In 2021, REACH and RWSN led a global diagnostic survey to identify rural water service providers in 68 countries with interest or existing experience in results-based funding. Results suggested that up to 68 service providers in 28 countries could potentially provide results-based services to 5 million rural people. Subsequently, the Uptime Catalyst Facility has expanded results-based contracts for reliable water services serving 1.5 million rural people in 7 countries in 2022 to over 5 million people in 17 countries, including Latin America and India in 2024.
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Story of Change: Fit-for-purpose labs for monitoring and managing rural water supplies
In Nepal, Kenya and Bangladesh, researchers working with practitioners and local governments have established fit-for-purpose (FFP) laboratories to support reliable water quality monitoring and operational management of rural water systems
Results-based funding for safe drinking water services
This working paper presents an approach that advances contracts for results-based funding to incentivise delivery of safe drinking water services
Enhancing climate resilience of water, sanitation & hygiene services in healthcare facilities in Kenya
This Story of Change shares findings and implications from a pilot study ran by FundiFix in 12 Health Care Facilities in Kitui, Kenya to test how a professional service delivery model could be applied to HCFs to deliver safe water and soap reliably.
Improving management of intermittent piped water systems in Ethiopian small towns
Based on long-term research engagement in Wukro, Tigray, this brief presents three recommendations for inclusive water services in intermittent piped water systems in small towns in Ethiopia.
Protecting groundwater for climate resilience and water security in Turkana
In Turkana County, research by the University of Nairobi around Lodwar’s underlying aquifers is addressing critical data and knowledge gaps. Groundwater quality mapping indicates areas with poor groundwater quality to inform water infrastructure investments. This work contributing to new policy and practice to protect the Lodwar Alluvial Aquifer System and enhance resilience to climate risks.
REACH Exit Strategy
REACH’s Exit Strategy scopes out actions to promote the legacy of the programme, highlighting opportunities to sustain, scale-up, and scale-out our work.
Improving water security through Sustainable Land Management
This Story of Change discusses the role of Sustainable Land Management activities in securing water for livelihoods and household use.
Observations of the Turkana Jet and the East African Dry Tropics
This article presents research from a field campaign in northwest Kenya on the Turkana Low Level jet, an intrinsic part of the African climate system and principle method of water vapor transport to the African interior from the Indian Ocean. Measured for the first time in 40 years, this dataset presents new evidence on the Turkana jet, and creates an opportunity to better understand regional dynamics in one of the most data-sparse regions in the world.
Investing in professionalized maintenance to increase social and economic returns from drinking water infrastructure in rural Kenya
This policy brief is based on 10 years of research in Kitui County, Kenya, supported by the REACH programme, the USAID Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership, UNICEF, ESRC and UKAID. It finds the investment case for professionalized maintenance of drinking water infrastructure becomes compelling when factoring in wider social and economic returns.
