Largest Humanitarian WASH Gap Analysis Launched: Identifying Critical Gaps to Improve Support to People Affected by Crisis
Whilst we may evaluate programmes at country level, we rarely have the opportunity to take a global snapshot of gaps. Gaps help us understand what is most restricting the humanitarian sector’s potential to meet essential needs, minimise WASH-related diseases, strengthen resilience response, and restore life with dignity to people in emergencies.
A partnership made up of the Global WASH Cluster, Elrha, Oxfam and Cranfield University have come together to do precisely this for the humanitarian Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
Andy Bastable, Oxfam’s Head of Water and Sanitation for its Global Humanitarian Team, said: “This will be the biggest and most ambitious WASH gap analysis that we as a sector have attempted to carry out. We must have a better understanding of the gaps in WASH responses to be able to be more timely and more effective in supporting those affected by crisis. We also believe it’s the largest and most inclusive gap analysis carried out by any humanitarian sector.”
Cecilie Hestbaek, Senior Innovation Manager with Elrha’s Humanitarian Innovation Fund, said: “What makes this Gap Analysis really different is that we will be consulting with a wide range of people to make sure we hear from everyone connected with the humanitarian WASH sector about what they perceive as the critical gaps. We will particularly ensure that people affected by crisis have the opportunity to identify gaps in a safe, accountable and ethical way, directly influencing what is prioritised to be addressed globally.”
Franck Bouvet, Global WASH Cluster said: “We want to see the results directly contribute to improving outcomes for those affected by emergencies. We will analyse the results, and take a long hard look at the humanitarian WASH sector to see how can we best respond to the gaps identified to make sure we are doing all we can to meet essential needs, minimise WASH-related diseases, restore life with dignity and strengthen resilience.”
Elrha’s Humanitarian Innovation Fund will also use the results of the study to identify which gaps can be best supported through innovation. All partners involved hope the results influence other innovation donors’ investment choices too.
This project is not only inclusive in who will be consulted, but it relies on the support of the humanitarian community to collect data on gaps at the field level. Andy Bastable said: “A project of this scale can only be done with the support of the broader humanitarian community in implementing these consultations. Often those at the field response level are not consulted on global strategies – this is their opportunity to have a voice, influence change and improve outcomes for people affected by crisis”.
If your organisation is present in a humanitarian context and would be interested in supporting the consultation, we are eager to hear from you to share information on how you can be part of this exciting and crucial project. For further information, please see our webpage at the Global WASH Cluster.