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.
El verdadero problema no radica tanto en la cantidad de donantes sino en lograr que todos ellos siguen los mismos enfoques – o al menos similares – y que estos se integran a los desarrollados por el gobierno. Read more...
This includes the structured support activities to service providers as well as to users or user groups. This may be provided in a variety of ways by either local governments directly, by regional utility agencies, specialized agencies or external contractors or a by combination of these modalities. Read more...
The professionalisation of community based-management means moving away from an approach based purely on volunteerism, towards a more professional, competent and effective management of rural water services working to agreed standards, and with greater transparency and accountability. Read more...
Por qué y dónde se deben hacer cambios en el sector de agua potable? Resumen del libro 'Apoyo al Abastecimiento de Agua Rural'. Read more...
Nota informativa acerca del apoyo a prestadores de servicios de agua en zonas rurales en países en Latinoamérica, África y el sur de Asia. Read more...
This working paper provides evidence on current practices around funding capital maintenance and the resulting impact on services. Read more...
Sagar is an island at the mouth of the river Ganges where it meets the Bay of Bengal. Every year in January, about half a million pilgrims visit the island to worship at the holy Ganges. The hundreds of mobile toilet units standing on the empty festival terrain during the rest of the year are... Read more...
Service delivery models describe the practical implementation of water service provision as part of a service delivery approach Read more...
Anyone who works in the water sector cannot have missed the consultations and debates on the post-2015 goals for water and sanitation. Read more...
El municipio de Chinda ha logrado cobertura total en agua y saneamiento, con el apoyo de la ONG Water For People. El IRC sistematizó cómo se logró esto, y analiza si los servicios serán para siempre. Read more...
This Triple-S Working Paper presents the Triple-S Principles Framework and the key concepts behind it. It provides a description of how the Principle... Read more...
Community-based service providers need regular, structured support that goes beyond ad hoc technical assistance. 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...
Last week, we had our first Triple-S research seminar, discussing the first findings from the assessments of service provision around point sources in Ghana and Uganda. Read more...
Water For People adopted the "Everyone, Forever" approach. Read the case study to learn lessons on scaling-up rural water and sanitation services. Read more...
“The goal of universal access to clean water is far from complete”, says IRC's Stef Smits on CNN International. "Reaching the last 10% of the population -- those living in remote rural areas and on the fringes of big cities - will become increasingly difficult and expensive," he explains in “Going... Read more...
On April 20, Ministers of Water and Sanitation from around the world will meet with their Ministers of Finance in Washington D.C. as part of the Sanitation and Water (SWA) for All High Level Meeting. There, they will discuss sector goals and progress, and it goes without saying that the recent... Read more...
José Miguel is a circuit rider: a technician responsible for providing technical assistance to a number of water committees in his area around San Vicente in El Salvador. There are around 30 water systems on his circuit which he visits regularly. Read more...
The lack of clearly delineated roles can undermine sustainable services at scale. Read more...
