Strategic Partnerships

• Rural communities need access to information on technologies adapted to their demands and their capacities
• Programs/projects need information on what is available, what works and can be kept working, in the specific context of their country and region
• Sector agencies that are responsible for policies, program planning and managing need to be able to provide guidance on specifications and to foster innovations
• Sector agencies that are responsible for policies, program planning and managing need to organize support and funding for community initiatives and for building related capacity
• Sector agencies that are responsible for policies, program planning and managing need to establish technical guidance support services in rural areas
• Sector stakeholders and actors need a forum and a network to share their experience and disseminate information
• Manufacturers and distributors need clear information and easy access to new market opportunities.

RWSN support covers the entire Sub-Saharan African region, with initial concentration on Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) focus countries. However, the RWSN support to countries outside Africa continues. The selection of the countries for action research will be based on effective demand and responsiveness of the concerned agencies. Further expansion of RWSN activities will depend on project success and the availability of resources.

RWSN builds alliances and linkages for technical co-operation and local capacity building, enabling South-South contact and North-South dialogues. Working towards common objectives, RWSN co-operates closely with partners and networks such as the World Bank WSP, UNICEF, WSSCC, and GARNET. The International Training Network for Water and Waste Management institutions and their strategic partnerships with individual resource centres and resource centre groups (such as WELL, Streams of Knowledge) have the potential to play a strong role in widening knowledge dissemination. Cooperation with RWSN will help to improve the impact of the individual centres and to further develop the regional dimension of this network.

More effective networking in rural water supply can be achieved by bringing fragmented constituencies together and by bridging the gaps that exist between the public sector, the private sector and civil society. Local NGOs can be especially helpful in giving dispersed rural communities an effective voice. UWASNET, APPROTECH, and SEMA are examples of local agencies whose networking reach should be further enhanced. The newly formed South African chapter of RWSN draws largely on private sector and NGO enthusiasm. It can be a model for other regional or national RWSN chapters.