Improve International is a mission-driven research and consulting firm that seeks to improve the responses to the water and sanitation crises. They believe that people deserve to have high quality water and sanitation services, for life, and for generations. They play a unique role in the sector. They don’t do water projects, they don’t fund water projects, they just try to make them last forever. With a focus on accountability, learning, and innovation, they amplify the impact of international development organizations and donors.

Improve International was founded in 2011 to find ways to improve the responses to the water and sanitation crises. They envision a world where all people have high quality water and sanitation services for life, and for generations. In this vision:

• - Water and sanitation customers have a voice in how interventions are designed, implemented or supported over time.
• - Water and sanitation organizations work with governments and each other and measure success by how many customers have water and sanitation services over time. They collect and share data on what works.
• - Donors see the value of investing in people, not just hardware, and in investing in systemic change over time, not just short-term projects.
• - Researchers spend less time justifying why people need safe water and good toilets (they already know this because many of them couldn’t imagine life without these things) and more time figuring out how to help them get and keep those services.

To achieve this vision requires them to change the way they are trying to change the world. International water and sanitation organizations and funders will need to think and work in new ways.

Mission

Improve International will shift the behavior of donors and international development organizations towards more sustainable strategies and practices by uncovering, curating, translating and sharing information to improve the responses to the water and sanitation crisis.

What They Do

Improve International plays a unique role in the sector. They don’t do water projects, they don’t fund water projects, they just try to make them last forever. With a focus on accountability, learning, and innovation, they help improve the work and coordination of international development organizations and donors focused on addressing the worldwide water and sanitation crisis.

• - They advise donors.
• - They provide research and strategic consulting to international development organizations.
• - They try to make evidence on what works (and what doesn’t) un-ignorable.