Dear SuSanA, I would like to highlight following news from RWSN, which may be for interest:

• E-discussion by UNC and RWSN, April 6 - 26: Responding to the current COVID-19 crisis: questions, resources, and implications for rural water supply at the operational level. Pose your questions to public health and water experts and exchange your experiences on how to address the crisis: Register here

• RWSN Webinar, April 14: Demystifying the human right to safe drinking water in rural areas. Exchange with the Human Rights experts: Mr.Léo Heller, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking waterand sanitation in the English webinar and with Ms. Héloïse Chicou,Sanitation and Water for all (SWA) in the French webinar. Register here for the webinar in English and here inFrench . You are invited to share your questions  here beforehand by 8 April.

 We hope the exchange and resources will support you in your response to the current crisis. 
Thanks

Sean

Hi everyone

I welcome your ideas on how the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) and SuSanA should respond to the Coronavirus. I have been hesitant about us communicating much through RWSN yet because there is already a deluge of information and internet traffic on this and I think we should only add to it if we can be useful. I would also want to be sure that information passing through the network is accurate and verified. Updates from trusted sources, like USAID Water Currents are really great and we don't want to duplicate Dan's great work. Likewise, SWA held a really successful webinar yesterday and are taking an active leadership role for the WASH sector, which I applaud.

However, we have a duty to a respond to, but perhaps more broadly relating to practical/operational measures around the outbreak in a way that is relevant to (rural) WASH in low and middle income countries.

A couple of quick ideas:

• We organise an e-discussion (on the RWSN and/or SuSanA Forums) to encourage sharing of challenges and solutions from network members (downside – risk of bad ideas or misinformation being spread)
• We change one of our webinars, add another one, or include a regular coronavirus information item to the current line-up
• We collate some recommended guidance materials and do a blog post + mailshot

Any other ideas? What would members of this Forum like to see our two networks doing over the coming weeks and months?

Thanks!

Sean