RWSN Vision, Mission and Strategy

“Because 550 million of the 703 million people worldwide lack access to even basic drinking water services live in rural areas, we work globally to bring rural water professionals together to share, learn and collaborate so that rural water services are universally accessible, safely managed, resilient and sustainable by 2030.”

The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) is the global network of individual professionals and organisations who are dedicated to rural water supply.

Our Vision

is that of a world in which all people enjoy safely managed water services that are resilient and sustainable. 

Our Aim

is to improve the quality of rural water management and services.

Our Mission

is to be a convening space for individual professionals and organisations to collaborate, develop guidelines and standards, curate knowledge, and promote lifelong learning in the rural water sector. 

Our Theory of Change

is that we can achieve this by nurturing and supporting individuals, organisations and partnership through:

  • Networking, Connecting & Convening.
  • Providing Knowledge Brokering & an Information Hub.
  • Co-developing Training, Guidelines & Standards.

Our Strategy 

Network Priorities 

  • At least double individual and organisational membership.
  • Double member organisation engagement.
  • Double member engagement in Latin America & Caribbean and Asia & Pacific.
  • Significantly increase engagement by women and young professionals in network activities.
  • Increase knowledge exchange at global and national/ regional level between members.  
  • Create and curate more resources in French, Portuguese and Spanish.
  • Broaden training & mentoring offer to be the go-to centre for professional development and accreditation/ certification in the rural water sector, through partnerships with existing organisations.
  • Technical guidelines and standards developed to fill existing gaps.
  • Evolve our business model to adapt the needs and resources available.
     

Embracing diversity is central to how we work, and in everything we do we will support the voice, leadership and career progression of women and young professionals.

Thematic Priorities

  • Improving access to safe drinking water by supporting the uptake and use of the WHO Guidelines for drinking water quality: Small Water Supplies (2024).
  • Improving rural water delivery services and regulation.
  • Promoting a “One-Water” approach based on how rural people access and use water for their lives and livelihoods.
  • Improving the effectiveness, efficiency and resilience of the underlying systems on which these depend. 

Achieving this through network activities focused on the RWSN Themes of:

  • Leave No-one Behind.
  • Data for Action
  • Multiple Use water Services (MUS)
  • Self-supply
  • Sustainable Services
  • Sustainable Groundwater Development
  • Water Quality & Safety

You can download the previous RWSN Strategy 2015-2017 here and the 2018-2023 strategy available here.