RiPPLE Blog

On my way to the World Water Week in Stockholm, the world’s largest annual international conference on water and sanitation issues, water shortage does not seem to be a problem: the city of Stockholm is surrounded by water and it is raining cats and dogs. However, in other parts of the world, where many of the participants come from, the situation looks very different. According to recent UN estimates, close to 1 billion people worldwide have still no access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion people have no access to basic sanitation facilities. But why has the world been unable to solve this water supply and sanitation crisis and what solutions will the international community of water experts come up with?

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This November, the MUS Group co-hosts a follow-up symposium with RiPPLE, in Addis Ababa, on “Multiple-use services: from practice to policy“. Building on achievements of the first symposium, this symposium seeks to explore recent research and practice experiences on MUS, provoke debate around lessons learnt and utilise these experiences and lessons to draw out some sound policy that can be carried forward.

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There has been a fairly active response to the blog post on the CGIAR Knowledge Sharing in research blog: Learning Alliance- light?!: exploring models that work posted on July 3rd 2008. Some interesting comments and perspectives have been shared–check it out and give us your own thoughts too.
In addition, with a general agreement by a number of contributers to the blog that we do indeed need to look at models that work and highlight their beneficial characteristics and activities, the discussion has also turned to how WE- as practitioners in these multi-stakeholder processes- can share with and learn from each other.

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To follow-up on the last blog post I made- there have been more posts, comments and discussion ongoing about Learning Alliances on the CGIAR Knowledge Sharing in Research Blog.

Of particular interest and a blog post which has set off a thread of discussion and ideas was the blog post entitled: ‘Learning Alliances-light?!: exploring models that work‘.

This post called into question whether we get too caught up and have to spend too much money, time and personnel to develop Learning Alliances in the way in which they are generally presented. Perhaps we need a lighter model-it suggests–one in which we utilize key components and characteristics that work and offer benefit such as facilitation of stakeholders gathering to identify problems and options, collaboration to work together to find solutions and ensure out- and up-scaling, and activities to learn together–things that work to advance research and development.

What parts of the LPA do you think are the best? which ones work? what would you choose to keep doing? what would you choose to stop? Is there a model or structure or operation within RiPPLE or outside that you think works best?
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Check out blog posts on lessons from WASPA project Learning Alliance at http://ictkm.wordpress.com/category/knowledge-sharing/ or at www.ks-cgiar.org

Hi all,

Sorry I am kicking off the blog posts in this category not with a post about the RiPPLE Learning and Practcie Aliances in fact–but to draw your attention to Learning Alliances in a different project (not even in Ethiopia). You may be interested to read the blog posts on lessons emerging from the use of Learning Alliances in another project–see note and link below. Comments can be made on that blog–but we can perhaps also start a discussion based on some of those ideas on this blog too.

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Dear all,

In addition to our Nile Regional Learning blog, we are also instituting other blog ’streams’. Initially we have categories on: Ethiopia Water Sector Progress, focusing in particular on moves towards achieving greater sector harmonisation and alignment, on mapping processes in support of sector development, on sanitation sector challenges and on links between water and growth in the region. You will shortly be able to register on the website in order to post blogs. So, once again, watch this space — or, alternatively, if you can’t wait, then start buy adding your thoughts as a comment to this post.

Looking forward to lively and forward-looking debate and commentary!

Alan Nicol

RiPPLE Director

Dear RiPPLErs in Ethiopia and the Nile Region,

This is the RiPPLE Blog page where we hope to initiate debate, invite comment, stimulate creative thinking and push forward sector learning in Ethiopia and Nile region countries.

Watch this space…it’s about to start coming alive!

Firstly, I would like to invite those of you from partner organsations and others keen on generating debate to post comments on the critical water and sanitation issues facing the sector in the the region from a learning perspective: what do we know, not know, how can we improve our learning and what kind of regional learning event can and should take place early next year?

Thoughts please. More soon,

Alan Nicol

RiPPLE Director