Course description

The Capacity Building and Community Development course (WATR7200) places water management in the context of human development and poverty alleviation, focusing on social tools for water management; safe, secure and equitable access to water supply; and the links between water supply, sanitation and hygiene and improved public health. Effective and equitable water management requires an understanding of the socio-cultural, gender and economic factors impacting on water access and use. Students are trained in the application of a suite of participatory approaches, including various tools such as gender analysis, the Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) approach, tools for hygiene education, and participatory design and evaluation of water and sanitation projects. A strong focus is placed on capacity building, including effective education and training programs in Integrated Water Management; practical tools for the development of formal and informal institutional frameworks for water management (such as water user groups); and strategies for managing public-private partnerships and strengthening relationships between governments, NGOs and communities. A parallel Integrated Water Management project will run through the semester which will develop skills that complement the content delivered in the 4co-requisite courses.

Archived offerings