May 8, 2013 Webinar – Removing Barriers to WASH by the RWSN equity and inclusion group

The RWSN equity and inclusion group is pleased to announce its latest webinar on Removing Barriers to WASH. If you would like to attend, please inform ShamilaJansz@wateraid.org. For more details, see below:  

Description: WEDC and WaterAid have developed a new set of ‘Equity and Inclusion in WASH’ learning materials.

We have been collaborating to develop practical training materials for WASH practitioners, to help them analyse and address the problems faced by the most disadvantaged people in accessing WASH services. Extensively field-tested by WaterAid and WEDC in Africa and Asia, the materials are participatory and interactive, and are ideal to facilitate practical collaboration and problem-solving between disabled people and technical service providers. They can be used as stand-alone activities, or as part of a broader training programme. Although rooted in the social model of disability, the scope of the analysis framework has been broadened to encompass exclusion of all kinds. This makes the materials useful in building alliances with groups working on other issues, e.g. gender, HIV, ageing.

WEDC & WSP online learning course – Rural Sanitation at Scale

The Water Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) of Loughborough University, UK, in partnership with the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) of the World Bank, recently developed a self-paced online course that addresses the important global challenges facing the water and sanitation sector.

The course, titled Rural Sanitation at Scale, which is featured as a unit in WEDC’s master’s (MSc) program, is also offered free-of-charge as a non-accredited professional development unit for sector professionals interested in learning more about the issues of scaling-up sanitation in rural areas.
The course is divided into three parts: 

Part 1 – Lays out the challenge of scaling up rural sanitation in context, examining fundamental aspects of sanitation provision and the reasons why, up to now, the goal of sanitation at scale has proved elusive. 

Part 2 – Examines the core theory of change for sustainable programs. In particular it looks at the first two, of three, key components or pillars required for change: the creation of demand and the supply chain.

Part 3 – Continues to explore the core theory of change, focusing on the enabling environment. The unit concludes with a discussion of how the three pillars fit together and what steps are necessary to take an at-scale program forward.

Each section takes approximately 1 hour of study time, excluding associated reading, and is delivered using a variety of media including slide presentations, film clips, animations, photography and graphics supported by selected online publications.

• Access the WEDC/WSP course directly or on the
• World Bank Water website and the 
• WSP website.

Note: You will need to allow pop-ups for the course to run.

• For more information, please contact R.J. Shaw (WEDC) or Eddy Perez (WSP)
• Read WSP’s publication What Does it Take to Scale Up Rural Sanitation? (PDF)

36th WEDC International Conference, July 1-5, 2013, Nakuru, Kenya

Delivering Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services in an Uncertain Environment

• Dates: 1-5 July 2013,
• Location: co-hosted at Egerton University, Nakuru, Kenya

CALL FOR PAPERS AND OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS

The WEDC International Conference is a comprehensive learning event, which provides continued professional development for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector professionals. 

A three-day conference programme initially facilitates the sharing of current knowledge and experiences, through presentations and debate of peer-reviewed content.

This is followed by a two-day capacity development programme, comprising quality-assured workshops designed to develop skills and knowledge in hot topic areas, which have been jointly identified with sector stakeholders.

For full details visit: http://www.wedcconference.co.uk

Download the Call for Papers here:
http://www.wedcconference.co.uk/docs/36th_Conference_Call.pdf

Submit your paper or poster through My WEDC.
https://wedc-knowledge.lboro.ac.uk/

WEDC & WaterAid – Equity and Inclusion in WASH

WEDC and WaterAid announce a new set of learning materials: ‘Equity and Inclusion in WASH’ 

Extensively field-tested by WaterAid and WEDC in Africa and Asia, the materials are participatory and interactive, and are designed to help WASH practitioners analyse and address the problems faced by the most disadvantaged people in accessing WASH services.

They can be used as stand-alone activities, or as part of a broader training programme.

• Link

Potential PhD in Menstrual Hygiene Management at WEDC, Loughborough University

The Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC), UK, is exploring the possibility of supporting a student to carry out PhD research related to Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). In some exceptional cases, funding for international students may be considered under the WEDC scholarship programmes. In all cases, very strong academic credentials and an outstanding research idea will be expected.

If you are interested contact Dr. Julie Fisher outlining your relevant experience, qualifications and area of interest by 31 August 2012.

Related publication:
Crofts, T. and Fisher, J., 2012. Menstrual hygiene in Ugandan schools: an investigation of low-cost sanitary pads. Journal of water, sanitation and hygiene for development ; vol. 2, no. 1 ; p. 50-58. Available at: <https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/dspace-jspui/handle/2134/9399>

WEDC fact sheet – Menstruation hygiene management for schoolgirls in low-income countries

Instructions on how to make a basic cloth sanitary pad. From the WEDC factsheet on Menstruation hygiene management for schoolgirls.

WEDC has produced a usual fact sheet on the problems experienced by menstruating schoolgirls in low-income countries. Although its focus is predominantly sub-Saharan Africa, many of the issues raised are relevant to girls in most low-income countries, although there may be differences in popular practice and beliefs. The fact sheet also evaluates simple solutions to these problems including the use of low-cost sanitary pads, and suggests ways in which menstruation hygiene management (MHM) can be included in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes. It considers how menstrual practices are affected by cultural beliefs and the lack of education both at home and at school.

Crofts, T., 2012. Menstruation hygiene management for schoolgirls in low-income countries. (WEDC fact sheet ; 7). Loughborough, UK, Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC). 8 p. Available at: <wedc.lboro.ac.uk/resources/factsheets/FS007_MHM_A4_Pages.pdf>

UK: Loughborough experts to ‘reinvent the toilet’ in global project

A multi-disciplinary team from the Water Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) at Loughborough University led by Professor M.Sohail has won a £250,000 (US$ 408,000) grant in an international competition to “re-invent the toilet” organised by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In the project’s first phase, the team will validate certain key principles to design a toilet, which will recover energy and other valuable resources from human excreta without disposing any hazardous waste that could threaten human and environmental health.

Faeces will be transformed into a highly energetic combustible through a process combining hydrothermal carbonisation followed by combustion. The process will be powered by heat generated during the combustion phase of faeces processing.

The likely results are converting human waste into useful material for energy generation or soil conditioning, including water for hand-washing and other ablutions.

The toilet must be able to work in both single-family and community environments and should cost just pennies a day per person to run.

The WEDC team will present the results of their work to teh Gates Foundation at meeting in August 2012.

Source: Loughborough University, 20 Jul 2011

35th WEDC International Conference – Call for Papers

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of WEDC in 2011, we are delighted to invite you to Loughborough University, where WEDC is based, for the 35th WEDC International Conference: “The future of water, sanitation and hygiene in low-income countries: Innovation, adaptation and engagement in a changing world” , to be held from 6-8 July 2011.

• The Call for Papers is now available.
• Website for submitting papers.

WEDC is one of the world’s leading education and research institutes for developing knowledge and capacity in water and sanitation for sustainable development and emergency relief. The WEDC International Conference is a practitioner and research focused conference, exchanging knowledge and experiences in the water and sanitation sector. We particularly encourage delegates from low-income countries, and those from the public and private sectors, Higher Education and research institutes, donors and bi-lateral agencies and NGO practitioners to submit papers.

Sponsorship Opportunities:
The 35th WEDC International Conference would also like to offer the opportunity for international organisations to sponsor the conference. There are many possible ways of doing this, for example, by providing support for delegates from low-income countries. For further details, please see http://www.wedcconference.co.uk/sponsorship.html

Ghana – Water And Engineering Conference Ends

The 33rd Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) International Conference ended in Accra last Friday with a call for strong advocacy and political will to address sanitation issues in Africa.

The five-day conference, which attracted over 300 participants from Africa and Asia, called for hard work and frank discussions on sanitation to save over 2.6 billion people in Africa living without safe and hygienic places of convenience.

Mr John Lane, a member of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council of WEDC, said Africa was not doing well in managing sanitation, despite an increase in population.  He said the continent should, apart from the health and social benefits, consider the income generation potential in proper sanitation management.

Read More – Modern Ghana

Ghana – 33rd WEDC International Conference – Access to Sanitation and Safe Water

33^rd WEDC International Conference – Access to Sanitation and Safe Water: Global Partnerships and Local Actions
Location: Accra, Ghana
Dates: 7-11 April 2008

The conference is organized around four main themes:

• Water Resources
• Water Supply
• Environmental Sanitation
• Institutional and Management Issues

Lasting five days and hosted by Ghana’s Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, the conference will attract around 500 delegates from across the world. More than 120 papers and posters will be presented during the event, which will also feature informal discussion groups, debates and workshops.

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