A presentation by Maarten Onneweer, for the IRC Seminar, The human factor in WASH change processes: drivers for change among staff of WASH sector organisations. 18 June 2015, 15:00-18:30. Humanity House, Prinsegracht 8, The Hague, the Netherlands Read more about this seminar: http://www.ircwash.org/news/drivers-change-human-factor

1. Of
brokers
and
translators:
Local
NGO
staff
juggling
conceptual
and
practical
demands
in
water
development
Maarten
Onneweer
RAIN
1

2. Kitui Kenia
Arid land, relatively densely populated
compared to other arid lands
Long history of water development (1930-
now)
Last decade (average) 8 organisations active
on water development

3. Explaining
how
the
organisation
does
its
EIA
and
PRA
and
sometimes
assesses
IKS
before
the
process
of
multiple
stakeholder
participation
resulted
in
a
CBO
NGO
partnership
and
with
community
ownership
or
even
CBRM.
3

5. How
do
concepts
translate
in
prac8ce?
5
P:
“What
is
the
participation?”
Headmaster:
“With
the
last
project
it
was
very
good.”
P:
“What
about
politics?”
Headmaster:
“Not
so
much,
the
groups
were
separated
with
the
last
project.”
P:
“Why
should
we
select
this
school?”
Headmaster
(somewhat
taken
aback):
“But
people
in
this
place
need
water”.
P:
“Okay,
but
that
is
everywhere,
is
that
all
you
can
say?”
Headmaster:
“really
this
place
is
very
dry,
people
are
suffering,
there
is
no
water
at
al”
P.
“But
what
about
the
tank?”
Headmaster:
“It
is
broken”
P:
“No,
not
that
one,
the
other,
the
new
one”
Headmaster:
“It
will
be
empty
soon”
P:
Okay,
if
we
select
this
school
you
will
hear
from
us.

6. • Local
WASH
professionals
worked
in
an
environment
in
which
their
projects
were
not
only
demanded
for
water
but
also
for
value
mobilisation
the
projects
generated
• Policies/strategies
kept
their
form
but
changed
content
the
closer
the
project
gets
to
implementation
e.i.
socio
economic
stratiTication
in
the
projects
creates
expectations,
ownership
becomes
instrumental
in
reducing
these
expectations.
• Projects
are
not
the
isolated
incidents
that
they
sometimes
report
to
be.
Project
staff
often
builds
on
a
history
of
previous
intervention
and
technologies
or
look
for
areas
where
NGOS
or
GOs
do
not
operate.
6

7. 7