HOW WE WORK | WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE (WASH)

The Marie-Stella-Maris Foundation is committed to structurally improving access to clean drinking water worldwide. We do this through supporting projects with a focus on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). By carefully selecting our projects and then monitoring them during and after construction, we strive to make sure that every project we undertake remains a success for years to come. In this we work closely with our partner Aqua for All.

  • Local ownership

    The project originates from local initiative, so the project will be fully supported by the community. A sense of ownership increases local responsibility and proper usage of a facility.

  • Sharing knowledge

    In order for people to understand the value of their new facilities, every project includes a social campaign and/or training on the use of water, hygiene and proper use of the facilities.

  • Self sufficiency

    After taking delivery of a project, we want the local community to be able to take care of the facilities themselves and not rely on further external support.

Selection

We begin with a strict screening of the project applications and potential partners. Using a pre-defined set of criteria, we work with Aqua for All to make sure that we are helping the most needy people and are working with the right partners to make that happen. This selection process enables us to minimise the risk of mis-management or corruption and ensures that enough attention is being paid on local leverage and involvement to create a long term impact.

 

Follow up

In each project we undertake we include a five year follow up program. This means that after completion of the project we keep monitoring it to assess the quality, usage and management of realized facilities every year. This also gives local people the support and opportunity to become future managers of their new facility.

Find our more about how we work in our policy highlights.