Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) is a not-for-profit partnership between development NGOs, the private sector and academia (including Cranfield University). It offers a new approach to the challenge of urban water and sanitation by working as an implementing partner to Local Service Providers (LSPs) including utilities, municipalities and small independent providers to achieve practical, sustainable and scalable solutions.
WSUP strengthens the capacity of LSPs to provide sustainable water and sanitation services, promote good hygiene and raise the health and environmental standards of the community. This support is providing insight and resources to the challenges which partners are facing and which, without WSUP’s support, are preventing services being delivered to the urban poor in a sustainable and replicable way.
Since 2006, support provided by WSUP to projects in Africa and South Asia has enabled improved access to safe, affordable water for over 127,000 people, improved sanitation for 20,000 and improved hygiene for over 120,000 people. WSUP has strengthened the capacity of local service providers in a range of towns and cities and has contributed to the development of institutional processes and policies that improve the lives of the urban poor.
WSUP is owned and governed by its Members. As a multi-sector partnership, each WSUP Member brings a unique range of skills and knowledge to the design and delivery of programmes. While each organisation is recognised as an expert in their field, WSUP brings together their skills and resources to find innovative and lasting solutions. Each Member benefits from working in partnership with others, learning new skills and approaches from a variety of different sectors.
As a Member of WSUP, Cranfield University provides support in training and research. With expertise in water supply, drinking water treatment, waste water treatment, sanitation, hygiene promotion, environmental management, utility management, GIS and capacity building, Cranfield staff and students undertake research to support project planning and development. Some research is focussed on individual projects, some promotes cross-project learning. In addition, Cranfield also offers training to the staff of WSUP and its LSP partners.
> For more information about WSUP, please visit their website www.wsup.com
