Stef Smits is a senior programme officer and Co-director of IRC's Growth Hub. He has 20 years of professional experience in water supply and sanitation in over 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Southern Africa, and South Asia. His main thematic expertise includes: institutional models for water supply, sustainability and enabling environment, monitoring, costing and financing of services and integrated water resources management.
Stef has led numerous projects on these topics, and published about them. In addition, he has ample management expertise: from consultancy assignments to multi-annual programmes, and units within an organisation. He has worked for a range of clients including bilateral donors, development banks, research funders and NGOs. Stef holds an MSc degree in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
I have argued at times for the need for post-construction support to rural water supply, and so have various publications from IRC and others over the past decade. However, there has been critique to this, stating that there is little evidence that shows that such help helps improving rural water... Read more...
This paper recommends a range of practical and well-proven methods and tools for managing risk and uncertainty linked to climate change and other... Read more...
Why have we been unable to provide a sustainable water service to rural people for so long? What were the success factors in the areas where there... Read more...
Could lack of definition be undermining the impact of effective but costly support? Read more...
One of the pillars of the new Dutch development policy is to promote private sector involvement as a motor for economic growth. Read more...
Long and short case studies, in Spanish, have relevant lessons for the WASH sector, and for those who aim to achieve greater impact Read more...
El periódico 'The Guardian' publicó el otro día un artículo que afirmaba que los proyectos de agua y saneamiento no son lo suficientemente atractivos, y por lo tanto los donantes no están dispuestos a invertir en ellos. Read more...
Estudio revela diferentes modelos de apoyo post-construcción a prestadores de servicios en zonas rurales de Colombia Read more...
Water For People adopted the "Everyone, Forever" approach. IRC carried out a case study to learn lessons on scaling-up rural water and sanitation services. Read more...