Abstract

Global Water Challenge (GWC), a social service organization, is playing a crucial role by collaborating with various governments, non-governmental organizations, business entities, and other social service organizations that are investing in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) projects in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The primary objective of GWC is to ensure universal accessibility to WASH facilities across the globe by encouraging member organizations and improving the sustainability of investments in the WASH sector. GWC has created a unique WASH Sustainability Forum for member organizations to share project-related information, which resulted in the creation of a WASH Sustainability Charter. GWC’s consultancy and advocacy services have been enabling the member organizations to invest in the right kind of projects across various locations around the world. By the end of the year 2016, GWC associated with over 50 organizations and was operating in 200 countries across the world. By leveraging on technology and expertise, GWC has been successful in fostering collaborations and identifying innovative solutions in the WASH sector. However, considering the large scope for investments and the necessity for creating a conducive environment to realize higher economic returns and better social impact, GWC has started working on transforming these collaborations into long-term strategic social partnerships (SSP) by building around the concept of Shared Value among all its stakeholders. However, the journey has not been without its challenges.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• To analyze the reason behind the failure of CSR projects, especially in the WASH sector
• To appreciate the role of GWC in working with various stakeholders for the successful implementation of WASH projects
• To understand the challenges in converting collaborations into Strategic Social Partnerships

Keywords

Sustainability; Shared Value; Strategic Social Partnerships; Corporate Social Responsibility; WASH Projects; Global Water Challenge ; Coca Cola RAIN Project; SWASH+; A-WASH; Water for People; Global Grassroots; Women for Water