Water for Women announces the first round of research award recipients

Water for Women is an initiative of the Australian Government delivered as part of the Australian aid program. The goal of the Fund is to improve the health, gender equality and wellbeing of Asian and Pacific communities through socially inclusive and sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs. GHD has been appointed as the Fund Coordinator and works in partnership with ten Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) managing 19 WASH projects in 16 countries of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

As the largest single investment in the sector by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Fund is investing AUD110.6 million over five years, with AUD10.6 million of this committed to research. The Fund recognises that research is a key pathway for development innovation and to inform policy-making and program delivery. Research will focus on key sector research gaps (Type 1 Research Awards) and on knowledge gaps associated with CSOs implementation of WASH activities (Type 2 Research Awards).

Water for Women recently called for proposals for Type 2 Research Awards. Forty six research organisations from around the world responded. Following a comprehensive evaluation process, six research proposals were selected for funding. These are:

• The Institute for Sustainable Futures – University of Technology, Sydney. Research focus: Gender equality and women's empowerment in WASH: strengthening civil society partnerships, workforce development and impact measurement. Working with Water for Women Fund CSOs in Indonesia, Cambodia, Timor Leste and Nepal.
• The International Water Centre and Griffith University. Research focus: Progressing inclusive, resilient and sustainable SDG6 and WASH outcomes in the rural Pacific: approaches to enable effective community-based water management. Working with Water for Women Fund CSOs Plan Australia and Habitat for Humanity in the Solomon Islands and Fiji.
• The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Research focus: Changing Hygiene Around Maternal Priorities. Working with WaterAid in Cambodia.
• The International Water Management Institute. Research Focus: A gender perspective to understand and enhance the functionality of water supply systems: lessons from Nepal. Working with Water for Women Fund CSO SNV in Nepal.
• The Institute for Sustainable Futures – University of Technology, Sydney. Research focus: Supporting CSOs to assess climate change impacts and improve the service, gender and social inclusion outcomes of WASH programs. Working with Water for Women Fund CSOs Plan Australia and WaterAid in Indonesia and Timor Leste.
• The Institute for Sustainable Futures – University of Technology, Sydney. Research focus: Gender transformative social accountability for inclusive WASH. Working with Water for Women Fund CSO World Vision in Bangladesh.

These Type 2 Research Awards will commence in July 2018, and research activities will take place over 2-3 years.

Research Awards under the Type 1 category are expected to be advertised later in 2018.