An absurd thought? Completely. It wouldn’t be much better it you’d have to call the WWF or the Red Cross. However, in many parts of Africa this is the reality. It might not be the Salvation Army, but NGOs are drilling wells. NGOs are operating water systems. In some countries like Uganda there are even so many NGOs that there is competition among them!
This needs to stop. It is not the job of NGOs to provide water to people beyond humanitarian crisis. This should be done by a government-run utility, or - if that is not an option – by a water entrepreneur (that is tightly regulated by the government). Don’t misunderstand me: NGOs are important and have their role to play. I co-lead an NGO myself. However, we need to make it crystal clear on who has which role. NGOs are indispensable to raise awareness, to mobilize and educate people, to act in humanitarian disasters. We also need them to represent society and be the watchdog and point fingers if institutions are weak; or help building those institutions and ecosystems.
But they should not fix your tap. Fixing a tap (or running a whole water utility) requires an entirely different skillset than running an NGO. You need to be a complete nerd and be obsessed on how to optimize your pipe network, where to put which bulk meter and how to fine-tune your supply chain, so the slightly cheaper pipe fittings from an alternative supplier arrive at your pumping station right in time. You don’t want to save the world or help people – you want to see the water flow through the most beautiful and the most optimized pipe network!
I might be exaggerating a bit here to make a point, but this different mindset is what really makes the difference. As Cewas we have supported more than 420 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene innovators trying to implement solutions to serve people with much needed water and sanitation services. Every now and then we have the odd NGO in our acceleration programmes because we are intrigued by their solution or approach – but it is very hard to turn people with an NGO mindset into successful entrepreneurs. We will continue trying as it does work sometimes, but getting things clear from the start might be the wiser idea: NGOs should raise their voice for people and the planet, Governments should govern, and WASH entrepreneurs or utilities should not save the world but run the best and most efficient water and sanitation systems.
