Endemic issues of sustainability in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector have led to the rapid expansion of ‘system approaches’ for assessing the multitude of interconnected factors that affect WASH outcomes. However, the sector lacks a systematic analysis and characterization of the knowledge base for systems approaches, in particular how and where they are being implemented and what outcomes have resulted from their application.

This report presents the findings of a baseline assessment of sanitation services in Woliso, Ethiopia and the outcomes of a subsequent stakeholders’ workshop to discuss, understand, and verify the results. This work was carried out under the USAID-funded Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership (SWS).

This fact sheet highlights SWS’s work in Ethiopia and Uganda, where SWS is working with local actors to better understand and strengthen local systems for rural water and small-town sanitation service delivery. In each location, SWS is promoting and facilitating learning alliances as a vehicle for more sector coordination and innovation. These platforms bring together actors at the district and town levels around a shared vision to develop and execute collective actions to strengthen systems for sustaining WASH services.

At University of North Carolina’s 2018 Water and Health Conference, University of Colorado Boulder's Kimberly Pugel presented two case studies to highlight a method SWS is using to visualize the priorities of each actor within a network by combining standard network analysis with qualitative interviews. SWS partners are seeking to strengthen these networks of agencies, organizations, service providers, and users by increasing collaboration and consensus toward a common agenda. 

As organizations work to improve WASH services, what effect do their relationships with one another play in strengthening the local systems that underpin service delivery? The Sustainable WASH Systems (SWS) Learning Partnership employed network analysis to help answer this question for specific woredas and towns in Ethiopia (South Ari, Mille, and Woliso). SWS is supporting locally-led platforms to increase collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders for improved efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of local WASH services.