Since the spread of Covid-19 worldwide it has become one of the few certainties that meeting hygienic standards is one of the most effective forms of prevention. Thus, for users of water and sanitation services, the continuity of water supply becomes more than ever a major public health issue. But the pandemic puts Water Supply and Sanitation Providers (WSSPs) at risk and challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
AKUT has a vast experience in international\ncooperation in Latin America, where it has worked on projects in cooperation\nwith GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Internationale Zusammenarbeit) consulting for WSSPs. Recently, AKUT has opened\na new office in Kampala, Uganda, where it is expanding its activity also in\nAfrica. Therefore, AKUT decided to support the WSSPs in this challenge of the Covid-19\npandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our initiative of knowledge exchange through\nWebinars in response to the pandemic for WSSPs has already been carried out in\nBrazil, Peru and Bolivia. These webinars are part of the ongoing GIZ\nactivities. AKUTs Latin American experiences have inspired our Kampala office. The\nAfrican continent has been able to benefit from these webinars too thanks to\nthe cooperation between GWP (German Water Partnership), AfWA (African Water\nAssociation) and BMZ (Bundesministerium f\u00fcr wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und\nEntwicklung). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The webinars aim to present concrete measures\nand good practices in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic in a practical way.\nSpeakers from WSSPs present their practical experience and through the final\nquestion and answer session a beneficial exchange of knowledge is achieved\nbetween all participants of the webinar. Some sessions have had simultaneous\ntranslation on two channels for the presentations of foreigners. The sessions\nare recorded and participants receive a draft pandemic response plan document\nalong with the presentations made so that knowledge and lessons learned can be\ndisseminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our initiative has brought the necessary tools for WSSPs to respond effectively to the pandemic, protecting their employees and ensuring the continuity of their services. The success of these webinars is a result from close cooperation between all parties in the sector. We hope that the high level of motivation and cooperation shown will lead to a rapid response in the water and sanitation sector to the challenge of the pandemic globally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n