Inter-connected Development - creating and sustaining development linkages. The concept is that all stakeholders (particularly the member facilitator) negotiate and establish development linkages which connect their resources and competencies and align their interests. 

What does the member facilitator do? In collaboration, stakeholders usually have specific tasks. But in Inter-connected Development, the “member facilitator” is both a member of a collaboration but also has the task of facilitating the establishment of linkages needed for WASH service environment (such as for water supply, or borehole maintenance, hygiene education, capacity building, sanitation supplies).

·     An enabling environment for WASH is a system where linkages are typically sub-systems operating in a geographically defined area. Looking at the whole, the member facilitator asks: “what connections among actors and resources are needed to create the environment needed to provide the services?”

·     “What stakeholders, resources or skills are missing or not effectively linked?”

Who is connected? At the early stage perhaps, perhaps only a few actors. Over time this increases.

But the Member facilitator and other stakeholders assess the system and define what is missing. How can the linkages be adjusted and supplemented so that eventually new ideas and initiatives for provision of the needed WASH services emerge and flourish?

So rather than being a service provider, implementing entity or re-grantor of donor funds, the member facilitator is working to create a Inter-connected Development system in ways that will combine and self-sustain the linkages. The member facilitator is not seeking to control the whole – but rather enables stakeholders themselves define what will emerge as the complete environment. Working with the parties, we ask: What vision of a WASH environment do we share and aspire to? Is the recipe good? What is missing? What is surplus? How do we combine what we have? How do we promote good working relationships? Who else needs to be invited? What resources do we need? What skills or understandings are missing?