We partner with institutions, organisations, development agencies and businesses across the globe to strengthen the water, sanitation and hygiene sector.

Our aim is to reach everyone, everywhere, with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. But we can't do this alone. So we partner with institutions and organisations at all levels to strengthen systems and help deliver inclusive and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to communities.

Some of the partners we work with include:

  • Government ministries, departments and agencies responsible for WASH, including local, national and state-level municipalities, regulators and public utilities.
  • Government ministries, departments and agencies in other sectors, including those responsible for decentralisation, education, health, urban, environment, social services, gender and children.
  • Political and traditional leaders, including parliamentarians, traditional chiefs and federal and civic leaders. 
  • Civil society organisations, national and international NGOs, community-based organisations, local religious groups, networks and alliances, and advocacy and campaigning groups.
  • Organisations working for increased rights and accountability, including community development groups, organisations for people with disability, women’s groups, minority rights groups and groups for people living with HIV.
  • Private sector organisations, including large-, medium-, and small-scale private enterprises such as utilities, sanitation marketing entrepreneurs, spare part suppliers, masons and pit emptiers. This also includes private sector trade bodies, platforms and initiatives.
  • Academic, research and teaching institutions.
  • International development partners, including bilateral and multilateral donors, development banks, foundations and NGOs.
  • Media, including journalist groups and unions, and TV and radio broadcasters.
  • Embassies and high commissions.

EPICS project: unique partnership to improve WASH in Uganda

We've joined forces with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and Uganda's Eastern Umbrella of Water and Sanitation to deliver lasting change for communities.

Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba

Our approach

We have always believed that working together with others is fundamental to achieving sustainable change on a greater scale. Through strong partnerships, we support institutions to implement mandates to provide WASH services to their communities. We also collaborate with like-minded partners to ensure these services are embedded and sustained at local, sub-national and national levels.

We recognise that each partnership is unique and determined by the WASH landscape in the country or area of work. We also acknowledge the varying strategic and internal factors that motivate the organisations we partner with. These considerations drive the way we develop and maintain collaborative relationships everywhere we work. 

We regularly review our role and contribution in each partnership, taking into account feedback from partners. Through this, we find new ways to collaborate and meaningfully contribute towards building stronger systems, and achieving safe WASH services for all that last.

Latest resources and expert opinion

Top image: Charity Nshimbi (second from left), Programme Manager for WaterAid South Africa, and Kenny Phasha (second from right), Managing Director of local partner Tsogang, visit the water points underneath the recently built water storage units in Ha-Mangilasi community, with Patrick Bukasa (R) and Chad Burke (L) from Kimberly Clark, in Vhembe district, Limpopo province, South Africa. June 2023.

Second image: Nyangoma Edith, 30, Water Scheme Manager, supervises the piped water extension works of the Namayingo water supply scheme in Namayingo district, Uganda. April 2023.

Last updated: May 2024