Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN)
Closing financing gaps to achieve universal access to water and sanitation services through sustainable and creditworthy business models, increased public funding, and expanded market finance for infrastructure investment.
The Water Sanitation and Hygiene Finance project (WASH-FIN) is a six-year, US $45 million United States Agency for International Development (USAID) initiative to close financing gaps to support universal access to water supply and sanitation services through sustainable and creditworthy business models, increased public funding, and expanded market finance for infrastructure investment. The program has implemented field-based activities in Cambodia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, the Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia.
For updates, please refer to the follow-on project WASH-FIN 2.
Resources
Key Resources
Blogs and Articles
Country Briefs
Resilience and Sustainability
Resource Mobilization
Sustainable Business Models
Governance
Results
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Overview
WASH-FIN APPROACH TO CLOSING FINANCING GAPS
WASH-FIN promotes viable models of affordable financial services that expand or improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) service provision in priority countries as outlined in the U.S. Global Water Strategy, as well as the wider sector. WASH-FIN’s approach to closing financing gaps is based on the premise that citizens should be treated as valued customers and adequately served by WASH service providers operating under sustainable business models that strengthen creditworthiness, and within clear regulatory and governance structures. Only then can increased public investment and market finance be effectively leveraged to expand or improve service delivery. In line with the project’s components, the WASH-FIN team advances the expansion of WASH services by:
WASH-FIN ensures reliable, climate-resilient water and sanitation services by developing the financial viability of service providers and establishing a solid financial foundation for increased public investment and access to private sector financing from local banks, municipal bonds, or blended funding mechanisms. WASH-FIN achieves this through stakeholder engagement, targeted technical assistance, and focused capacity building in targeted countries using participatory and peer learning approaches for uptake and replication of viable and creditworthy business models.
Available public resources are limited to achieve the ambitious SDG 6 objective of clean water and sanitation for all. National and local governments must lead the way with WASH investments to ensure national leadership and ownership of WASH sector performance. Activities focus on tracking and advocating for public WASH expenditure. WASH-FIN works in collaboration with targeted governments, development partners and civil society to foster a culture of transparency and accountability, while building local capacity and advancing consensus for increased public investment.
To close financing gaps, WASH-FIN aims to increase the flow of private finance into the sector through diverse mechanisms, including blended financing facilities, public private partnerships, local debt financing, development funds, and other viable models of finance that can be replicated and scaled in target countries. WASH-FIN also seeks to develop pipelines of investment-worthy water and sanitation projects through robust engagement with local government, civil society, and other WASH sector stakeholders – including customers. In addition, the project will seek to tap domestic capital markets and leverage host government funds, foundation grants, multilateral development bank investments, and private sector participation in equity or debt financing to mobilize investment expertise and access to market capital.
WASH-FIN ensures that knowledge and learning efforts are fully integrated into project activities and broadly disseminated to strengthen the capacity of WASH authorities, service providers, and local financial institutions through a collaborating, learning, and adaptive process for knowledge capture, dissemination, and uptake.
Partners
Contact Us
Ella Lazarte [email protected] or
Alyssa Boyer [email protected]
