accessible to trainees. Therefore, IRC WASH Ethiopia focused on getting the course translated into Amharic and Afan Oromo.
Thanks to funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, ‘WASH Systems Strengthening: The basics’ was translated into Amharic and Afan Oromo. Following the translation, EWTI and IRC WASH jointly conducted blended training tests of the translated version. Feedback was gathered from trainees during the testing phase, leading to further refinement of the translation.
On December 11, 2024, IRC WASH, in collaboration with EWTI, launched the translated course in the presence of various partner organisations and government representatives in the WASH sector. During the launch event, the Director General of EWTI, Dr. Tamene Hailu, emphasised the importance of learning about WASH systems strengthening and the need for collaboration within the sector to ensure the translated course reaches a wide audience.
Zewdu Seifu had worked at EWTI and significantly contributed to the development and translation of the contextualised course. He mentioned that he had the opportunity to take various courses and provide different trainings, but he had never experienced such a user friendly, interactive, and diverse approach as the WASH Systems Academy courses.
During discussions at the launch event, participants highlighted the need to promote the course and the shared responsibility of all actors in the sector. There was also a call for government ownership of the course and its incorporation into the government capacity development programme, as the knowledge is vital to WASH systems in general.
