Westvest 7 2611 AX Delft
Tel	:	015 - 219 29 39
Tel	:	015 - 219 09 55
Email	:	info@irc.nl
Web	:	www.irc.nl

Since its foundation in 1968, the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) has facilitated the sharing, promotion and use of knowledge so that governments, professionals and organisations can better support poor men, women and children in developing countries to obtain water and sanitation services they will use and maintain. The recent past has seen a shift in IRC's operations, resulting in a new direction for IRC as an organisation centred on the dissemination of knowledge and the building of capacity in partner organisations.

IRC provides news about developments and forthcoming events in the water sector. IRC also offers public access to a huge bank of information and interactive tools, including a question and answer service.

IRC has a number of projects involving a variety of partners, funding mechanisms and life spans, all contributing to the overall aim of facilitating the sharing, promotion and use of knowledge to improve the long-term effectiveness of development work in the water supply and sanitation sector.

IRC is also active in India. A few of the projects are:

• Community Water Supply Management
• IRC has worked with UNICEF, the government and other institutions in Rajasthan in planning and preparing for scaling up the SSHE (School water, sanitation and hygiene education programme) to about 50,000 public lower schools in the state. IRC’s input has emphasized capacity building, management and behavioural change for improved hygiene.
• SWASTHH, the School, Water and Sanitation Towards Hygiene and Health project, is an innovative project within the Indian School Sanitation and Hygiene Education (SSHE) framework, with a focus both on education and quality of life.
• Resource Centre Development 18 Countries Programme. India is one of the 18 countries. This programme is a unique attempt to promote information sharing within the water sector, particularly at a national level, and to make available to those who need it the wealth of knowledge, experience and understanding that has been gained in countries and regions, through decades of implementation projects, training schemes, educational initiatives and action research.