The Water Research Commission (WRC) and the Water Information Network- South Africa (WIN-SA) have initiated, with the support of EcoSanRes Programme of the Stockholm Environment Institute, the establishment of a Southern Africa knowledge node on sustainable sanitation (SAKNSS).

The Sanitation Knowledge Node is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and aims to develop and promote pro-poor sustainable sanitation in the developing world.

The Southern African project will create a knowledge management hub for sustainable sanitation to facilitate and coordinate capacity and skills development, knowledge sharing and collaboration. It will furthermore assist individuals and organisations from different disciplines within the SADC to:
o Participate in sustainable sanitation activities and innovations;
o Document and share experiences on sustainable sanitation as generated by different stakeholders and;
o Develop and maintain a sanitation portal that facilitates e-collaboration amongst stakeholders in the region.

We are still in the initial stages of the project and currently establishing links with stakeholders within the region. The first phase involves the formation of a regional steering committee and official launch of the project in November during the WASH fair to be held in South Africa. We would like to extend the invitation to all LEAD fellows within the region who might be interested to participate in the project. Our approach is to integrate the project within existing programmes such as WASH and other SADC initiatives on sustainable sanitation.