How we evaluate our work

Kenedy Gondwe, sanitation promoter, making a latrine slab, Chikompulazi village, Mzuzu, Malawi.

Credit: WaterAid / Layton Thompson

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Evaluations: What we do
Why we do it
How we do it
Key Executive summaries 

Evaluations: What we do

Independent, participatory evaluations of WaterAid country programmes are a key part of our work to improve effectiveness, enhance accountability, and identify lessons relating to good practice.  

We do this through assessing the relevance and effectiveness of country programme plans and analysing the prospects for sustainable and equitable change to be delivered in relation to the national context.

As part of the evaluation process we meet community members, staff from WaterAid and partner organisations, representatives from national and local government, and others working in the water and sanitation sector. 

Evaluations provide an opportunity to consider how things could be done differently to better support excluded and vulnerable people and fulfil their rights to water and sanitation. They are forward looking and inform the future development of country programme strategy operations.

Why we do it

The opportunity to learn from findings and recommendations is an important part of why WaterAid is committed to ensuring each country programme is evaluated at least once every 3 – 5 years.  Lessons emerging from one country’s experience are shared across the organisation to inform work and initiatives in other countries, other regions and internationally.  Learning from past experience can improve future performance. 

Understanding how our work can be improved is important.  WaterAid endeavours to embed good practice in all supported programmes.  Evaluations generates evidence that allows country programmes to refine their programmes with the aim of becoming more effective and efficient.

Evaluations allow WaterAid to be accountable and transparent with communities, partners, donors and supporters.  These groups of people are integral to our work.  It is important to keeping them (and you) informed about our successes and challenges.  Evaluations are therefore important communication tools as well.

How we do it

Country programme evaluation teams are led mostly by independent sector specialists who have a detailed understanding of water and sanitation issues in developing countries.  Using independent consultants ensures our work is critically analysed by experts with a broad range of experience, thus allowing us to learn from others as well as share our lessons across the sector.

A detailed review of secondary data (e.g. WaterAid plans and reports, National Government initiatives, sector reviews and relevant research) informs the process of primary data collection and analysis (e.g. meetings with participating community members, partner and WaterAid staff, national and local government representatives). 

Based on this analysis, findings and recommendations are presented to key stakeholders and documented in an evaluation report. 

Links to briefing notes and executive summaries

There are links below to the key documents relating to each evaluation. The Executive Summaries provide a succinct outline of the key issues, findings and conclusions of each study whilst the Briefing Papers offer a more detailed overview of the evaluation process, drawing out important strengths and challenges relating to WaterAid’s work. 

For more information, please contact PapaDiouf@wateraid.org.