GWOPA tailor-made training on Serving Low-income Customers in the Face of Climate Change with IHE Delft and WaterWorX in Kigali, Rwanda

The training, gathering 42 professionals from 28 water and sanitation service providers and their supporting government and regulatory agencies from across Africa and Asia, focused on the essential topic of services to low-income individuals. It provided a platform to share experiences and insights on pressing themes and topics in the face of climate change.

The course highlighted the value of building relationships and sharing knowledge and expertise among practitioners who work with utilities that contribute to SDG 6, ensuring universal access to drinking water and sanitation. Sanitation, climate change, social connections, gender and inclusion were among the topics covered, with the participants leading the learning by sharing their efforts, challenges and successes with one another.

During the field trip, Rwanda’s Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC) showcased its prepaid meters, which facilitate access by the poor. The utility now employs this former private water vendor, recharging customers’ tokens to use the prepaid meter. This solution reduces costs for customers and the utility alike.

Closing remarks of the day by Zaituni Kanenje from Nakuru Water, Kenya (the picture below): “WOPs have helped us come such a long way. There are utilities here that had no means to serve poor areas five years ago. By they were inspired, they learned, and through the support of the Water Operators’ Partnerships, they are now embracing service to formerly disregarded neighbourhoods to leave no one behind.”