Lijn 2 Consultancies
De tweede activiteitenlijn van Connect International bestaat uit consultancy opdrachten op het gebeid van water, sanitatie en hygiëne (WASH) in ontwikkelingslanden. Connect International heeft sinds 2010 al veel consultancies gedaan op WASH gebied (ten aanzien van verschillende WASH deelonderwerpen: programma identificatie, ontwikkeling en evaluatie; technische aspecten en kwaliteitsbewaking; visie, policy, institutionele en sector ontwikkeling; IT; finance en financial impact) alsook op het gebied van cash transfers. Een overzicht van opdrachten die we uitgevoerd hebben staat verderop op deze webpagina. Klik hier voor een introductie van onze partner consultancy bureaus in verschillende landen in Afrika.
Onze ambities binnen deze consultancy lijn voor de toekomst zijn:
1. Vormen van een groep Nederlandse en lokale consultants die aan onze kwaliteitseisen voldoen en die expertise hebben op vakgebieden die wij willen bestrijken. Hierdoor kunnen we op een redelijk divers pakket van consultancies inschrijven, waarbij de focus zal liggen op WASH (in ontwikkeling, rehabilitatie en noodhulp settings), irrigatie en landbouw.
2. Werken via lokale consultants die tijdens hun werk met webcams filmopnames maken die 's avonds op afstand door senior consultants bekeken worden. Dan wordt overlegt met de lokale consultant wat er nog meer onderzocht en gedaan moet worden en hoe, zodat hij daarmee de volgende dag aan de gang kan gaan. Ook het schrijven van het rapport wordt begeleid door senior consultants. Op deze wijze kan hoge kwaliteit behaald worden tegen een lage prijs en kan senior kennis met lokale kennis (van cultuur, taal, religie en betrokken sectoren) gecombineerd worden.
In de afgelopen jaren hebben we de volgende consultancies uitgevoerd:
Jan. - June 2024 (current)
Development of a national WinS (WASH in schools) Policy, Strategy and Implementation Plan for the Government of the Solomon Islands
Oct. - Dec. 2023
Development of mWater (survey IT for the WASH sector in developing countries) guidelines ‘for dummies’ for certain aspects of the mWater software.
Oct. - Dec. 2023
Development of a draft Inception report for an initiative in the Solomon Islands to develop a national WASH in Schools (WinS) policy and implementation plan.
June - Oct. 2023
Assessment of the WASH situation in households in 5 cities in the Philippines, including people’s motivation and capabilities to pay more for improved water services. For the data collection, a team of 10 Philippine enumerators and three supervisors was trained and guided.
June 2023
Assistance to the Water Sector Regulatory Council (WSRC) of the West Bank and Gaza to develop a format for progress and final reporting in regard to the program ‘Support to Monitoring and Licensing Water Service Providers in the Palestinian Territories for 2022-2026’ funded by the Government of the Netherlands.
Jan. - May 2023
Assessing the gaps and needs in human resources development in the WASH sector in Liberia together with three Liberian consultants (55 days during approximately four months).
Oct. 2022
Training of Palestinian experts from the water sector in Palestine in project development and DRR aspects (focus on problem tree and Theory of Change) and visit the Dutch water company Brabant Water with them.
Jan. - June 2022
Review of the WASH interventions executed by the international NGO Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) from 2017 – 2021 in all countries where IRW is active. The review results were developed and presented to inform IRW’s program, policy, advocacy and planning towards achieving its strategic objectives in the WASH sector.
Nov. - Dec. 2022
Digital training of 20 Palestinian water experts from different water utilities and the regulatory body for water of the Palestine authorities in regard to the Triple Helix (TH) model for developing structural collaboration between private, government and research / education sector organisations.
Aug. – Nov. 2021
Netherlands / Switzerland
Action Contre la Faim (ACF)
Structural review of the Field Support Team (FST) of the Global WASH Cluster. The FST is a team of experts who support national WASH coordination platforms in countries where emergencies have broken out and where such support is required.
Jan.- Nov. 2021
Worldwide
Philip Morris International (PMI)
Development water quality and water availability guidelines, for six of the countries where PMI is active and implementing its worldwide WASH program (Malawi, Pakistan, Mozambique, Brazil, Argentina, India).
Sept 2020 – April 2021
Zambia
UNICEF Zambia / AquaQuest Consult
Baseline survey in Luapula Province, Zambia, as preparation for a UNICEF WASH program in 6 districts in this province.
Ongoing (2020 – 2024)
Malawi, Mozambique
Philip Morris International (PMI)
Development of a baseline survey among PMI’s tobacco farmers in Malawi and Zimbabwe and guidance of the rural WASH program that will be developed on the basis of the baseline findings.
Dec. 2019 – March 2021
Ghana
Edburgh Consultants
Review of the SNV and Fidelity bank team, implementing the P2P WASH Impact Fund for WASH MSMEs and households (a program funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ghana), followed by the formulation of improvements of the team and the Fund. The assignment included visits to and in-depth interviews with urban and rural loan takers and implementing stakeholders, assessment of banking procedures, analysis of Fund finances and customers, analysis of the Ghana water sector financing infrastructure, and finally the formulation of an improved future impact investment fund, including development of the ToR for the implementation of this Fund. For the review, Connect International’s Organization Assessment (OA) approach was used.
July -Oct. 2020
Worldwide
Edburgh Consultants
Evaluation of the AKVO D2D program for the introduction of IT and data management infrastructure in WASH sectors, institutions and programs worldwide, including advice on the future development and financing of AKVO and its business model.
July 2019 – end 2020
Tanzania Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi
IMC worldwide
Regional coordinator for 5 countries of an evaluation of DFID funded rural WASH programs between 2011 – 2018 in 13 countries, focusing on sustainability and targeting, including water systems, CLTS and ODF status, in many thousands of communities in the concerned countries. Developer and manager of 2 online surveys in mWater for the investigations and surveys in approximately 20.000 households divided over 13 countries.
August 2019 – July 2020
Uganda
BRLi
Development of a sanitation plan for self construction of toilets in rural communities (mainly), in Isingiro district, Uganda. In addition, a gender and an environmental assessment were executed in the district. All was part of a large water pipeline project passing through the district. For the assessments, surveys were designed by the TL in mWater online software and data uploaded by field surveyors in this software. A lobby among the Government of Uganda for the concerned approach was part of the activities.
2018 / 2019 (6 months)
Uganda
DANIDA / WE Consult
Development of a National Operation and Maintenance Framework for Rural Water Infrastructure in Uganda for the Government of Uganda, including advocacy regarding the framework among Uganda Government key stakeholders.
Dec. 2018 – April 2019
Indonesia
American Red Cross in Indonesia
Assessment of WASH interventions by the Indonesian Red Cross throughout Indonesia, including several small-scale PDAM managed pipelines schemes.
2018 (3 months)
Ghana
UN-HABITAT
Evaluation of a flood resilience WASH program in North Ghana. Included relevance of the program, effectiveness and sustainability of WASH facilities realized, WASH product financing by community credit and saving groups (VSLAs), and (financial) business cases and value chains for local WASH producers and WASH O&M companies.
2015 – 2018 (80 days/ year)
Burkina Faso, Kenya
Landell/Enclude/European Investment Bank (EIB)
Assessed, assisted and trained MFIs in Kenya and Burkina Faso regarding credit lines for low cost WASH products among households belonging to the Bottom of the Pyramid and rural public institutions. Also included market assessment of low cost WASH products through on and offline surveys, and development of (financial) business cases for small WASH companies and sales persons. The efforts resulted in sales of water filters and other WASH solutions to MFI customers.
2017 (2 months)
Netherlands
UNHCR
Development of Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) in UNHCR format for cash transfer programs for sanitation, water and hygiene items (including market research for the local commercial sector).
2017 (1 month)
Netherlands
Connect International
Policy and advocacy paper for the Netherlands government on the potential of cash transfers to structurally curb poverty.
2017 (1 month)
Kenya
Development of a proposal for the Dutch Government for piped water schemes by utilities and their business cases in Kenya.
2017 (3 months)
Kenya, Bangladesh
Aqua for All
Assessment of 13 WASH projects in Kenya and Bangladesh (rural and urban) with a focus on functionality and sustainability potential, including financial models and business cases for the O&M and sales of WASH infrastructure and services.
2017 (0,2 month)
Netherlands
Dorcas
Input in a proposal for the Dutch government for rehabilitation of pumped pipeline schemes in Kenya. The proposal was funded.
2014 (1,5 month)
Kenya
Aqua for All
Evaluation of 9 WASH projects in Kenya. Evaluation methodology with over 100 indicators on output/results, efficiency, sustainability, relevance, risks, gender, PMER, and financial business cases for WASH O&M, WASH products and WASH services.
2014 (0,7 month)
Malawi
Training local NGO’s in Malawi in business development for and financing of water filter sales + value chain development.