A Showcase of Millennium Water Alliance Members’ Contributions
The annual UNC Water and Health Conference is a cornerstone event for the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, bringing together the best minds, seasoned practitioners, and ardent advocates to share insights, discuss challenges, and propose solutions for global water and sanitation issues. This year, the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) members are proudly partaking in a series of events throughout the conference, underlining the collaborative ethos and the knowledge-sharing drive that propels our alliance forward.
As attendees of the conference and stakeholders of the WASH sector, you are warmly invited to attend the series of events featuring MWA members. These events are a testament to our collective commitment towards enriching the sector’s understanding and influencing positive change amidst critical times. Here’s why your attendance and engagement in these events are invaluable:
- Collective Wisdom: Multiple MWA members will collaborate on panels and discussions. Notable events include a joint venture by World Vision, WaterAid, and Save the Children on “The Global Lead-Free Water Initiative” on October 25, from 8:30–10:00 AM at DOGWOOD, and another engaging session with Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience, Millennium Water Alliance on “Practical uses of groundwater monitoring and modeling data for WASH researchers and practitioners” on October 26, from 8:30–10:00 AM at BELLFLOWER.
- Advocacy in Action: Amidst potential budget cuts in the international development sector, the alliance is actively voicing the essentiality of maintaining WASH budgets. Our Lunch Special event with John Sparks on October 25, from 12:15–1:15 PM at SUNFLOWER, titled “Is the U.S. Suddenly Retreating on ‘Water for the World’?”, is a crucial discussion that underscores this advocacy.
- A Broad Spectrum of Insights: The array of topics covered by MWA members reflects the comprehensive approach towards addressing WASH challenges. From technology showcases to discussions on gender transformative WASH, the agenda is packed with learnings.
Below is the comprehensive schedule of MWA members’ participation at the UNC Water and Health Conference 2023. Your presence at these events is a step towards a deeper collaborative effort within the WASH sector.
Monday, October 23:
| Time | Organization | Short Description | Type | Location |
| 8:30–10:00 AM | CARE | WASH Systems Strengthening: Reflections on Design and Impact Measurement | SIDE EVENTS | SUNFLOWER |
| 1:30–3:00 PM | World Vision | WASHing Away Barriers: Approaches for Transformative WASH Service Delivery in Fragile Contexts and Vulnerable Populations | SIDE EVENTS | MOUNTAIN LAUREL |
| CAWST | Safe Water for 2 Billion People with $8 Billion by Scaling HWTS | SIDE EVENTS | AZALEA | |
| 3:30–4:45 PM | CARE | Addressing and Measuring Change in Structural Barriers to Gender Equality within the Federal Ministry of Water and Energy in Ethiopia | VERBAL PRESENTATIONS | WINDFLOWER |
| 4:45–6:00 PM | IRC | Assessing WASH financing gaps to achieve SDG 6.1: Case Study from rural districts in Ethiopia We collected all this Data…now what? Utilizing Data for informed decision-making in Uganda | POSTER PRESENTATIONS & HAPPY HOUR | ATRIUM |
Tuesday, October 24:
| Start Time | Organization | Short Description | Type | Location |
| 8:30–10:00 AM | IRC Ethiopia | Emerging Trends in Rural Water Management and Supporting Evidence | SIDE EVENTS | REDBUD |
| 12:15–1:15 PM | University of Colorado Boulder Water Mission | Technology Showcase: Virridy Satellite-Connected Gateway, Restore Survey & Feedback Tool: Routine Evaluation of Sustainability and Transformation, One Million Wells Model | LUNCH & LUNCH SESSIONS | WILLOW LOUNGE |
| 1:30–3:00 PM | WaterAid | Strengthening Evidence on Sanitation Workers’ Rights: What Have We Learned from Efforts to Support Locally-Led Research? | SIDE EVENTS | AZALEA |
| 3:30–4:45 PM | CARE | An ex-post evaluation examining sustainability of outcomes in the Chivi WASH program Zimbabwe | VERBAL PRESENTATIONS | DOGWOOD |
| 4:45–6:00 PM | Splash | Leveraging the Social Ecosystem of Girls to Shift Menstruation Norms: A Longitudinal Impact Evaluation, | POSTER PRESENTATIONS & HAPPY HOUR | ATRIUM |
| International, University of Colorado, Boulder | Systematic reviews of microbiological performance of household and community drinking water treatment technologies | |||
| CARE | Addressing negative Gender and Social Norms in South Sudan through community dialogue and WASH |
Wednesday, October 25:
| Time | Organization | Description | Type | Location |
| 8:30–10:00 AM | WaterAid | Strengthening Government-Led Systems to Deliver Safely Managed Sanitation and the Full Ambition of SDG 6.2 | SIDE EVENTS | REDBUD S |
| World Vision WaterAid | The Global Lead-Free Water Initiative | SIDE EVENTS | DOGWOOD | |
| Save the Children WaterAid | Achieving SDG Targets on WinS: A Framework for Acceleration | SIDE EVENTS | SUNFLOWER | |
| University of Colorado, Boulder | Leveraging Innovation for Water Security: Exploring Cutting-Edge Technologies in Water Resource Management | SIDE EVENTS | BELLFLOWER | |
| 12:15–1:15 PM | Millennium Water Alliance (John Sparks) IAPMO WaterAid America | Lunch Special: Is the U.S. Suddenly Retreating on “Water for the World”? | LUNCH & LUNCH SESSIONS | SUNFLOWER |
| 1:30–3:00 PM | Helvetas | Using Experiential WASH Indicators to Measure Impact and Assess Needs of Households and Institutions Globally | SIDE EVENTS | SUNFLOWER |
| Water Mission | Accelerating Progress on Safe Drinking-Water with Results-Based Funding | SIDE EVENTS | WINDFLOWER | |
| WaterAid | Hand Hygiene within reach: How can we achieve universal hand hygiene? | SIDE EVENTS | MOUNTAIN LAUREL | |
| 3:30–4:45 PM | Millennium Water Alliance (June Samo) | Assessing the status of private sector participation in water service provision in arid Northern Kenya | VERBAL PRESENTATIONS | REDBUD |
| University of Colorado, Boulder | Water Scarcity and Security THE TAB KIT, Is WASH insecurity related to happiness or life satisfaction? Groundwater extraction modeling to supporting program planning in resource-limited contexts, Extending a groundwater demand model with groundwater level estimates and climate financing toward drought management | VERBAL PRESENTATIONS | AZALEA |
Thursday, October 26:
| Start Time | Organization | Description | Type | Location |
| 8:30–10:00 AM | Helvetas | The Power of Systemic-Change Oriented WASH Initiatives: Strengthening the Health Systems by Tackling WASH in Healthcare Facilities | SIDE EVENTS | SUNFLOWER |
| WaterAid UK, Nigeria, and Zambia | Hygiene Behavior Change to Prevent and Respond to Public Health Emergencies: Learnings from a Multi-Country Hygiene Behavior Change Initiative at Scale | SIDE EVENTS | WINDFLOWER | |
| Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience, University of Colorado Boulder Millennium Water Alliance | Practical uses of groundwater monitoring and modeling data for WASH researchers and practitioners | SIDE EVENTS | BELLFLOWER | |
| 12:15–1:15 PM | Millennium Water Alliance (Jason Lopez) | Exploration of Carbon Finance in Ethiopian Setting | LUNCH & LUNCH SESSIONS | WILLOW LOUNGE |
| 1:30–3:00 PM | Helvetas | What’s Next for Costing WASH in Healthcare Facilities? Applying Evidence for Policy and Practice | SIDE EVENTS | REDBUD |
| PRO-WASH (Save the Children) CARE | A Debate and Discussion on the Power and Pitfalls of Human-Centered Design Through Case Studies | SIDE EVENTS | DOGWOOD | |
| World Vision Splash | A Recipe for Scale: Identifying Agile, Contextual, and Collaborative Approaches for WASH in Schools | SIDE EVENTS | WINDFLOWER | |
| 3:30–4:45 PM | Splash | WASH in Schools Three-arm experimental trial comparing operations and maintenance models for WASH in Schools in Addis Ababa | VERBAL PRESENTATIONS | REDBUD |
| 4:45–6:00 PM | Catholic Relief Services | Exploring Gender and Social Dynamics of Water Management Committees in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Engaging the Informal Private Water Sector to Respond to Water Supply Needs in Urban Areas, Assessing Water | POSTER PRESENTATIONS & HAPPY HOUR | ATRIUM |
| Millennium Water Alliance (Mussie Tezazu) | System Strengthening Interventions: A Building Blocks and Qualitative Information System Approach in Amhara, Ethiopia |
Friday, October 27:
| Time | Organization | Description | Type | Location |
| 8:30 AM | PRO-WASH (Save the Children) | Assessing & Addressing the Specific Pathways of Infection in Children Under Two: Moving Towards Transformational WASH | SIDE EVENTS | DOGWOOD |
| CAWST | New Tools in the Toolbox: How We Can Evaluate Water Safety at the Household Level | SIDE EVENTS | AZALEA | |
| Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience Millennium Water Alliance | Data: A Key to Unlocking Quality in WASH Programs | SIDE EVENTS | SUNFLOWER | |
| World Vision CARE | Raising the Tide for Gender Transformative WASH | SIDE EVENTS | WINDFLOWER |
Let’s make the most out of the UNC Water and Health Conference 2023 by fostering dialogues, forging connections, and catalyzing collaborations towards a water-secure world for all. See you there!