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Published on: 25/04/2014

Dear friends,

Welcome.

Over the last year and a half IRC has been going through an intensive process of brand and identity renewal. Why? Basically because we've changed substantially in the last few years and our identity needs to reflect that change. Since 2007 we've been strengthening our belief – through large-scale research and evidence gathering – that the only solution to the crisis in water and sanitation for over two billion people is the development of sustainable services. In partnership with many WASH sector players and with major investors we've been mapping the complex processes and approaches required to do this. To walk the talk, we've opened country offices in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Uganda, and become part of long-term sector change processes in those countries with a growing network of partners.

Not for nothing has our strap line changed to 'supporting water sanitation and hygiene services for life'. This work has changed us. In short, while not losing sight of our long history as a respected, but possibly somewhat dry, sector knowledge repository, we've become an unashamedly mission driven think-and-do tank – using knowledge and evidence to drive change that leads to more people having access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. Our entry point is the knowledge, skills, practices necessary to make investment in infrastructure yield services that last. Services that meet minimum quality standards, and that are sustained over time. Everyone Forever.

As part of the process of updating our brand and identity to reflect these changes, we've taken the opportunity to put our digital home in better order. As early adopters of all things digital, our various offerings had exploded into a vibrant but chaotic family of websites, blogs and forums, moving us away from our primary goal of providing an easily accessible forum and resource centre to our users. We've therefore undertaken a mammoth pruning operation, centred on a completely renewed website and supported by a smaller but richer family of newsletters and social media. We hope you're going to like it!

This website www.ircwash.org is something we're thinking of as a "minimum viable product". Over the months to come we will deepen and enrich the site. And we'd hugely appreciate your input. If there's something you felt was useful and you don't find it back – then let us know. Equally, if there's a service that you appreciate that isn't there – then tell us. One of our objectives is to continue to support a strong culture of sharing, discussion and learning throughout the WASH sector, indeed without these practices we will be unable to build the collective action we believe is needed in the sector. We have invested in this new website because we are convinced that it can serve as a backbone that can help support this – but it is only you - our friends, clients, users - who can make it truly live and achieve the goals we have for it.

So, hoping that you enjoy our new look and more importantly find the renewed content and mission useful. We look forward to your feedback and to working with you to ensure that everyone has access to water, sanitation and hygiene services for life.

All the very best,

Patrick Moriarty

 

 

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