From online learning to increased impact of the WASH SDG programme

Learning and sharing in development programmes can improve results and long-term goals. This is exactly the experience of The Netherlands Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sustainable Development Goal (WASH SDG) Consortium. This new article by Femke van Heun, Knowledge Management and Learning Officer at Simavi, shows how a learning trajectory from the WASH SDG programme contributed to improved programme implementation of gender equality and social inclusion objectives.

Advantages of working in a consortium

Sharing knowledge and building on each other’s key strengths is widely considered one of the advantages of working in a consortium. To deal with (new) challenges and innovate, partners need to learn from each other’s experiences. Within the WASH SDG Consortium, the global Learning and Knowledge Development component is an integral part of the programme. The programme’s three global Learning and Knowledge Development trajectories provide a sharing and learning space for programme staff, partners and others from the WASH SDG network and beyond.

A well-developed Learning and Knowledge Development process can enhance the effectiveness of overall and long-term programme goals. The WASH SDG learning and knowledge development main results are:

• Dedicated time for a learning topic changed mindsets and led to mainstreaming of the topic in programming, implementation and reporting.
• Global learning exchanges led to cross-country adaptation and contextualisation of concepts and approaches, which increased the programmes’ impact on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI).
• The success of global learning clinics is depended on the dedicated time and support for staff to actively participate and share their knowledge, which is in turn a result of positive leadership and management attitudes to learning.
• The WASH SDG Consortium was able to support a way of institutionalised learning that is not self-evident in other consortium structures of many partners and sub programmes.

You can read the full article, that builds on a previous study that explored the best practices and lessons learned from the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) learning trajectory, by downloading the PDF. Be sure to read it if you are curious to find out how the learning trajectory contributed to improved programme implementation of GESI objectives.