How does this course work?

This online course is designed to equip the broader water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector with a better understanding of what WASH systems strengthening entails and your role in it. It brings together the latest thinking from all over the world. 

This course has been created by a partnership of UNICEF, IRC, Water For People and the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), with funding from the Dutch government's Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS). 


Learning objectives

The objectives of this course are to: 

  • Understand what WASH systems strengthening entails and your role in it 
  • Identify opportunities for strengthening WASH systems in your context 


Targeted audience

This course is developed for anyone involved in the WASH sector who wants to learn more about WASH systems strengthening. No prior knowledge of WASH service delivery is required. More specifically, the intended audience includes professionals working for: 

  • Local, regional and national governments 
  • Non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, multilaterals, bilaterals and private sector actors 
  • WASH service providers in rural and urban areas 
  • Training institutes, consultants and experts working on systems strengthening 


Structure  

This course consists of five sessions: 

  • Session 1: Welcome 

  • Session 2: Introducing systems thinking for universal safe WASH services 

  • Session 3: Opportunities for WASH systems strengthening 

  • Session 4: People in the WASH system: Roles and responsibilities 

  • Session 5: The process of WASH systems strengthening and change 

  • Test, certificate and feedback 

It's recommended that you work through the course in consecutive order (i.e., from 1 to 5), completing each session before moving to the next.  


Lenght

The estimated course duration is eight hours. Each session has an average estimated duration of 60 minutes. 


Language

This course is available in English and French.


Course contact

Anu Paudyal Gautam: apgautam@unicef.org


What we have on offer 

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 is about ‘ensuring the availability and sustainable management of WASH services for all. Realizing SDG 6 and thus improving standards of life for all is one of the main objectives of systems strengthening. These three online courses are here to help you drive positive change as a systems leader:

  • Introducing water, sanitation, and hygiene systems strengthening.
  • Introducing finance for sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene systems.
  • Advanced course: Approaches to finance for sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene systems.

For more details see the table below.

Course 

Details ​ 

Introducing water, sanitation, and hygiene systems strengthening

Description: This course is designed to equip all UNICEF personnel and partners with a better understanding of what WASH systems strengthening entails and your role in it.

Format: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) - Self-paced and self-guided [partly available offline]  

Provider: WASH Systems Academy and UNICEF’s Agora platform 

Duration: 5 sessions/8 hours  

Language: English/French 

Created by a partnership of UNICEF, IRC, Water For People and the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)

Introducing finance for sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene systems  

Description: This eight-hour introductory course provides the insights to accelerate finance for more resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems that can deliver sustainable services to all.

Format: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) - Self-paced and self-guided [partly available offline]  

Provider: WASH Systems Academy and UNICEF’s Agora platform 

Duration: 5 sessions/8 hours  

Language: English/French 

Created by a partnership of UNICEF, IRC and Water For People.

Advanced course

Approaches to finance for sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene systems

Description: This course provides approaches to strengthening finance for more resilient WASH systems that can deliver sustainable services to all. From maximizing the use of existing funding, to raising more funding through tariffs or taxes to innovative means as climate finance or blended finance.

Format: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) - Self-paced and self-guided [partly available offline]  

Provider: WASH Systems Academy and UNICEF’s Agora platform 

Duration: 8 sessions/16 hours  

Language: English/French 

Created by a partnership of UNICEF, IRC and Water For People.



Check out the flyer to learn more about the partnership for WASH systems in Africa