SNV launches strategic plan aiming to improve the quality of life of 20 million people
Dutch-based development organisation SNV launched its strategic plan 2019-2022 describing an ambitious goal which is to improve the quality of life of 20 million people while contributing to systems change in the agriculture, energy and WASH sectors in at least 21 countries.
To achieve this goal, SNV aims to create direct results and bring about systems change. Where markets and government fail to create the conditions for people living in poverty to increase their incomes and to obtain access to basic services, SNV will build bridges to span the gap.
Improvements by process
SNV changes systems and creates a new normal by influencing markets and governance processes to function better. Often development aid is structured in projects which are boxes in time and space, however, breaking the low-income poverty trap requires impact to be created which lasts beyond these time and space boundaries.
Over the 2019-2022 strategic period, SNV will design systems and implement projects which can contribute to changing these underlying structures which trap people into poverty.
Sustainable WASH services
SNV will contribute to build professional, organisational and inter-institutional capacity to deliver environmentally and financially sustainable rural and urban WASH services – for households, schools and health facilities.
An example of this is the integration of housing, tax and sanitation information, and district- and provincial-wide planning for WASH.
Furthermore SNV will help public authorities to target investments effectively and operate services efficiently. Special programmes will create the conditions and capacities for private-sector engagement in WASH and, where appropriate, will strengthen their ability to deliver long-lasting WASH services that are accessible, affordable and reliable.
Behaviour change
For the next four years SNV will also built capacities for long term behaviour change in hygiene, occupational health and safety, and compliance with safety standards.
Additionally it will help strengthen the capacity of civil society in advocating for WASH services, and we will encourage collaboration between stakeholders and public authorities.
Kick-start markets
SNV will continue to kick-start markets by supporting businesses to grow and to innovate by creating demand and encouraging behaviour change among consumers. This will be done in parallel to assisting governments to improve the enabling environment.
At a business level during this strategic period, SNV will strive to remain a global premium organisation with a local presence. SNV’s decentralised structure with the vast majority of staff residing in Asia, Africa, and Latin America enables the organisation to adapt global know-how to local contexts.
Ensuring that interventions are of high quality is an intrinsic part of SNV’s mission. The quality assurance systems we are putting in place will support full accountability to those whose lives the projects are intended to benefit and those entrusting us with their funds. Investment in expertise and knowledge flow to the front line will help the organisation to continuously improve.