Integrating inclusion for equitable WASH climate change responses

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Women in this photo are working together on a systems mapping activity to assess how climate change hazards may affect gender equality and social inclusion in water and sanitation services.

Women work together on a systems mapping activity to assess how climate change hazards may affect gender equality and social inclusion in water and sanitation services (UTS-ISF / Tamara Megaw)

 

Our thanks to research partners, the University of Technology, Sydney – Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF), for this reflection on their project, Climate change response for inclusive WASH, in partnership with Yayasan Plan International Indonesia and WaterAid in Timor-Leste.

 

Where we started

At the start of the project, we identified an opportunity to support the WASH sector to build knowledge about how to address the multiple, intersecting impacts of climate change on WASH services and the health, gender equality and well-being of communities.

We reviewed academic and practitioner literature on WASH and climate change, climate change and gender and social inclusion (GSI), and GSI and WASH. We noted the paucity of literature on the WASH-climate change-GSI nexus. The project therefore aimed to contribute to filling this gap by developing a conceptual framework that outlines our understanding of the WASH-climate change-GSI nexus based on the literature and our own critical thinking. This research project aimed to support civil society organisations (CSOs) to assess climate change impacts to improve the service, gender and social inclusion outcomes of WASH programs. 

 

children wash laundry using buckets, soap and water from a tank in an open area of the project site in Indonesia
Baseline conditions of water handling and use in communities at commencement of the project in Maggarai, Indonesia (Plan International)

The project

The project involved the development of a conceptual model and framework for climate-resilient inclusive WASH. Our framework was refined following our in-country work with our partners including co-design, workshops and field-testing.

We spent four weeks each with Plan Indonesia and WaterAid Timor-Leste field staff to explore linkages between climate resilience, GSI and WASH in communities that the CSO partners work in, and to co-develop activities for guidance notes. During the workshop component of these in-country visits, UTS-ISF and the CSO partners shared knowledge on climate change and inclusive WASH with each other, and planned participatory activities to trial with communities to collect evidence of climate impacts on inclusive WASH, build the capacity of UTS-ISF and CSO partner staff to conduct climate impact assessments, and help communities develop local responses to mitigate impacts. UTS-ISF and CSO partner field staff then spent three weeks trialing the activities in rural communities in Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

The project team focused on the existing strengths of the community – such as traditional knowledge about land management and agriculture, traditional relationships that facilitate cooperation and respect, and links to government – to integrate climate change into rural water programs and understand community responses to climate change.

UTS-ISF, with support from CSO partners, designed two guidance notes that give step-by step instructions to facilitators on implementing participatory community-based techniques for assessing climate impacts on inclusive WASH (particularly with regards to gender and disability), and drawing on local strengths to develop solutions. The guidance notes are available in Indonesian and Tetum to enable their ongoing use by the CSO partners and their in-country partners. Partners also developed case studies, held a virtual learning event and further documented evidence in journal articles, blog posts and conference presentations.

 

“WaterAid Timor-Leste are using the CCRIW tools to mentor their implementing partners to integrate climate risk management into their existing community action plan process for inclusive rural water services, and are using findings of CCRIW activities to support water user committees in rural communities to develop regulations to strengthen inclusive climate resilience of community-managed water supplies.”

Angelo Ximenes, WASH Engineering Specialist, WaterAid Timor-Leste.

 

The project produced a number of outputs, including publishing: 

 

Where we are now

We have been able to demonstrate an approach that integrates climate resilience and inclusion in WASH programming. The approach:

  • is practical and grounded in practitioner experience 
  • offers guidance for partners to deliver inclusive, climate resilient WASH
  • strengthens WASH program outcomes through improving suitability of WASH solutions to better respond to the community’s needs and build resilience
  • provides evidence for the approach to inform broader WASH practice.

 

Broader WASH sector contributions

The research was designed to support the efforts of WASH practitioners facing increasing challenges from climate change impacts. We published the conceptual framework in a learning paper so that other researchers, students, and practitioners may draw on it to inform their thinking and evolve sector discourse on the topic.

UTS-ISF has been working with several international CSOs to share project findings. Building on interest in the work, UTS-ISF partnered with UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office to deliver the Water for Women Innovation and Impact project, Climate change response for inclusive WASH: transferring knowledge for greater impact.

Other knowledge and learning from this project:

 

 

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