Susan Davis

By Susan Davis, Executive Director

The Pilot Study on Donor Restrictions & WASH Sustainability report compiles the results of the pilot survey that we distributed a few months ago. This pilot study represents the first step that we know of to determine the impact of the WASH Sustainability Charter and funding mechanisms on sustainability. Analysis of data from 40 qualified respondents clearly reveals a lack of alignment between the needs of implementing organizations and the contributions of donors.

Q. Which donor restrictions hinder your ability to contribute to sustainable water and sanitation services?

We have partnered with an academic institution to conduct additional research. Particular areas of further investigation include:

• Interviewing donors to identify their perceptions of restrictions associated with funds to WASH NGOs, and whether these have impacted sustainability of interventions.
• Can we link evidence of post-implementation success or challenges to donor restrictions?
• Better characterization of beneficiary feedback solicited by implementing organizations and donors and whether and how it is used for resolution and future programming.
• Better characterization of “limited time frame” or perhaps determining organizations’ opinions of an ideal time frame.
• Are there connections between the size/income of WASH organizations and how influenced they are by donor restrictions?

Click here to download the report. Please let us know your thoughts on this pilot study, the area of research in general, and any other questions you think we should include in our research. .