Hi everyone,

I am excited to announce that I will join Dorothee as co-lead for Working Group 1. I have been slow to introduce myself, but it is better late than never...at least I always say.

I joined CAWST in July 2016, after a National Science Foundation research fellowship at University of Colorado Boulder focused on the management of US-based onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS), such as septic systems. The research used OWTS performance data from Boulder County in Colorado to model the reliability, risk, and resilience of very decentralized, owner-operated sanitation solutions and was used to inform county level regulations to ensure long-term performance.

Since joining CAWST, I have been involved in a variety of ways on a variety of projects related to non-sewered sanitation (NSS). Some of the projects include work with the NIUA team on city- and state- level fecal sludge management (FSM) based needs assessments in 2016 to guide the mobilization of the Sanitation Capacity Building Platform and partnering with seecon on a market assessment of sanitation knowledge management for SuSanA.

Most recently, I have been managing a project focused on capacity development services (i.e. training, peer-to-peer sharing, etc.) that meet the needs and priorities of the professionals responsible for the various aspects of NSS service delivery. In this work, members of the CAWST team, including myself, have collaborated with organizations such as ITN-BUET, ENPHO, AfWA and PASA to better understand and address the learning needs and preferences of NSS players such as municipal officials, mayors, and emptying service providers.

CAWST understands that capacity development is the foundation to achieve access to well managed WASH services. Effective capacity development should result in empowered individuals, strong organizations, and supportive systems to ultimately implement appropriate solutions. While the discussion around capacity development is growing, how to do it effectively—the nitty gritty details—are often neglected or simplified in our everyday discourse. For all of you involved in this same endeavor, you know how challenging it can be to not only do the work, but explain your approach and fund it.

I look forward to engaging with all of you and discussing how we might inform, support, and advocate for effective capacity development in the broader sanitation sector.

All the best,
Laura

Hello Capacity Developers,

I’m excited to be the new co-lead of working group 1. I look forward to supporting Dorothee Spuhler in achieving our group’s objectives and working with the members of the group. Capacity development is critical for scaling up sanitation!

About myself: I’ve been with CAWST for over 2 years working as an Education Program Developer focused on sanitation. I’ve been leading the development of our sanitation materials, which includes our latrine design and construction workshop and more recently our co-developed workshop on fecal sludge management with SANDEC. I also work with clients to improve or develop their training materials. This past year, I’ve worked a lot with NIUA in India, to design and implement a Sanitation Capacity Building Platform (SCBP).

I have a MSc Water and Environmental Management from WEDC, Loughborough University and a BSc in Environmental Sciences focused on water resources from the University of Southampton. Before joining CAWST, I worked as a water consultant in French Guiana where I worked on WASH projects with both isolated communities and local government.

But most importantly, I’m really passionate about sanitation and capacity building!

Hope to meet you soon,

Sterenn