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Published on: 02/04/2015

KnowledgePoint is the result of an innovative and collaborative venture led by a consortium of WASH organisations consisting of IRC, WaterAid, Practical Action, RedR UK, Engineer Aid and funded by the Humanitarian Innovation Fund.

It was setup as a website to facilitate an open, collaborative and multi-organisation enquiry service on WASH while providing clear and searchable records of previously answered questions and reducing the boundaries between an 'expert' and 'enquirer'. KnowledgePoint works with old and new ways to communicate - from paper-based enquiries to web-enabled smart phones, enabling WASH development and humanitarian specialists to share knowledge on specific problems related to water, sanitation and hygiene.

"I help a very small environmental group in Kenya which runs projects on waste management, water, cook stoves, and education, and I'm looking for practical advice on large scale composting..."

"I help a very small environmental group in Kenya which runs projects on waste management, water, cook stoves, and education, and I'm looking for practical advice on large scale composting - do you know of any development organisation or University working on this topic?", someone writes on KnowledgePoint. Four professionals respond with practical information and references. 

KnowledgePoint offers humanitarian and development professionals working on water, sanitation and hygiene a space to share experience and information. Promoting safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and sharing knowledge on technical aspects in their work is incredibly vital.

There are already some fantastic forums in the sector, but KnowledgePoint is particularly focussed on finding solutions to enquiries coming from the community. The growing network is also helping to create connections beyond the WASH sector.  For example, our support to the Global WASH Cluster’s Ebola response involved connecting WASH and Health specialists. It's often in times of crises that the linkages between WASH and health become most clear. 

"It's been an incredibly positive experience," says Timothy Kent, Project manager of KnowledgePoint. "In the times of the Ebola outbreak professionals could for example ask questions and get real time answers from specialists to provide guidance to those fighting the epidemic in the worst affected countries." 

The KnowledgePoint initiative that started in 2009 has been funded by the Humanitarian Innovation Fund, and already has over 600 professionals in the network. Discussions today range from solar pumps and water filters for individual households to data on functionality and reliability of water and sanitation systems in countries.  

Start using KnowledgePoint now, by joining a discussion, or ask a question.

 

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