Introduction
Minimum Requirements for Oxfam WASH Programmes is Oxfam’s essential guide for WASH staff and partners. It describes the processes and standards that Oxfam WASH programmes should follow if they are to be carried out effectively, consistently and in a way which treats affected communities with respect.
What is WASHAll WASH staff members are expected to understand and follow these Minimum Requirements. However, it is recognised that in acute emergencies it is preferable to start work on the basics immediately, and build up a comprehensive, quality programme in the following days and weeks. There will therefore be some programmes in which certain individual requirements are not appropriate or relevant; in such cases staff members responsible should be able to justify why she/he did things differently, or how the minimum requirement was achieved over time.
The minimum requirements should be used by WASH staff as a constant reference for planning and implementing activites. They can also be used as a quality control checklist.
The Minimum Requirements described through this document are relevant globally and should be applied in any emergency. However added value can be gained by adapting the requirements to specific country conditions or the emergency context of individual programmes.
These requirements aim to provide clarity and support about what Oxfam does and how to do it well; it compliments but does not replace external standards such as SPHERE and the Core Humanitarian Standard.
This is the 3rd edition of the minimum requirements, and the first to be published digital-only. The previous edition was published in March 2013, but since then there have been significant changes in the structure and ways of working within Oxfam, and in the wider WASH community. The minimum requirements have been updated to reflect that.