25 years in WASH — what I wish I knew earlier

Looking back on more than two decades of coordinating and leading WASH programmes across Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Palestine, South Sudan, India and beyond, there are a few lessons I wish someone had told me earlier in my career.

1. Speed without ownership is temporary.
I have seen toilets turn into storerooms and water systems fall into disrepair simply because communities were not genuinely involved. Technical quality matters, but without real community engagement and ownership, even the best-built infrastructure fails.

2. Governments will always be there — we won’t.
Whether international agencies show up or not, national and local governments remain. Supporting their systems is not optional if we care about scale and sustainability.

3. Your title is not your identity.
Roles end. Badges dissolve. The work continues, but you are not the work. Learning to act without clinging too tightly to outcomes — or to the identity the role gave you — brings a quieter, more sustainable form of purpose.

4. Access often matters more than pure merit.
In funding ecosystems, relationships, networks and visibility frequently open doors that strong results alone cannot. This is a structural reality, not a personal failing. Understanding it early helps you navigate more effectively.

5. Resource mobilisation is only half the job.
Securing funding is important. Ensuring that money translates into quality, accountable, and maintainable services is the harder — and more important — part.

6. Localisation is not a slogan.
It works only when we deliberately strengthen (rather than bypass) national coordination structures and local institutions.

7. Leadership is about enabling others.
Managing large teams in high-pressure contexts taught me that the best results come when you create space for people to lead, not when you try to control every decision.

If I could speak to my younger self starting out in WASH/Public Health, I would say: prioritise people and systems over projects, hold your roles lightly, and remember that the work is bigger than any single organisation or title.

#WASH #Humanitarian #Leadership #CareerReflection #Localisation #Development #LessonsLearned