Co-director | Growth Hub
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Stef Smits is a senior programme officer and Co-director of IRC's Growth Hub. He has 20 years of professional experience in water supply and sanitation in over 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Southern Africa, and South Asia. His main thematic expertise includes: institutional models for water supply, sustainability and enabling environment, monitoring, costing and financing of services and integrated water resources management.
Stef has led numerous projects on these topics, and published about them. In addition, he has ample management expertise: from consultancy assignments to multi-annual programmes, and units within an organisation. He has worked for a range of clients including bilateral donors, development banks, research funders and NGOs. Stef holds an MSc degree in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
Conceptual frameworks and guiding questions that help identify opportunities to strengthen links between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and... Read more...
A brief case study outlining Vanuatu's experience of securing funding from the Green Climate Fund. Read more...
A case study snapshot how Vanuatu accessed Green Climate Fund finance for improved water security. Read more...
Meet our colleagues at UNC Water and Health Conference Read more...
Based on 20 detailed successful case studies from across India, this book outlines future rural water supply approaches for all lower-income... Read more...
Multiple-use services can be scaled up, through a stronger focus on accountability towards users' needs Read more...
A study on whether water sources classified as "improved" are indeed safe triggered debate on the level of effort that needs to go into water quality monitoring and into measures to improve water quality Read more...
The most effective approach to adaptation is to strengthen governance of the WASH sector, for example by adopting principles of adaptive management... Read more...
Last week it was World Water Day 2014 , with the topic of "water and energy". I see obvious issues coming by on the water-energy nexus (which by the way is one of those development sector buzz words that I start disliking more every day. I hope the next buzz word is a bit more, uh, sparkling), such... Read more...
Self supply is an approach that can improve the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of water services. Read more...
Alternative service provider options refer to models such as self-supply and public-private partnerships, that are a departure from the conventional model of community-based management that has tended to dominate rural water supplies. Read more...
Estudios de caso mostraron que la práctica de usos múltiples del agua es una realidad en muchas comunidades rurales de Honduras. Se desarrolló una guía para anticipar estos usos en el diseño y la gestión de los servicios de agua, y se la aplicó en comunidades del departamento de La Paz. Read more...
Two weeks ago, the “management and support” working group of the RWSN had its first meeting. This meeting focused specifically on management models and support arrangements for piped water supply in small towns. Read more...
Una sistematización de experiencias con el uso múltiple del agua en 14 comunidades en diferentes partes de Honduras revela que es una práctica casi universal, con impactos tanto en la economía familiar como en la sostenibilidad de los servicios. Read more...
Various case studies confirm that multiple-use of water is a common practice in rural communities in Honduras. IRC and FHIS developed a guideline to support consideration for these uses in the design and management of rural water supplies. This guideline was applied in a number of communities in... Read more...
The multiple-use water services (MUS) approach considers the multiple needs of (poor) water users and communities' own priorities as the starting... Read more...
The relationship between multiple use of water and sustainability in service provision is still a thorny issue. Read more...
A question from the floor at a Rockefeller Foundation meeting raised some interesting thoughts about MUS vs MDGs. Read more...
