We undertake evaluations, assessments and support effective monitoring and evaluation for WASH programs and wider sector monitoring systems.
PROJECT | 2022-2024
Partnerships for a Resilient and Climate Smart Water Sector Program
ISF was commissioned by the Australian Water Association (AWA) to develop a Theory of Change (ToC) and a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework for their partnership program. This initiative aimed to build climate-resilient water utilities and associations in the Asia Pacific region.
The partnership program involved eight international utilities from Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vietnam, and Indonesia; four associations from Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Pacific; and eight Australian water utilities. The MEL report was informed by comprehensive data collection, including 162 short surveys before and after study tours, 36 micronarrative survey check-ins, 25 most significant change interviews, three case studies, and nine semi-structured interviews at the start of the program.
The report encompasses a range of insights and recommendations, featuring co-created responses that were collaboratively developed with the stakeholders involved in the program.
PROJECT | 2023-2024
Selecting options for water and sanitation technologies in health-care facilities
ISF was commissioned by the World Health Organisation to develop guidance on selection of appropriate water and sanitation technology options for health-care facilities in the Western Pacific Region. The outputs include a guidance document with a decision-making framework, as well as two supporting documents – a literature review on current and emerging technologies and a background document on status and context of water and sanitation technologies in health-care facilities in the Western Pacific Region.
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Water and sanitation technologies for health-care facilities: selecting options for adoption and scale-up in the Western Pacific Region (2024) (Guidance)
A literature review of current and emerging water and sanitation technologies for health-care facilities (2024) (Supporting document)
Current status and context in Western Pacific Region for water and sanitation technologies in health-care facilities (2024) (Supporting document)
PROJECT | 2021-2023
Self-supply water services in Asia and the Pacific
ISF, in partnership UNICEF (EAPRO and ROSA), developed 21 country factsheets providing an overview of self-supplied water services across Asia and the Pacific. These factsheets profile the prevalence of self-supply, spatial and temporal trends, service levels including water quality and availability, equity dimensions, and policy aspects of self-supply in each country.
PROJECT | 2021-2022
Multi-stakeholder platforms and mutual accountability in WASH
ISF, in partnership with SWA country partners, reviewed multi-stakeholder platforms and mutual accountability across five countries that received catalytic funds from Sanitation and Water for All (SWA), including Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Niger, and Paraguay. The report identifies key factors supporting or inhibiting multi-stakeholder collaboration, assesses engagement and mutual accountability in each country, and highlights how these efforts contribute to achieving SDG 6.
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Strengthening multi-stakeholder engagement and mutual accountability in water, sanitation and hygiene: Cross-country synthesis (2022) (Report)
PROJECT | 2021-2022
Monitoring safely managed services Water for Women Learning Agenda
ISF is coordinating an activity to reflect on and compile case studies concerning monitoring ‘safely managed’ water and sanitation services across civil society organisations and research partners in the Water for Women Fund.
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Monitoring Safely Managed Water and Sanitation Services - Lessons from Water for Women (2022) (Website)
Monitoring Safely Managed Water and Sanitation Services: Case Studies from Water for Women (2022) (Case Study Report)
Monitoring Safely Managed Water and Sanitation Services: Synthesis of Case Studies from Water for Women (2022) (Synthesis Report)
Supporting progress in monitoring safely managed water and sanitation (2022) (Blog Post)
The importance of disaggregated data to inform action and understand inequalities in WASH (2022) (Blog Post)
View more projects
PROJECT | 2020-2021
Mutual accountability in multi-stakeholder partnerships in WASH
ISF co-led research on Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)’s Mutual Accountability Mechanism (MAM). This research was conducted as a partnership across the SWA Research and Learning Constituency.
Location: Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Somalia, Peru, Burkina Faso
Client: Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)
Partners: Bangladesh Centre For Advanced Studies Bangladesh, Centre for Regulation, Policy and Governance Indonesia, Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie Burkina Faso, IRC WASH, Stockholm Environment Institute, Somali National University, South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies
PROJECT | 2020
WASH and COVID-19
ISF collaborated with other sector professionals globally on a publication discussing links between WASH and COVID-19.
Researcher: Juliet Willetts
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
COVID-19: Urgent actions, critical reflections and future relevance of ‘WaSH’: Lessons for the current and future pandemics (202) (Journal Paper)
PROJECT | 2019
Global water, sanitation and hygiene research priorities and learning challenges under Sustainable Development Goal 6
ISF contributed to efforts of the Sanitation and Water for All to develop a global research agenda for SDG 6.
Researcher: Juliet Willetts
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Research Priorities and Learning Challenges under Sustainable Development Goal 6 (201) (Journal Paper)
PROJECT | 2018-2019
Independent review of the Water and Sanitation Hibah schemes
Incentivising local government and their water supply or sewerage companies to invest and add new household connections to water supply and sewerage is much needed to expand services.
The ‘Hibah’ (Indonesian for ‘grant’) program used a new financing mechanism from central government to local governments that helps achieve this aim.
This independent review examined the effectiveness and sustainability of the Water Hibah, and investigated pathways to improve progress for the Sanitation Hibah. It was deemed a best-practice evaluation by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in terms of its methodology and output.
Location: Indonesia
Client: AusAID // DFAT
Wider program: Water and Sanitation Hibah Program
Researcher: Juliet Willetts
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Good practice evaluation: Indonesia Water and Sanitation Hibah Evaluation (2018) (Report Summary)
Water and Sanitation Hibah - Independent Review Report (2018) (Report)
PROJECT | 2018-2019
Evaluation of WaterCredit Project, India
Microfinance is a key pathway to support access to WASH services. This project examined the impact of WaterCredit Project, a water and sanitation microfinance initiative in urban India. The assessment included a large household survey, focus group discussions and interviews with key informants.
Location: India
Client: water.org
Researchers: Simone Soeters, Tim Foster, Juliet Willetts
PROJECT | 2015-2016
Learning for impact in WASH programming: how civil society organisations learn
Despite the large quantity of information available on good practice in WASH sector, there is a gap in knowing what communications formats work best.
ISF undertook this research for the CS WASH Fund, exploring how civil society organisations learn and improve their WASH programming and practice to align with evidence-based approaches.
The research identified the most preferred and effective communication materials, formats and mechanisms.
Location: Australia, Asia, Pacific, Africa
Clients: Palladium, AusAID // DFAT
Wider program: Civil Society Organisation WASH Fund
Researchers: Melita Grant, Janina Murta, Juliet Willetts
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
WASH Communication for Maximum Impact (2016) (Webinar)
Civil Society Organisations' Learning for Impact in WASH programming (2016) (Report Summary)
Civil Society Organisations’ Learning for Impact in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programming (2016) (Report)
PROJECT | 2011
WASH access and indicator maps
ISF collated information for 52 countries from a range of global databases and presented it in a series of regional maps. The maps show WASH global data – including UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Program data – in various combinations by region (Africa, South Asia and Middle East, Southeast Asia, Pacific).
PROJECT | 2011
WASH sector briefing papers
ISF developed briefing papers for 20 countries to provide baseline information about each country's current (in 2011) situation and WASH sector trends including access, health, governance, climate change and water resources and sector monitoring.
Location: Asia, Pacific
Client: AusAID // DFAT
Researchers: Juliet Willetts, Naomi Carrard, Kumi Abeysuriya
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
WASH Sector Brief: Angola (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Kiribati (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Papua New Guinea (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Bangladesh (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Lao PDR (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Samoa (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Burma (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Malawi (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Solomon Islands (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Cambodia (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: South Africa (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Indonesia (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Nepal (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Sri Lanka (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Mozambique (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Zambia (2011) (Report)
WASH Sector Brief: Zimbabwe (2011) (Report)
PROJECT | 2008, 2011
ISF organises international WASH conferences
ISF researchers co-organised international conferences with the Australian WASH Reference Group, the International Water Centre and AusAID in both 2008 and 2011, and led authorship of the synthesis reports from these two AusAID supported conferences.
Location: Australia, Asia, Pacific
Clients: International Water Centre, AusAID // DFAT
Partners: International Water Centre, Australian WASH Reference Group
Researcher: Juliet Willetts
PROJECT | 2012-2013
Independent review of Indonesia World Bank Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program and policy facility
ISF led the independent review of the Third Water and Sanitation for Low Income Communities Project (PAMSIMAS) and the Water Supply and Sanitation Policy Formulation and Action Planning (WASPOLA) Facility, two AusAID-funded initiatives working to strategically, and at a large-scale, address access to water, sanitation and hygiene in Indonesia.
Location: Indonesia
Client: Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Third Water and Sanitation for Low Income Communities Project (PAMSIMAS) and the Water Supply and Sanitation Policy Formulation and Action Planning (WASPOLA) Facility: Independent Review (Report)
Indonesia Third Water and Sanitation for Low Income Communities Project (PAMSIMAS) and the Water Supply and Sanitation Policy Formulation and Action Planning (WASPOLA) Facility: Independent review
PROJECT | 2012
Independent review of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program
ISF conducted an independent review of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program Phase 2 (AKA Bee, Saneamentu no Ijiene iha Komunidade or BESIK 2), an AusAID-funded rural water supply and sanitation program in Timor-Leste that provided specialist expertise in gender equality and sustainability of WASH interventions.
Location: Timor-Leste
Client: Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Past reflections...future plans: An independent evaluation of Australian support to rural WASH in Timor-Leste - Evaluation Report (Report Summary)
PROJECT | 2010-2011
Promoting learning in civil society WASH programming
ISF worked with WaterAid to design, deliver and document three learning events for the Civil Society WASH Fund (2010–2011) that brought together more than 100 practitioners from 21 countries to share experiences and build expertise on sustainable WASH. The following set of documents provides a snapshot of learning event discussions.
The documents are organised around themes that emerged during the learning events, and selected participant stories provide a taste of the many experiences shared through poster presentations and discussions.
Location: Australia, Asia, Pacific
Client: AusAID // DFAT
Partner: WaterAid
Wider program: Civil Society Organisation WASH Fund
Researcher: Juliet Willetts
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Civil Society WASH Learning Fund: Introduction (Report)
Civil Society WASH Learning Fund: Learning for effective WASH (Report)
Civil Society WASH Learning Fund: WASH in challenging urban environments (Report)
Civil Society WASH Learning Fund: WASH in Pacific Island communities (Report)
Civil Society WASH Learning Fund: Menstrual hygiene management (Report)
Civil Society WASH Learning Fund: Strengthening government (Report)
Civil Society WASH Learning Fund: Inclusive WASH – advancing equity and supporting the most vulnerable (Report)
Civil Society WASH Learning Fund: Focus on sanitation and hygiene (Report)
PROJECT | 2009-2012
Independent evaluation of the Civil Society WASH Fund
ISF led two independent reviews of AusAID's Civil Society WASH Fund (2009–2012), a large-scale program funding civil society organisations in Asia, Pacific and Africa to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene in poor communities.
Location: Asia, Pacific, Africa
Client: AusAID // DFAT
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Independent Progress Report of the Civil Society WASH Fund (2011) (Report)
Independent Completion Report of the Civil Society WASH Fund (2012) (Report)
Addressing the Enabling Environment for WASH Services: Learning paper (2011) (Report)
Civil Society Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Fund: Independent progress report (2011) (Report)
PROJECT | 2008-2011
NGO partnerships in the WASH sector
Together with the International Water Centre, ISF investigated NGO partnerships, capacity development and state/local government engagement in the WASH sector to inform planning and investment through Australian aid Water and Sanitation Initiative 2008–2011.
Location: Indonesia, Vietnam
Client: AusAID // DFAT
Partner: International Water Centre
Wider program: Water and Sanitation Initiative
Researchers: Juliet Willetts, Naomi Carrard
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
NGO partnerships and capacity development in the water sanitation and hygiene sector (2008) (Report)
