RWSN • Activities & Services - Rural Water Supply Network

Early Webinar Series 2025

What drives rural drinking water performance in rural areas?

RWSN Sustainable Services Theme

29 April, 13:00 CEST (Geneva) / 14:00 EAT (Nairobi) / 07:00 EDT (New York) / 16:30 IST (New Delhi)

It is not fully understood what drives good performance in rural areas, with policy decisions in the sector mostly based on what has failed rather than what has worked. Is it the model, the funding, or the enabling environment? In this webinar, we will share insights from research conducted in Ghana that explored this very question, as well as interesting experiences from four countries that apply different service delivery models.

Register here

Groundwater: A Key to Climate-Resilient Water Solutions for Rural Communities

RWSN Sustainable Groundwater Development Theme

6 May, 14:00 CEST (Geneva) / 15:00 EAT (Nairobi) / 08:00 EDT (New York) / 17:30 IST (New Delhi)

Groundwater holds significant potential as a climate-resilient solution for rural communities facing water insecurity due to climate change. However, without careful planning and consideration, reliance on groundwater may also present risks that are exacerbated by climate variability and water mismanagement. This webinar will explore both the opportunities and challenges of using groundwater as a sustainable water supply in the context of climate change. Additionally, we will discuss adaptation strategies and mitigation practices that the WASH sector can implement to ensure resilient and equitable water access for rural populations.

Register here

Diagnosis and physical audit of boreholes and pumps: sharing good practices

Stop The Rot initiative

20 May, 14:00 CEST (Geneva) / 15:00 EAT (Nairobi) / 08:00 EDT (New York) / 17:30 IST (New Delhi)

A systematic process for diagnosing why boreholes and pumps fail or operate poorly can significantly improve rural water supply projects. Besides technical diagnostics, the insights gained through such a process could be used to drive greater accountability by, ultimately, prompting corrective action when contractors, NGOs, governments or funders repeatedly fail to meet required construction quality standards. This webinar showcases BASEflow's eight years of diagnostic work in Malawi, and examines the presence (and absence) of accountability measures in the rural water sector.

Register here

Sharing lessons from the Nepal MUS Network

RWSN Multiple-Use Water Services Theme

10 June, 14:00 CEST (Geneva) / 15:00 EAT (Nairobi) / 08:00 EDT (New York) / 17:30 NPT (Kathmandu)

Register here

Making Data Work for Climate Financing

RWSN Data for Action Theme

17 June, 14:00 CEST (Geneva) / 15:00 EAT (Nairobi) / 08:00 EDT (New York) / 17:30 IST (New Delhi)

In this webinar, we will explore how leveraging data can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of climate finance. Climate finance involves funding initiatives aimed at mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change. By harnessing data, we can better understand climate risks, track financial flows, and measure the impact of investments. Key questions will include:

What impact data do agencies need to unlock climate financing?
How do we reconfigure our organizations to track and report the required impact data, especially with limited resources?
What are the missteps or assumptions to avoid when collecting and analysing impact data?

These are common questions that grassroots organizations face when trying to access climate finance. Many civil society groups in the Majority World are doing vital work but struggle to unlock funding because they lack the right data or don't know how to present it effectively. This webinar will break down the essential data requirements for securing climate finance, offering clear guidance on how to collect, manage, and use data to strengthen funding applications. Experts will share best practices for meeting donor expectations, demonstrating impact, and ensuring transparency—without overwhelming organizations with unrealistic demands.

Register here

Policy and regulatory responses to self-supply

RWSN Self-Supply Theme

24 June, 09:00 CEST (Geneva) / 10:00 EAT (Nairobi) / 12:30 IST (New Delhi) / 18:00 AEDT (Sydney)

This webinar will explore how different countries are addressing self-supply of water services through policy and regulation. Featuring 3-4 case studies from different continents, the session will highlight diverse approaches across high-, middle-, and low-income contexts. Following the presentations, an open discussion will provide space for cross-learning and insights into effective policy and regulatory responses for self-supply.

Register here

Late Webinar Series 2024

Demystifying Systems Strengthening in WASH (Agenda for Change)

12 November

Systems strengthening has become a common phrase in the WASH sector, often used to satisfy donor expectations. But what does it truly mean, and how do we move beyond jargon to implement lasting change? In this webinar, we will unpack the concept of systems strengthening, exploring the diverse ways it is defined and applied by practitioners worldwide.

Recording: click here to watch.

Slides in English, French, and Spanish: at the bottom of the page here.

Using Demographic and Health Survey Data to Drive WASH Decisions (USAID)

13 November

This webinar is part of the USAID's WASH Data Clinic Webinar Series featuring the DHS WASH Atlas. Join this first Data Clinic Webinar for a practical demonstration of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) WASH Atlas. Discover how to use sub-national data to pinpoint priority areas for WASH program implementation. The WASH Atlas currently includes data for Ethiopia, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia—with additional countries coming by Spring 2025.

Can technical innovation really increase handpump functionality? Experiences from Uganda and Malawi (Design Outreach)

21 November, 14:00 CET

The Afridev handpump, widely used across Africa and Asia, frequently breaks down, with many failures attributed to worn-out rubber pump rod centralisers. A new solution, the Poldaw floating centraliser, has shown promising results in field tests, reducing breakdowns by 70-80%. This webinar by Design Outreach will discuss the successful testing of this component and plans for scaling up its production by early 2025 to improve the reliability of Afridevs.

Recording: click here to watch.

Slides in English and French: at the bottom of the page here.

Mission: possible? Chlorinated water for all – progress and prospects (REACH - Water Quality Programme)

26 November, 14:00 CET

Updates on innovations and implementation plans from the global community of practice on decentralised chlorination.

Recording: click here to watch.

Slides in English, French, and Spanish: at the bottom of the page here.

Ensuring that water supply services perform: learning from implementation and research (Stop the Rot)

3 December, 14:00 CET

This webinar focuses on the quality of water supplies from site identification right through to assessing why services perform poorly. It draws on practical experiences from The Water Project, the British Geological Survey (BGS) and BaseFlow. The presentations, followed by a discussion will examine the delivery of comprehensive water services in Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone, and what has driven the functionality and performance of rural handpumps/boreholes in Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda. Finally, the webinar will highlight on-going work to develop a practical guide to diagnosing key causes of poor performance of rural water supplies.

Recording: click here to watch.

Slides in English and French: at the bottom of the page here.

RWSN Annual Network Meeting

10 December
It is our great pleasure to invite you to the first RWSN Open Annual Meeting, which has two parts: the first is to bring together all members and network management to look back over what we have done together over the last year and look ahead to the coming year and discuss ideas for progressing the 2024-30 strategy. In the second part, we want to give the floor to you, our members.

Are you a member of the RWSN? Do you have an idea to share and want to present it during the Annual Network Meeting? Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Round 1 - Themes Self-supply, Multiple Uses of Water Services and Data for action: 08:00 CET / 18:00 (Sydney, Au) – click here to watch the recording
Round 2 - Themes Leave No One Behind, Sustainable Groundwater Development, Sustainable Services: 15:00 CET / 09:00 (EST, Peru, Colombia) – click here to watch the recording

Professionalising Rural and Small-Town Water Supply Management: The Need to Enhance External Support Arrangements (WaterAid)

11 December, 10:00 CET
This event will share findings from a recent multi-country study on the extent of support that different management models for rural and small-town water supply services receive. It will highlight the importance of utilising a range of management models tailored to different contexts and strategies for operationalising support arrangements that cover key technical, financial, capacity development, and monitoring and regulatory elements.

Recording: click here to watch.

Slides in English, French, and Portuguese: at the bottom of the page here.

All presentations and recordings are available here.