Using E-learning to build capacities on systems strengthening

Published on: 13/04/2023

For strong WASH systems, we need capacities.

The WASH Systems Academy is sustainably contributing to building these capacities by providing online courses, where everyone can learn what it takes to deliver resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene services and be part of the change needed to leave no one behind.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene systems strengthening can help lead to benefits such as more sustainable services, improvements in long-term operations and maintenance of small water systems, and improved governance and accountability.

Ensuring that these WASH services last, needs holistic thinking and strong systems in place. With the WASH Systems Academy's free online courses, we are contributing to building strong WASH systems together. 

Since 2020, the WASH Systems Academy offered several courses and has continued to look for possible strategies for going to scale and increasing impact.  One of these is to explore embedding courses in existing training institutes and using a blended learning approach next to self-paced and guided online courses.        For instance, the collaboration with IRC and the Ethiopian Water Technology Institute (EWTI) in Ethiopia where a nine-day Training of Trainers (ToT) on WASH systems strengthening was given. Thereby allowing IRC to test a blended learning approach on a national and regional level and explore possibilities of embedding existing courses in a national training institute. 

A key point of WASH system strengthening is enabling governments to lead and drive change as they are ultimately responsible for service provision in a country.

IRC Ethiopia together with partners has planned four blended^[1] trainings with the [customised] online courses for Ethiopia in 2023.

What is offered? 

In Ethiopia, the courses offered are customised by translating key concepts to the Ethiopian context and linking them to the policies and guidelines with examples from Ethiopia.

In 2023, four blended trainings of the WASH systems academy courses will be offered in Ethiopia, and the translated version in Afan Oromo and Amharic will be used for the trainings. The planned trainings are Hilton renewal in Amhara, Vitol in South Omo, and testing in Amharic and Afan Oromo. The objective is to test the translated versions in the local language.

Trainings coming soon!

• WASH system strengthening for Ethiopia (Afan Oromo)
• WASH system strengthening for Ethiopia (Amharic)

Courses currently offered  

The online courses on the WASH Systems Academy as part of the custom-made courses include: 

• Market-Based Sanitation: The Basics
• WASH system strengthening for Ethiopia.
• Three trainings led by Ethiopian Water Technology Institute (For Oromia region water bureau staff, Amhara region water bureau staff, and Arba Minch University and two districts of Welthungerhilfe) using the basic course module for Ethiopia.
• Training of Trainers for Ethiopian Water Technology Institute (WASH system strengthening: The Basics, the building blocks of sustainable WASH systems and Driving systems change for Universal Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Hygiene services

Registering is easy; for guidance click here to access the courses.

These courses are offered as self-paced, self-guided Massive Open Online Courses [MOOCs] that are available for free with support provided by IRC via email.

In partnership

IRC and Ethiopian Water Technology Institute [EWTI] signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on capacity building on WASH systems strengthening. The EWTI is a center of excellence in capacity building and technology transfer in Ethiopia's water sector and strives for rapid development in the sector through capacity building, research, and study of technology transfer. ToT was provided to EWTI instructors using a blended training approach and a WASH system strengthening module for Ethiopia was developed. EWTI cascaded the training to two regions and one university in Ethiopia using blended training.

Roll-out plan of the courses in Ethiopia:

For more information about the trainings in Ethiopia visit: Country page

 If you want to know more about the training, please contact:  IRC Training