In Mexico, many children suffer the consequences of limited access to drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities in their schools. In the states of Nuevo León and Chihuaha, each home to 5.3 million inhabitants, this problem affects not only health, but also the quality of the educational environment and the well-being of pupils.

In response to these challenges, UNICEF, in collaboration with CAWST, is implementing the Three Star model. This innovative approach is not limited to improving infrastructure: it aims to transform schools into sustainable environments, by integrating the teaching, practice and consolidation of healthy behaviours related to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

The WASH conditions of each school were assessed using the Three Star model, enabling them to be ranked from 0 to 3 stars according to their infrastructure, access to essential services and the behavioural practices in place.

Methodology and implementation

1. Data collection and analysis

– Assessment of conditions in 15 schools in Nuevo León and 50 schools in Chihuahua, with pilot tests to refine the tools.

– Procedures were devised to facilitate on-site collection of agents, structuring and capitalisation of data.

2. Local capacity building

– Alignment of criteria with SDG standards and adaptation to the local context.

– Training of local players to ensure the sustainability of the project.

3. Capitalisation and recommendations

– Validation of data, drafting of a technical report and development of a targeted action plan for each school.

Results and expected impact

– A healthy and safe school environment: schools become exemplary in terms of water and sanitation management.

– Promote sustainable habits: education and the daily practice of healthy behaviours reinforce the long-term impact.

– Provide a methodology that can be replicated: the Three Star approach and the tools developed make it possible to replicate these initiatives in other regions.

By integrating infrastructure, behavioural change and training, this project provides a clear vision of the state and needs of each school and lays the foundations for a future where every child can learn, grow and flourish in optimal conditions.

Drinking water supply has been an important part of UNICEF’s program and advocacy work since the 1960s. Since the mid-1980s, UNICEF has assisted more than 90 countries to improve community water supply and it has been increasingly investing in rural water supply since 2000. Key corporate water supply commitments and approaches are defined in the 2006-2015 global WASH strategy. Going forward, water supply in rural areas and small towns will continue to be prioritized through both regular programs and humanitarian action, as reflected in the draft version of the next UNICEF global WASH strategy for the period up to 2030.

This assignment was part of the US$25 million « Lazos de Agua » programme funded by One Drop, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Coca-Cola and FEMSA foundations. Lazos de Agua aims to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation and promote hygiene measures for about 200,000 people in Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Paraguay by 2021. The programme introduces an innovative approach (SABC, Social Art for Behaviour Change) into the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector and develops its projects based on One Drop’s ‘A-B-C for Sustainability’ model (Access, Behaviour change & Capital).

The UNESCO International Hydrological Programme is a global science and education programme that is coordinating 15 flagship initiatives to enhance research, information sharing and cooperation on hydrological issues around the world, namely by: quantifying, describing, mapping and promoting the sharing of surface and underground water resources.

African cities are exposed to the impacts of climate change due to the large concentrations of people often coupled with poorly adapted infrastructure. In this context, the CICLIA Project Preparation Facility is financing studies aimed at implementing projects or urban strategies promoting climate change adaptation and mitigation with climate co-benefits. Co-funded by the European Union (EU), the Swiss Cooperation (SECO) and the French Development Agency (AFD), the CICLIA facility was created at the end of 2016 and targets sub-Saharan Africa. In this context, Urbaconsulting has been mandated to carry out an intermediate (after 4 years) and final (after 6 years) evaluative capitalisation study of the CICLIA facility.

The service refers to the « Learning » dimension that AFD implements to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its projects. The service goes beyond a simple classic evaluation, as it allows a transversal vision between several countries of intervention located in Central Africa and favours the expression of the points of view and expectations of two AFD divisions (Water and Sanitation; and Cities). In this context, AFD requested this thematic evaluation as part of its strategic reflection on the Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM) sector in urban areas.

The French Treasury requested an evaluation of the water and sanitation sector treasury loan instrument since 2008. This evaluation was conducted by Hydroconseil in partnership with Ernst & Young and had four main objectives:

• Two retrospective objectives: to produce a review of the Treasury loans awarded to the water and sanitation sectors; to assess compliance of the French part of the loans in completed water and sanitation projects;
• Two prospective objectives to inform discussions on: developing a doctrine on the French part of financed projects; improving the governance of projects in this sector.

Evaluation, 5 years after the end of implementation, of the Water and Sanitation Services Improvement and Expansion Program in Peru (PROCOES). The objectives are as follows:

• Assess the effectiveness and continuity of the results expected and achieved.
• Identify challenges to the sustainability of the program.
• Determine the program’s contribution to the sector at local and national level.
• Detail lessons learned and propose recommendations.

Since its creation, the irrigation sector has been a major area of intervention for AFD, whose logics and implementation strategies have evolved over time.

We are supporting the development of a sustainable water supply system for the people of southern Madagascar through three pipelines of 18 km, 120 km and 168 km, supplying around sixty sub-networks by solar pumping. The aim of the project is to secure access to drinking and agricultural water, while strengthening the governance of the water service. Our mission is to identify, analyse and select the best management options for each pipeline, taking into account local specificities and institutional issues. We are carrying out an assessment of the current system on the Ampotaka pipeline in order to establish suitable management scenarios, then comparing 15 potential management models according to six criteria (public management, regional EPIC, delegation to the private sector). In collaboration with the Ministry, we facilitate the choice of the most suitable management model, while putting in place a mechanism for technical and financial supervision of the water service. Finally, we analyse the conditions required for replication on a national scale, in order to guarantee efficient and sustainable management of these essential infrastructures.