Frugal innovation is the process of reducing the complexity and cost of a good and its production, allowing it to be used by a larger group of people....

Green keeper Africa has built a communication policy that brings unexpected benefits today. Our experience on when, how and where to communicate is shared in this document. We believe that the path to "best communication for a start-up project" is not always obvious and the fishing world is an excellent metaphor!...

Measuring how efficiently water is used in agriculture, particularly in water-scarce countries, is going high-tech with the help of a new tool developed by FAO....

As it's so clearly explained, we share a part of the text of the Deltares' website with you. This tool provides you insight in the flood and disaster risk and financial (avoided) consequences....

In this map, you can see where surface water changes have occured during the last 30 years. "Green pixels show where surface water has been turned into land (accretion, land reclamation, droughts). Blue pixels show where land has been changed into surface water (erosion, reservoir construction)"....

'The Atlas is built around World Development Indicators 2017  — the World Bank's compilation of statistics from over 200 economies about global development and the quality of people's lives. For each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, selected indicators have been identified and visualized to analyze trends and challenges, and to stimulate discussion on measurement issues. You can browse...

Urban Farmer is a serious game developed by Future Agricultures and the Department of Informatics, Sussex University....

Old but gold. This is advice of Paul Graham, programmer, writer and investor, who has funded over 1000 startups, including Dropbox, Airbnb, Stripe, and Reddit with the company Y Combinator. Great lessons, covering capacity, the importance of choosing the right platforms and techniques, to team dynamics....

Globally, over 80% of all wastewater is discharged without treatment. This report of the UN World Water Assessment Programme assesses the problem of wastewater per sector and per region. We recommend chapter 9 on Regional Aspects, Africa, and chapter 16 on Water Reuse and Cost Recovery, and chapter 17 on Knowledge, Innovation, Research and Capacity Development....

Ce programme s’inscrit dans le cadre de la coopération bilatérale entre le gouvernement du Bénin et celui des Pays Bas dans le domaine de l’eau...

What would Africa look like in 2100?...

Great strides have been made in improving sanitation in many developing countries. Yet, 2.4 billion people worldwide still lack access to adequate sanitation facilities and the poorest and most vulnerable members of society are often not reached and their specific needs are not met. Moreover, sustainability is currently one of the key challenges in CLTS and wider WASH practice, subsuming issues...

The tool is developed to determine faecal waste volumes along the entire sanitation service chain, allowing city planners, service authorities or any other users to determine where the biggest losses are and where interventions should be targeted. Less easily quantifiable issues such as the existence of policies and legislation, availability and transparency of plans and budgets, presence and...

Resilient Cities is the global forum on urban resilience and adaptation convened in Bonn, Germany. The congress series provides an international platform to share the latest information, good practices, challenges, and innovations for creating more resilient cities. The 7th edition of Resilient Cities focused on driving forward implementation and financing of urban resilience toward the goal of...

Resources: A review of resources and published papers on water, sanitation and hygiene in developing countries...

In an approach that has gained ground in rural areas of several less-developed countries, the manufacturer or supplier of a water or sanitation system leases the...

As VIA Water we not only want to support innovative urban water projects in our 7 focus countries financially but we want to support you in writing your teaser and full proposal as well. We want to give you the freedom to decide for yourself how to design and set-up your proposal and therefore we have no fixed format....

"I’ve worked to bridge nature conservation with other sectors for more than 20 years, and if there is one thing I have learned it’s that we are not all that good at talking to each other; scientists among disciplines, sector among sector. Different ways of knowing often make working across disciplines hard to do, but a little emotional intelligence can go a long way....

Connecting-Africa is a gateway to African research information and materials produced worldwide. It contains almost 60.000 publications that are collected from other sources....

Knowledge is power. The African Studies Centre library staff has compiled information on all African countries, including the 7 VIA Water countries. Do you want to get access to statistics, maps and other updates? Then use this link to browse the country portal via this link: http://countryportal.ascleiden.nl/...

At the European Space Solution Conference (30 May to 3 June in The Hague), a session took place on Smart Information Solutions for Water & Climate....

IRC is an NGO focusing on delivering good Water, Sanitation and Hygiene solutions. They have made an analysis of the trends in the WASH sector for the coming 9 years. It helps to reflect what is happening in your country and how your innovation can contribute in managing the negative trends. Find more about the 11 trends identified in the attached document:...

We can learn from big companies - even if not everything they do aligns with our ideas, lessons learned remain a very valuable asset. We want to share the lessons learned by the Shell Foundation, linked to their work in developing countries. Their insights can be applied to the water sector and are valuable for you as innovators and for us as programme managers. We recommend to at least read...

In his lecture, entitled 'Frugal innovation by "the small and the marginal": an alternative discourse on innovation and development', Bhaduri discussed the current discourse on frugal innovations, making the point innovations made with the global North in mind do not necessarily satisfy the requirements of the global South....

Sharing is caring. The Archive is a searchable database providing full bibliographic references for published and unpublished groundwater literature about Africa, including reports, journal articles, conference papers and maps....

The British Geological Survey (BGS) has developed the Africa Groundwater Atlas in partnership with the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) Burdon Groundwater Network for Developing Countries, and with more than 50 collaborating groundwater experts across Africa. The new online Africa Groundwater Atlas (link is external) is an introduction to the groundwater resources of 51...

Citizen science to better manage and protect the world's fresh water? The project Freshwaterwatch-project proves it is possible. Every year, more people die from polluted water than from war or other sources. EarthWatch wants to help solve this issue by mapping environmental information, and answer 2 important questions: 1) What are the causes of the loss of freshwater quality? 2) Why are...

We are proud to present you this booklet which provides an overview of platforms where extra information can be found linked to each Pressing Need of VIA Water. It does not provide all sources we know off, but is intended to be a first stepping stone.  ...

Floods and droughts also have a large effect on people, demanding for emergency relief, but also for prevention. There is a need for smart methods to cope with questions regarding water in disaster situations, such as water purification, distribution of clean water, sanitation. It also includes the need strengthen planning and decision-making instruments for emergency relief situations....

To satisfy the many different interests within the growing cities, sound urban planning is necessary....

Making smart use of the finances available is an important aspect of making development sustainable. How can the money best be used, and can funds from the national and international private sector be used to develop public utilities?  There is a prominent need for reliable and accountable water institutions and for users to pay directly or indirectly for their water use....

As populations grow, and economies develop, more and more users ask for more and more water. This leads to higher demands. It is needed to enable utilities to flexibly cope with the challenges of population growth and rising demand. An important aspect is to decrease the large differences in development between rich and poor areas, by developing smart ways to connect slums to infrastructure,...

Supporting the development of a  strong enabling environment is one of the biggest needs for projects to succeed. It is also one of the major reasons why development is hampering and the impact of certain projects is low. There is a need to stimulate or improve an environment where actors know their rights and where regulations and rights are being enforced. An example can be the strengthening...

Data gathering and sharing is necessary to contribute to a large need of all stakeholders. Governments need reliable information to base their policies on. Local stakeholders need reliable information to convince decision makers. Investors need information to decide on their next investment.. Reliable information is needed for all water sector stakeholders, at any level....

Water quality concerns have not been the most prominent issues in the literature. However, water quality affects each user. In urban areas, where population density is high and economic and industrial developments are taking place, water quality is at risk of deterioration. The main sources of pollution are industries, households and agriculture. To satisfy the many different interests within...

Groundwater is widely used as a source for agriculture, livestock and domestic consumption. Challenges arise with accessing both shallow and deep groundwater, water quality and management of the resources. Limited qualitative and quantitative data is available making allocation, regulation and management of this recourse difficult. Groundwater is a reliable, and often untapped, source of which...

 Rain water can be harvested by individuals and house-holds, to farmers, industries and communities. The methods and use differ greatly. The current water storage capacities are not sufficient to allow people to compensate for hydrological changes. By optimising water availability, and more specifically, by making water available during times that it is needed the most, more flexibility is...

Rain-fed agriculture makes crop production vulnerable to weather variability. By improving access and secure storage of water and efficient irrigation methods farmers have tools for realising a more secure harvest. Smallholder farms have often less access to knowledge, information and credit. With many small users and sources, efficiency in water use becomes challenging. In small-holder systems...

Since 1990, the start of the Millennium Development Goals, the urban situation on sanitation improved in 5 of the 7 VIA Water countries, being Kenya, Mozambique, Mali, Benin and Ghana. However, access to improved sanitation is still a challenge in these countries as well as in Rwanda and South Sudan. Unsolved problems have a large influence on health of the local population. Do you know...

There are organisations and platforms where best practices and ideas can be shared and information can be gained on proposal writing. Please find a few below. Do you know platforms or knowledge hubs you would like to share with us? Please let us know us via info@viawater.nl...

There are organisations and platforms where best practices and ideas can be shared and information can be gained on business development. Please find a few below. Do you know platforms or knowledge hubs you would like to share with us? Please let us know us via info@viawater.nl...

There are organisations and platforms where best practices and ideas can be shared and information can be gained on innovation. Do you know platforms or knowledge hubs you would like to share with us? Please let us know us via info@viawater.nl ...

The water supply sector is facing many challenges on a daily basis: water losses in the systems are generally high (non revenue water), water quality is difficult to maintain, and accountability in institutions is low. Institutions have to cope with problems concerning low or absent payments, mostly due to a lack of metering. Users have to cope with low quality water and irregular service or...

These are 50 slides, each with a photo and quote focusing on what makes great innovators. It can inspire you, put a smile on your face, and might give you that little extra energy you need to turn your innovative idea into reality.

Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is an innovative methodology for mobilising communities to completely eliminate open defecation (OD). This very concise report focuses on the matter why open defecation is often not completely eradicated, for instance because of full pits, dirty toilets, taboos, etc. It also discusses an agenda for policy and practice to end open defacation: 1) Provoke and...

Transparency, Accountability and Participation are the three core-elements of water integrity. This report provides strong arguments that corruption in the water sector needs to be reduced or eliminated to ensure that the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of ‘availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all’ 1 will be achievable. It argues that having the courage to stand...

For those working on alternative payment systems for any services, this article is an inspiring read. This report analyses payment behaviour for urban water in Dar es Salaam, taking into account the rise of mobile payment. The report finds:...

This article provides a clear overview of the challenges for cities in the next decades. It is a must-read for all working on water in cities, and a great source to use in describing your business case, as the authors put it: "The time window to implement a smarter city approach is narrow and rapidly closing". Although the article focuses mainly on cities in Europe, conclusions can be drawn for...

In this concise document (9 pages) the authors make a case of mixed funding sources for sanitation. They share their experience and ideas on how private sector funds can be attracted and used, and how to increase the willingness to pay of users. The ideas are supported with cases from Ethiopia, Kenya and India....

This document provides an overview of laws and policies to regulate water quality. It shows a clear overview of:...

Climate change is affecting water supply in all parts of the world. Droughts are affecting agriculture and delivery of water for households and industries. Floods are damaging infrastructure and crops. Retaining water for later use will become more important to safeguard a reliable water supply, especially in cities where many users are located....

In this report an overview is provided of cases of innovative business models, financing mechanisms and positioning tools, from the Netherlands and several countries in Africa and Asia....

This article describes how hydroponic systems can be used to produce food in an area with little water and little fertile soil. The innovative approach is to make optimal use of space, by planting both in a horizontal and vertical direction. Hyproponics is the process of growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid, with added nutrients but without soil....

The FAO gives a concise overview of methods, costs, socio-economic effects of water harvesting, and the impact on users, the water shed and the global level.  It is a concise document, with a great amount of valuable information.

This document calls for a scaling up of good practices of water harvesting. It supports the call by sharing proven good practices in water harvesting from all over the world. These good practices can be adapted and used to design a strategy which fits specific local needs.  This is needed to increase the resilience of poor communities....

Despite being 9 years old, this booklet still provides  a valuable insight in methods for water harvesting. It categorises water harvesting in four groups, depending on the source of water: Rainwater or fog harvesting, surface water, groundwater and waste or greywater harvesting. It shows the most common methods, and provides local examples for each of the four sources  of water.

Getting things where they need to be is not always easy. Addresses do not always match, or often not even exist. What3Words claim that around 75% of the world (135+ countries), suffers from inadequate addressing....

4 million people earn less than 8 USdollars a day. There is an enormous potential for setting up businesses focusing on this group, as they are jointly owning more than 5 trillion USdollars....

"This guide is a first and preliminary guide on how to “get started” with implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It aims to help stakeholders, including governments at all levels (national, regional, and local), to understand the SDG Agenda, to start an inclusive dialogue on SDG implementation, and to prepare SDG-based national development strategies (or align existing plans and...

"50% of the world population lives in 7 countries that are prone to both water stress and flooding"...

In the organisation Rémi Kaupp works for, WaterAid, innovation is an important part of the new strategy. He discusses his frustration on the many misunderstandings about innovation in the WASH sector, and pitches his view on what innovations are, and what should be done to improve the WASH sector....

The private sector, from large companies to small to medium enterprises (SME's) can support development in Water, Sanitation and Health. Their support is much needed to reach the SDGs, as public organisations cannot ensure the needed change alone. The private sector can contribute in terms of financing, providing innovation and efficiency, and direct their services to the areas in need....

This book was first published in 1962, but still proves its relevance. Updated in 2003, it explains a theory on how innovations are accepted in societies. How fast innovations are adopted depends on the innovation, communication channels, the time, and the social system....

A must read for those working with start-ups, and an inspiration for social entrepreneurs in developing countries. The report states that if we want to achieve inclusive development and meet the Sustainable Development Goals, sustainable start-ups focusing on low-income customers can be the key implementers. To enable them to implement the SDGs, a basis of inclusive markets is needed, as well...

The H2O Magazine has issued an English version, highlighting Dutch knowledge and innovations. We want to draw your attention to one specific article, to be downloaded in this Library, and encourage you to check the others via http://www.vakbladh2o.nl/index.php/watermatters/water-matters-in-english....

This document combines the country reports and positioning survey for the Dutch Water Sector in all 7 VIA Water Focus countries. The documents provides a country profile, an overview of the current water situation, and insight in current Dutch activities and opportunities for future cooperation in South Sudan, Rwanda, Mozambique , Mali, Kenya, Ghana, and Benin.

The Millennium Development Goals are coming to an end. This report provides insight in how the goal on drinking water was met, and how much still needs to be done to reach the goal on providing people with improved sanitation facilities. The report shows how countries in Sub-Saharan are still struggling both to increase access to improved sources of drinking water and to end open defecation....

We will need to produce more, with less water. To ensure water is managed well in an increasing complex environment, common rules, practices, and processes need to be in place and strengthened. The OECD has compiled 12 principles for water governance: 4 linked Effectiveness , 4 to Efficiency, and 4 to Trust and Engagement. In this short and clear report, the reasoning behind the principles is...

This book is for entrepreneurs who are looking to do business in a different way. This preview takes you in a detailed way through the Business Canvas. This facilitation method allows you to design your business in a strategic way, taking into account your aims, plan cooperation with partners, and serve the wishes of customers....

Inadequate drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) in non-household settings, such as schools, health care facilities, and workplaces impacts the health, education, welfare, and productivity of populations, particularly in low and middle-income countries. There is limited knowledge on the status of WaSH in such settings. To address this gap, we reviewed international standards,...

The objective of this paper is to identify the areas of opportunities for improvements in OHS management in Ghana with regard to the nation’s legal requirements, commitment of the Ghana government, and Ghanaian leadership as well as appropriate structuring of Ghanaian institutions responsible for monitoring and managing OHS in Ghana.

CSR is generally used in this literature as an umbrella term to describe the complex and multi-faceted relationships between business and society and to account for the economic, social, and environmental impacts of business activity in the developing world.

Establishing Fair Working Conditions...

! Says nothing on toilets - is it not on the national agenda?

 ‘Welfare facilities’ are those that are necessary for the well-being of your employees, such as washing, toilet, rest and changing facilities, and somewhere clean to eat and drink during breaks. This leaflet gives you simple, practical advice on how you can meet these requirements. The information may also be of interest to employees and the self-employed. It summarises the requirements of the...

We conducted a rapid horizon scan of existing sanitation approaches in Asia, Africa, Latin America and South East Asia, searching for existing reports, working papers, fact sheets, handbooks, and website material from relevant NGOs, International Organisations, Private Sector Business and Research Institutes, as well as personal correspondence with sector actors. This search produced a total of...

1.9 million people live in Maputo, 89% rely on on-site systems for sanitation services. This means that the toilets are not connecting to a sewage system, and the faecal sludge needs a different way of transport.

"[..] the reality is that onsite sanitation is here to stay, either as an intermediate or permanent standalon solution, or in combination with sewer-based systems"

Bringing together stakeholders, talking and visualising consequences of decisions can help to solve problems and come to a consensus. This process can help you to identify problems, come up with new ideas, and to avoid conflict later in the project. The method? Serious gaming! Serious games simulate the reality (either online or using a gaming board), to help decision makers and stakeholders ...

This article will provide a more in-depth insight in what the idea of a circular economy can mean for the water sector. It is an addition to the document 'Unleashing the power of the circular economy', which can also be found in this library....

We now live in the anthropocene. This means we live in a time where human dominates and influences the environment. The growing number of people puts a large strain on our resources.  The consequences of living in a linear economy, where resources are dumped at the end of the value chain (make, use, dispose) are a reduced growth of the economy as resources are finite, and a lot of pollution. A...

McKinsey, a global consultancy firm, has released a report  on the economic power of 600 largest cities of 2025. McKinsey sees a large shift from the major urban developed areas and megacities who are on top of the list now, to a rise of economic power of developing and smaller cities (500.000 + inhabitants). This economic power rises most in Asia (particularly China and India), and Latin...

This Institutional Scan has been developed to identify the most relevant stakeholders for VIA WATER Programme in Rwandese urban (water) environment.

This background document explains why VIA Water proposed to focus on 'Cities in Africa'. 

Water crises risk #1 impact-wise says World Economic Forum, urbanisation big challenge....

The Sustainable Society Foundation has composed a  sustainable society index (SSI) for 151 countries, covering 99% of the world's population. Good news is that, generally speaking, the human wellbeing score is growing particularlyfor the African regions. However,  scores of most African countries are still (far) behind to other regions. and face the  large challenges of providing access to an...

'Water is a source of development and growth for cities in Africa', claims the World Bank....

"If policy makers and the broad range of stakeholders choose to work only with their peers and within their spheres of activity, instead of with each other, they will fail to meet current and future water challenges."...

Cities impact the hydrological cycle and increase the pressure on natural resources. However, they can also be centres of innovation, early adopters of conservation measures, and have positive influence on their hinterland - says WWDR 2015....

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be finalised in September during a UN meeting in New York. The SDGs are replacing the Millenium Development Goals, and both constitute general aims to reduce poverty in the world. The open working group of the UN proposed to have 1 goal on cities: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". In September, we will...

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) simplified means that all the different uses of water resources are considered together. It is a process which promotes the co-ordinated management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. It can be applied...

Increasing the access to improved sanitation facilities is an important Millennium Development Goal. It is also still a large challenge, especially in growing cities and slums. The guidance notes on services for the urban poor gives an overview of the most important lessons learned for implementation and creating an enabling environment....

Takeuchi has contributed to revolutionary books on knowledge and innovation: 'The knowledge creating company' (1995) and 'Enabling Knowledge Creation' (2000). ...

"Africa’s urban population is growing faster than that of any other region. By the end of the current decade, 24 of the world’s 30 fastest growing cities will be in Africa" states the report of the FAO. The report provides a small insight in the amount of food produced in various African cities. These are the first and valuables estimates for many cities, as only Accra has gathered information...

Leapfrogging towards sustainable energy: Kofi Annan calls for African leadership in creating sustainable sources of energy. The African Progress panel, led by Annan, states that the current efforts undertaken to keep global warming below an increase of 2 degrees Celcius are not enough. Africa can be a leader in introducing clean energy....

Research by the African Studies Centre, commissioned by VIA Water in 2014, into the most pressing water needs in the 7 African focus countries of VIA Water.

 The framework outlines the mission, vision, objectives and the strategic plan of the programme.

Change can be small, but significant. A great example of this is the solar power project in Tanzania. Electricity can change people's lives, but connecting remote villages to the grid can be very costly. What to do to help people?...

In his short blog [a recommended read of only 2,5 pages], Seth Godin strongly makes the case for sharing ideas; "Ideas can’t be stolen, because ideas don’t get smaller when they’re shared, they get bigger"....