Rather than installing more pumps or building more latrines, NGO Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Canada aims to build a more effective sector. A new case study examines their strategy and the results.
Published on: 16/06/2013
When Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Canada began working in Malawi in 2005, they focused on partnering with implementing organisations and working to build their capacity. In 2008, they shifted to a strategy based on the goal of enhancing the sector’s overall effectiveness at providing sustainable rural water and sanitation services.
EWB staff saw a sector that had the requisite funding and administrative structures but could not put the pieces together. Around 100 NGOs and 10 donors were injecting some $50 million annually into the sector through various WASH projects, but with little impact on the sector’s overall ability to deliver sustainable services at scale.
Rather than implement more projects, EWB began focusing on strengthening coordination and learning—gaps that were holding the sector back. Field staff work alongside local officials in devising appropriate, low-resource solutions, and team leaders use local experiences to inform the strategies of national and international stakeholders.
To learn more about EWB's theory of change, download the Think Piece by Mike Kang and Megan Campbell from the link below.