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Sustainable Services at Scale (Triple-S)
Triple-S leads a one-day learning and sharing event in Washington D.C. on Changing the Business as Usual Approach
A shift in the way we work from an infrastructure focus (which counts the number of systems built) to a service delivery approach (which measures the quality of access to services over time) was the subject of a one day learning and sharing event which was held in Washington DC, USA on October 12th 2010.
The event, led by Triple-S, brought together some 75 staff and practitioners from a range of US-based organisations including implementing agencies, donors and fund-raisers and advocacy groups.
A presentation of innovative approaches to service delivery, concrete examples of approaches being used, and a better understanding of costs kicked-off the event in which participants were encouraged to discuss and debate sustainable services and working at scale. There was a chance to consider the way in which their organisations work, and examples were shared of practical changes that can help to move us closer to a more sustainable form of water and sanitation service delivery.
The participants also agreed specific actions which can be taken in the short and long-term by their participating organisations to promote more sustainable services in water and sanitation, within the context of delivering increased coverage.
‘We want to promote donor education beyond counting beneficiaries and hardware to include lifecycle of projects, monitoring and evaluation’, Monica Brown, Water for People
‘We will use our leverage with partners to develop more innovative sustainable programs with a focus on service provision’, Jonna Davis, Charity Water
The report from the event is available here: Sustainability Workshop Summary Report.
There was a general consensus on the need for a follow-up to this event expressed in the meeting. This has already resulted in the setting up of a web portal to support a community of practice for USA organisations (see: www.sustainableWASH.org) as well as a planned meeting to take place in mid-January 2011.
For further information about Triple S, please click here.
