Hi everyone

Does anyone have experience of how development banks incorporate (or not) innovation and evidence into their technical assistance and WASH programmes with national governments?  I'm trying to find ways to build bridges between research, the experience of practitioners and the work of colleagues in the World Bank and regional development banks.

Here is a new blog post and podcast about the Asian Development Bank's experiences in Vietnam  medium.com/usaid-global-waters/a-billion...ilities-af9030df3e23  

cheers

Sean

Hi Sean, 
Here is a World Bank funded WASH project in Malawi that we wrote about recently in our research.  The investment was higher per capita than typically permitted, but 10-years later overall a very sustainable system despite a uniquely challenging lake island environment. 

Holm, R. H., Tembo, M., Kasulo, V., Gavanala, M. B. and Chilongo, L. Institutional, technical and financial sustainability of rural piped drinking water supply on a freshwater island: Case study of Likoma Island, Malawi. Lakes & Reservoirs: Research & Management, 2022, 27(2), e12403. DOI: 10.1111/lre.12403  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lre.12403

Thanks Rochelle -  could you mail me a copy of that paper? Thanks

Hi Sean,

This is certainly a relevant topic of discussion. How do you define Innovation and evidence in this regard?  Is it based on previous programmes and interventions? Research? or other? and by whom? Previous interventions by the Banks? other partners in the space? or is it the grant recipients (public institutions etc.) they intend on supporting? Just wondering out loud. 

I know from the perspective of one of the Banks I was engaged with that feasibility and pre-feasibility studies encompass a lot of what constitutes research before technical assistance or assistance in any form is granted. I am also aware that a decent amount of time and resources are invested into this. Whether this is sufficient is another question?

Have you had any engagements with Bank representatives following this post to get better insights? Would appreciate an update. 

Regards,
Chaiwe

Hi Chaiwe

We are involved in a programme called SIRWASH , funded by the Swiss and implemented by the Inter American Development Bank and one of the areas we are looking at is how experiences (positive and negative) can be shared with other regions to help improve the planning and implementation of national rural WASH programmes.
When it comes to 'innovation' I guess it is how much those feasibility and pre-feasibility studies you refer to rely on places like SuSanA to guide thinking and planning. Do these studies look at what is available in the published literature or are they narrowly based on local baseline studies and stakeholder views?

S

Hi Chaiwe and Sean

What are the requirements for application to the Development Bank regarding sanitation and waste management solutions for informal settlements and rural areas?

Development Banks provide funding and technical support to governments, so with the exception of a few direct consultancy tenders, most procurement is done through government channels