COWASH Showcases Gender-Transformative Community-Led WASH Models at UN
The COWASH IV presented practical, evidence-based lessons from the project’s gender-transformative and inclusive WASH programming in Ethiopia during global policy discussions at the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). The Project Gender and Inclusion Specialist Firewoyni Solomon and Development Advisor Pietari Arikka represented COWASH IV at the United Nations Headquarters from March 9-19,2026.
Advancing Inclusive Policy through Field Evidence
The project team used the global platform to demonstrate how community-led WASH models and gender transformative approaches transition women from beneficiaries to active decision-makers. The team shared insights with international NGOs and government delegates, highlighting the critical links between WASH services, menstrual health as a human right, gender-responsive climate action and disability inclusion. These discussions demonstrated how the project’s community-led successes translate into practical solutions for global sustainable development priorities. By sharing practical lessons from the field, the team also presented COWASH IV’s implementation in Ethiopia as a scalable blueprint for inclusive gender-transformative programming in low-resource environments.
From Policy to Action
Key messages emerging from CSW70 emphasized that gender equality must move beyond policy commitments into concrete and measurable action. Discussions also highlighted that climate justice is not gender‑neutral and that women’s leadership must be meaningful rather than symbolic. These global mandates affirm the value of COWASH IV’s experience and continued initiatives to advance women’s leadership, gender-responsive climate action and inclusive governance within community-based WASH systems. They further demonstrate that the project ongoing work in these areas aligns with international best practices.
Upcoming Global Dialogue
Following the session in New York, the team established new professional connections for future collaboration. As a direct result, Development Advisor Pietari Arikka will join an expert panel in mid-April for the webinar “Rewiring Climate Systems: Women Redesigning Governance and Finance Across Africa and the Caribbean.” The upcoming event will connect CSW70 insights to practical experiences in gender-responsive climate governance and adaptation strategies across the continent.
Strengthening Rural Sanitation Markets through Professional Branding and Promotion
Following the launch of COWASH IV’s Market-Based Sanitation Centre (MSC) branding initiative, the project team conducted field visits from March 11-12, 2026, to deliver professional visibility materials to pilot centres in Central Ethiopia and the Sidama Region. The delivery represents the latest phase of a collaborative branding process where members of the Roori MSC in Sidama and the Tesfa Zer MSC in Central Ethiopia worked with consultants to define unique brand identities. Moving away from standard templates, custom logos and color schemes were designed for each centre to reflect specific local business goals and community contexts.
To support these businesses in professionalizing their community outreach, the project provided a suite of branded assets including professional workwear, such as branded gowns and t-shirts, alongside storefront signboards, roadside posters, and roll-up banners featuring tailored marketing content. During the visit, project teams met with MSC members and Woreda partners to discuss strategies for business sustainability. Members indicated that the combination of technical training and professional branding materials has increased their capacity to build community trust and stimulate demand for sanitation products.
The delivery of these materials builds upon a week-long training programme conducted from January to February 2026, which focused on marketing, sales skills, and brand visibility to help transition the centres from local producers into market-driven businesses. The initial training sessions were held from January 27–29 for the five founding members of Roori MSC, followed by a session for the three members of Tesfa Zer MSC in Hadero Tutno Woreda. Both centres were established by COWASH IV in collaboration with regional governments to improve the accessibility of affordable sanitation supplies.
Beyond the delivery of physical assets, the joint team continues to conduct follow-up visits to assess implementation and provide real-time feedback. These visits ensure that the businesses are operationally equipped for long-term success. The strengthening of rural supply centres remains a core focus of the COWASH IV initiative, aiming to create a sustainable link between water supply and accessible sanitation infrastructure for rural communities.
From Training to Action: COWASH IV Community Conversation Initiative in Sidama
Following the successful completion of the COWASH IV capacity-building training programme for Community Conversation (CC) facilitators and supervisors, the volunteer graduates are now leading the initiative in their own villages. The COWASH IV CC training programme, which was conducted between September 2025 and January 2026, equipped 190 Woreda experts, Health Extension Workers and community members across five project regions with essential participatory skills. These volunteers are now establishing CC groups in their villages and leading regular group discussions.
The CC groups established by these volunteers meet regularly throughout a structured eight-week program. To guide these critical discussions, the volunteers utilize the COWASH IV eight-session CC flipchart curriculum. It has been reported that several groups are now entering their graduation phase, having completed the full two-month curriculum.
These volunteers play a critical role in the initiative’s success by bridging the gap between technical expertise and community trust. In Wondo Genet, volunteers such as Kamba Hirpeto, Mulu Filipose, and Tayech Tesfaye are guiding groups of up to 31 members through the CC curriculum. Similarly, in Gorche Woreda’s Sado village, a partnership between supervisor Hirute Elsa and facilitator Bereket Fulase has established a dedicated group of 25 households committed to the new standards. Mulu, a Health Extension Worker in Wechale, emphasized that the participatory nature of the sessions is the critical factor driving these real-time behavioral shifts.
During a recent field mission from February 9 to 13, 2026, the COWASH IV team attended five active community conversation sessions to provide on-site coaching and witness the results firsthand. The team observed that this grassroots initiative, driven by dedicated volunteers and CC groups, is making a measurable impact on behavioral change across Wondo Genet and Goreche Woredas.
A majority of group members, particularly those in the graduation phase, have already constructed and are utilizing improved household latrines. Many participants are leveraging their WASH Saving and Loan Associations, established by COWASH IV, to finance these essential home improvements, demonstrating a direct link between financial empowerment and public health.
The results in Abaye Boreta village, located in Wondo Genet Woreda, serve as a primary success story for the initiative. Led by facilitator Kamba Hirpeto, who also serves as the village WASH committee chair, and supervisor Shegitu Taye, a health extension worker, the village’s CC group has achieved a remarkable milestone. Out of the group’s 30 member households, 28 have already completed improved household latrines, while the remaining two have begun construction.
The impact of these conversations extends far beyond physical infrastructure. Participants report significant gains in awareness regarding handwashing, safe water handling, and menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) as well as a stronger commitment to gender and disability inclusion within the community. Furthermore, the initiative is fostering a deep cultural shift. In villages like Wechale and Uraga of Wondo Genet Woreda, male members are breaking long-standing taboos by engaging in public discussions regarding menstrual health to better support the women and girls in their households. This transition from learning to action reflects the primary goal of the initiative: building inclusive, result-oriented community engagement that translates into immediate sanitation and hygiene improvements.
COWASH IV and Max Foundation Launch WASH and Nutrition Integration Initiative
Following five months of intensive preparation, COWASH IV and the Max Foundation have officially launched the first phase of a new initiative designed to integrate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) with Nutrition and Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA). The joint team commenced the Woreda-level implementation by conducting a comprehensive capacity-building training in the Central Ethiopia Region for 50 government experts, health extension workers, and local enterprises.
The curriculum focused on three critical pillars designed to ensure the programme’s long-term success. The first pillar addressed maternal and child nutrition, with the Max Foundation leading sessions on adolescent health and infant growth monitoring for health and nutrition experts. This was followed by a focus on nutrition-sensitive agriculture, a collaborative effort with the Seqota Declaration team to train regional experts on how to integrate nutritional goals directly into local farming practices. To ensure the private sector can support these objectives, the final pillar, led by COWASH IV team, provided business skill development for sanitation enterprises, covering financial planning, cost structures, and market segmentation.
The rollout follows a successful action plan validation mission to Fofa Woreda, the initiative’s selected pilot site. During this mission, the joint team inspected health centers to verify that tools for growth monitoring were in place and confirmed critical integration points with local health, agriculture and energy offices. By aligning the action plan with the Woreda’s specific priorities and existing systems, the project aims to ensure that the integration of WASH and nutrition is both sustainable and locally led.
This multi-sectoral initiative marks a strategic shift in how rural development programmes address the intersection of health and agriculture. By empowering local experts to cascade this knowledge to their communities, the programme aims to move beyond traditional infrastructure, embedding health and economic sustainability directly into community-managed WASH services. The initiative is set to enter its next phase in the coming months, as health extension workers and Woreda experts begin cascading the training directly to community members.
Belay Dinku’s All-Women SLA Group Leads Shera Village to Open Defecation Free Status
The Shera village in Agata Kebele, Geta Woreda, Central Ethiopia, has achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, a significant health achievement led by an exemplary and highly motivated Shera Saving and Loan Association (SLA). This group, which was established in 2022, is unique among those formed by COWASH IV as all 30 member households are represented by women.
The SLA is chaired by Belay Dinku, who credits the crucial training provided by COWASH IV on leadership, management and financial governance for her success. Belay’s effective leadership ensured all her members built improved household latrines, laying the ground for the entire village to achieve ODF status.
COWASH IV facilitates the establishment of these SLA groups to financially empower communities to construct their own improved household latrines, while also providing crucial training programmes. In the wider Agata Kebele, COWASH IV has facilitated the establishment of five SLAs, all of whose members successfully built improved household latrines, leading to the Kebele being officially declared ODF.
The shift in the Shera village’s sanitation practice is profound. Belay recalls the past when people relied on natural spaces, such as the Enset (false banana) fields in their backyards, for defecation. Now, with the construction of improved household latrines, environmental hygiene has become the norm. Belay also highlights the significant change in behaviour and health outcomes adding that when she was a child, her hands often itched due to poor hygiene caused by the lack of proper latrines. She says, there is a lot of change now where they actively maintain environmental and personal hygiene.
This commitment to hygiene and the quality of leadership is evident to anyone who visits their village. Abebech Gebreyohannes, the Kebele’s Health Extension Worker, specifically commended Belay for her leadership skills in effectively mobilizing her SLA members to save. Derbe Melese, the SLA’s Treasurer, agrees, noting that Belay effectively manages the group despite having many responsibilities at home. Beyond her village, Mifta Sherif, the COWASH IV Community Managed Project (CMP) Advisor at the Woreda, says Belay and her group have become a model for other SLAs due to her strong leadership.
Financial Independence and Future Goals
The Shera SLA group’s disciplined approach included saving 10 Birr per week. Belay remembers their collective determination: during construction, when members were short of money, they each sold a chicken to make up the difference and add to their savings.
Now that all members have achieved their goal of constructing an improved latrine, the group has chosen to keep meeting regularly to discuss sanitation and hygiene issues, with the kebele’s health extension worker attending to provide ongoing advice and training. Their next goal is to bring water directly to their houses using their pooled SLA savings. Their long-term vision also includes starting a local small business to produce and sell liquid soap for themselves and the community and installing solar systems in their households.
This financial independence is supported by COWASH IV’s infrastructure efforts, which included the construction of a community water point, ensuring Belay and her community have a nearby safe water supply.
Learn more about Belay’s inspiring journey and our work in SLA by checking out our documentary titled: “Building with Savings: Community Ownership” –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA4ljAarcCs&t=3s
Bringing the Stories Home: COWASH IV Communities Watch Their Documentaries
COWASH IV team is showing its documentary series titled “Empowering Communities, Transforming Communities” back to the communities whose stories are captured in the films from five of its project regions. The six-part documentary series, celebrates the spirit of community ownership and leadership. Beyond their work implementing and managing WASH infrastructure, the communities played the central role in the production, telling their own stories with genuine honesty and in a compelling manner. During regular fieldwork travels, the project team shows the films to these communities often to an overwhelming response and appreciation.
In a dedicated trip on November 14, 2025, the COWASH IV team traveled to The Edo village, in Sidama Region, to screen the documentary titled “Beyond WASH: A Success Story,” which was filmed in their area. Team members notice a great joy and a warm welcome from the gathered residents, who were deeply moved to see their stories shared with neighbors and friends on screen. Another film in the series, “Building with Savings: Community Ownership,” was recently shown during a gathering in Wengecho and Geta Villages in Central Ethiopia.
The project emphasizes that these community leaders are central to its work, demonstrating that community ownership is key to generating sustainable and lasting change that goes beyond the establishment of physical infrastructure.
In addition to the community viewings, the documentaries have been used to share best practices with high-level audiences including International, Federal, regional and Woreda-level stakeholders who have participated in the project.
COWASH IV and Max Foundation Partner to Integrate WASH and Nutrition
COWASH IV and the Max Foundation, an international non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children and mothers, have established a partnership to integrate their works in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Nutrition and Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA). A joint team from the two organizations is developing a pilot that explores how Max Foundation’s Healthy Village (HV) approach can be effectively integrated within COWASH’s successful WASH systems. This partnership’s first phase focus will be on capacity building and joint learning to prepare for a strong, complementary collaboration in the future.
The partnership seeks to leverage COWASH’s existing community footprint to accelerate progress on child health and nutrition outcomes across Ethiopia. The HV program will add crucial components of nutrition and NSA, with a focus on the first 1,000 days of life, which includes children under two and pregnant and lactating women.
The partnership follows earlier discussions between COWASH IV and the Max Foundation team about the possibility of adding nutrition-focused work to COWASH’s existing efforts. These initial talks were followed by an assessment visit to COWASH IV project Woredas, which took place in Central Ethiopia from August 25–28, 2025. The visit provided valuable insights, enabling the team to decide on integration points and select pilot woredas to strengthen both sectors and benefit communities.
During its visit, the joint team met with local leaders and representatives from various government offices, including the offices of Agriculture, Education, Finance, Health and Water. The team also had a discussion with community members, WASH committee leaders and members of Savings and Loan Associations established for constructing improved household latrines. These meetings focused on the current groundwork, the available opportunities for implementing the potential partnership, and the needs for integrating nutrition programs. Both community members and local officials expressed strong enthusiasm for the idea, noting that nutrition work has been a critical challenge in their area.
This integrated approach aims to go beyond the established COWASH IV system by leveraging existing government structures, such as Health Extension Workers (HEWs) and Agricultural Development Agents (ADAs). The goal is to strengthen frontline capacity and embed nutrition into routine services. The collaboration also seeks to develop a market-based ecosystem that ensures families can reliably access the products and services they need to stay healthy, from improved seeds and fortified flours. To achieve this, the partnership will integrate COWASH IV’s work in SLAs and Market-based Sanitation Centers (MSCs) to create a demand and supply chain for improved seeds and fortified flours, extending beyond sanitation supplies.
The partnership leverages COWASH’s strong community presence to cost-effectively add the Health Village program’s nutrition and NSA components. By creating a holistic, scalable model, this collaboration aims to accelerate progress on diet quality, child growth and learning outcomes, while protecting the gains made in WASH. This direct alignment with government priorities, such as the One WASH National Programme and the National Food and Nutrition Strategy, will allow for rapid expansion at a marginal cost.
COWASH IV National Steering Committee Concludes its final Meeting
The COWASH IV National Steering Committee successfully concluded its final meeting for Phase four yesterday, October 15, 2025, at the Capital Hotel. The committee reviewed the project’s significant progress, assessed key operational issues, and discussed the way forward.
The committee meeting, which included representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Water and Energy, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and the Embassy of Finland, was co-chaired by Ambassador Asfaw Dingamo (PhD), State Minister of the Ministry of Water and Energy and Tomi Särkioja, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Finland.
COWASH IV Chief Technical Advisor Neil Chadder presented project updates for the committee, including major works completed in the Ethiopian Fiscal Year 2017 (EFY 2017) and outlined plans for EFY 2018. Mr. Chadder also presented a general overview of the utilization of funding received from the Governments of Ethiopia and Finland. Following this, Assegid Teklu, COWASH IV Project Finance Coordinator at the Ministry of Finance, provided a detailed financial report specifically on the Government of Finland’s fund utilization in the project.
The committee held critical discussions on challenges, forward plans, and the official COWASH Phase V programme document, marking the final official review for Phase IV.
Key Achievements
A major highlight of the meeting was the announcement that, with one year remaining, COWASH IV has already reached over 1 million beneficiaries (1,003,325) against its target of 1.1 million, as of the end of July. In EFY 2017 alone, the project delivered substantial infrastructure and capacity improvements, including the construction of 1,235 water points, directly benefiting 307,487 people. COWASH IV has also constructed water points in 160 schools and 112 health posts, improved latrines in 29 schools and 61 health posts and Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) centers in 31 schools. Furthermore, a critical focus on capacity building resulted in training provided to 14,068 individuals.
Since the beginning of Phase Four, the COWASH has also established 292 WASH saving and loan associations to foster financial independence for household latrine construction, and 26 market-based sanitation centers to provide accessible and affordable sanitation supplies to rural communities.
To strengthen its impact, COWASH IV launched community conversation flipcharts and started training volunteer community members who will facilitate community conversations in EFY 2017 aiming to reinforce its Social and Behavioral Change efforts. The project continues to raise awareness and engage actively with school staff, WASH and gender clubs, and local communities to drive positive long-term change in hygiene practices.
Overall, the final COWASH IV Steering Committee meeting successfully highlighted the project’s achievement and concluded the meeting by agreeing to move forward with the presented plan and the points discussed.