Country Director Diana Gee-Silverman explains how RedR is building WASH capacity through a new partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), supported by the Ministry of Health and the Qatar Fund for Development.
RedR has a long history of delivering WASH programmes, in Sudan and around the world. This project draws directly on that experience: RedR will review and adapt the WHO's existing training materials on water testing and water safety plans, ensuring that they're tailored to the local context. We'll also deliver 16 training courses (in Khartoum and Darfur) to 240 government employees - all of whom are working directly on these issues, at field level.
This comprehensive approach aims to equip participants with the ability to identify, manage and mitigate risks. This in turn will have a positive impact on water supply services for families and communities across Sudan.
In February, we ran a seven-day, RedR-designed course on 'Water Quality and Water Safety Plans' for twenty government employees in Khartoum. Through a mixture of hands-on sessions, site visits, case studies, group work, role-plays and presentations, participants learnt about biological and physical water testing. They learnt how to identify optimum doses for water treatment, and develop a water safety plan for a community water supply. During a field visit to a peri-urban water supply, they practised identifying and testing various water sources, and carried out a water safety planning exercise.
Throughout, they were encouraged to consider how the Sphere standards can be used to ensure the needs of water users are met - especially those of marginalised groups.