From Data to Impact - How WASTE Uses Data to Drive Better Programme Decisions

00:00:01 Introduction and current reality

Sajib Mahanta introduces the webinar topic, focusing on how WASTE moves from data to impact and uses data to drive better programme decisions. He outlines the structure of the presentation, which covers the challenges faced, how WASTE addresses these challenges, the context of their interventions, how they utilize data management systems like ActivityInfo, and how they ultimately turn numbers into on-the-ground impact. He begins by highlighting the staggering current reality and global challenges regarding basic sanitation, water, and waste services. Currently, 3.4 billion people lack safe sanitation systems, with the majority located in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Furthermore, 2.2 billion people live without safe drinking water, 2.7 billion lack basic solid waste collection services, and 2.6 to 3 billion tons of solid waste are generated annually. Tragically, one million people die each year due to mismanaged waste and a lack of services. This reality sets the context for WASTE's work and emphasizes the need to collect data to better devise strategies to address these risks.

00:02:19 Introduction to WASTE and the diamond model

Sajib introduces WASTE as a development organization based in the Netherlands that has been present for over forty years. They work with local partners to catalyze scalable solutions and are sector-agnostic, though their solutions primarily focus on solid waste, sanitation, and water challenges in low- and middle-income countries. He introduces the "Diamond Model," which is the core approach used across their three current projects: one on sanitation and faecal sludge, one on solid waste and plastics, and one on innovative finance. The Diamond Model identifies that for any system to function, coordination between four key stakeholders is required. First, they work with household communities to drive demand for basic services. Because these communities often cannot afford the services, WASTE links them to financiers who create a financing environment. They also link communities to businesses that offer the actual services. Finally, the most important stakeholder is the government, as the enabling environment cannot sustain itself without them. WASTE's role is to bring these four stakeholders together, establish links to ensure the system functions, and eventually take an exit once the solutions are scalable and sustainable. Sajib also notes their geographical expansion, highlighting active projects in East Africa, India, and Bangladesh.

00:04:51 Information management process and defining needs

Eliza Avgeropoulou from ActivityInfo explains the process of standardizing and balancing programmatic and organizational needs when adopting an information management system. The ultimate goal of such a system is to balance information production with information use, ensuring that data collected in the field is used for both programme-related and organizational decision-making. The process involves defining the data points to collect, organizing them into data collection forms, processing the data, and translating it via analysis into actionable information. She breaks this down into three parts: data definition, organization and implementation, and the use of data. Needs must be defined across three levels. First, field data collection needs involve defining the data points to collect, organizing them into datasets with specific objectives, and considering who accesses the data and why, ensuring that field staff can collect information easily. Second, programmatic needs involve defining what analysis is required by program managers and technical advisors, who performs the analysis, and how the resulting information is used. Third, organizational needs require translating programmatic data for organizational evidence-based decision-making, defining the analysis needed to update organizational indicators, and determining who uses this information.

00:09:01 Organizing and implementing data in ActivityInfo

Eliza details how data is organized for WASTE's projects. They utilize a programme database that satisfies both field data collection needs and programmatic data connections. This database stores the collection forms used by field staff and the analysis that transforms data into information for the programme team. Additionally, there is an organizational database where program-level analysis is imported, and further analysis transforms this data into information at the organizational level. The data model includes program reporting forms associated with standard datasets, such as country, district, and year. The reporting forms also have standard relationships with the country, year, program name, and organizational indicators. Implementation relies on defining roles within the database: data entry staff access the programme database to perform data collection according to their permissions, while programmatic staff access the programme database to perform analysis and the organizational database to import and analyze information.

00:11:29 ActivityInfo demonstration

Eliza shares her screen to demonstrate how ActivityInfo works in practice. She shows the forms for the FINILOOP and FINISH Mondial programmes, noting that analysis is stored within these two programme databases. The reports contain information such as indicator codes, the year, and the country from which the data originates. These reports are then imported into the organizational database, which contains connections for indicators, programs, sub-indicators, and all the records. To facilitate the process and reduce manual work, project managers can import new information from a saved configuration. This decreases the time-consuming manual steps that would otherwise be required to export, analyze, clean, and re-import data every time. Eliza then demonstrates the final objective, which is reporting at the organizational level. She shows a map indicating implemented activities and an overview of specific indicators that can be filtered by project, country, and year. She also displays a timeline graph showing the number of people benefiting over the years, which updates based on the applied filters.

00:15:23 The FINISH Mondial programme

Sajib returns to introduce the FINISH Mondial programme, which stands for Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health. Supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it started as a small project in India in 2009 and scaled up to Kenya in 2013. The current program period began in 2021 and operates across six countries: four in East Africa, plus India and Bangladesh. The program is implemented by consortium partners, including WASTE, FINISH Mondial foundations, and local NGOs. Applying the Diamond Model, local NGOs drive demand from communities for safe sanitation systems. Because communities often cannot afford these systems, they are linked to microfinance institutions that maintain a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) portfolio. Communities can avail micro-loans of about 300 to 500 euros to build standardized toilets. WASTE also trains businesses and masons to build these safe toilets, heavily promoting gender equality and social inclusion by training female masons and facilitating loans for women borrowers. The program addresses the entire WASH value chain, including what happens when toilets get full. They manage the travel of faecal sludge from households to treatment sites and utilize a circular economy model by combining faecal sludge and solid waste to make compost, returning nutrients to farmers. They also involve governments in creating sanitation bylaws and enabling policies. Over the years, FINISH Mondial has facilitated 1.3 million sanitation systems, generated 16.4 million local workdays, and leveraged 442 million euros in sanitation investments.

00:21:50 Measuring change and data streams

Sajib emphasizes that while output numbers are important, they do not fully capture the lasting impact of the interventions. System change involves multiple actors, markets, and institutions, and it takes many years to observe these changes. Therefore, simply counting the number of toilets is insufficient. WASTE always starts with a theory of change tailored to the local economy and context of each country. This theory of change follows the Diamond Model, with indicators at each level for governments, communities, finance, and businesses. This allows them to measure outputs, outcomes (such as all people using and maintaining safely managed sanitation), and the ultimate impact (healthier and economically empowered communities). FINISH Mondial utilizes three data streams to feed into their results framework. First, they conduct routine monitoring using a centralized data management form in ActivityInfo. Second, they conduct periodic surveys for baseline, midline, and endline data, which are crucial for making strategic decisions. Third, they collect qualitative evidence, as quantitative outputs do not capture nuances such as how having a toilet changes a woman's decision-making power within the household or how she is perceived in society.

00:25:08 Using ActivityInfo for FINISH Mondial

Sajib displays a screenshot of the ActivityInfo form developed for regular monitoring across all participating countries. This centralized storage format makes it easier for countries and WASTE to view data and make programmatic choices. For example, by tracking the number of loans given out by banks and microfinance institutions at a disaggregated state level, they know exactly where to invest donor money to drive better change in the next phase of the project. ActivityInfo provides a centralized, automated data collection system with standardized definitions for concepts like "safe sanitation systems," ensuring all stakeholders speak the same language. It also features controlled role-based access, ensuring the dataset is verified in the field before entering the database. Sajib provides an example from India regarding Results-Based Finance: if microfinance institutions report 10,000 loans, WASTE assumes 10,000 toilets were built. However, people sometimes spend loans on other things. Through verification, if only 50% of the toilets are found, WASTE only releases finance for 5,000 toilets. This verified data makes WASTE more accountable when reporting KPIs to donors, such as sanitation systems, waste flows, local economic growth, and healthier lives. Furthermore, if data shows a specific region or district is lagging, it allows WASTE to spot the gap, adjust their implementation strategy, and make strategic, data-informed programmatic choices rather than relying on gut feelings.

00:30:00 FINISH Mondial Bangladesh experience

Anas Hussain discusses the experience of the FINISH Mondial programme in Bangladesh, which uses the Diamond approach to drive sustainable system change across demand, supply, finance, and regulations. Because they work with both sanitation and waste management, they must collect a complex set of data. Previously, they used a combination of three tools: a local Excel format to keep track of data, Kobo forms to submit reports to FINISH Mondial Global, and a Power BI dashboard to view results. This previous system made it hard to answer basic questions, provided limited access to submitted data, made error correction very difficult, and created confusion and inconsistency when managing multiple Excel files. Transitioning to ActivityInfo brought three major improvements. First, data accessibility strengthened monitoring and data quality; they no longer manage multiple sources and can easily access and update the single database if corrections are required. Second, reporting flexibility strengthened accountability; unlike the rigid global dashboard, they can now prepare custom reports and dashboards tailored to their specific needs, stakeholders, and the unique activities implemented in Bangladesh. Third, context-specific monitoring allows them to report district by district across seven districts, providing better visibility of local progress and helping them identify gaps to utilize resources accordingly. Looking to the future, Anas sees potential in using reporting data for programme intelligence, turning monitoring data into learning and adaptive management. They plan to prepare district-level dashboards for field teams, monitor microfinance institution data in detail to validate incentives, and identify trends and performance gaps for evidence-based programme management. ActivityInfo has helped them close the loop of collecting, checking, analyzing, and using data to improve the programme.

00:37:23 The FINILOOP programme

Alejandro Martin Rojas introduces FINILOOP, a solid waste management and plastic programme. Similar to FINISH Mondial, FINILOOP uses the Diamond approach as its core. The programme operates in three cities in India (Amritsar and Udaipur) and in Lilongwe, Malawi. It is supported by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, having previously been supported by the IKEA Foundation. The project in India started three years ago, while the Malawi project has been under implementation for one year. The theory of change aims to tackle the plastic waste problem from end to end by connecting all involved actors, including municipalities, communities, SMEs, informal waste workers, reliable services, and viable businesses. In solid waste management, there are service chains (those providing a service) and value chains (those adding value to the waste). These two lines are highly interconnected, meaning an impact on one affects the other. Measuring progress requires tracking these dependencies; for example, tracking the amount of plastic collected must be paired with tracking the quality of the plastic at the end of the chain, which is impacted by source separation. They link this evidence together and discuss it with partners to understand barriers and objectives. The central question is whether their interventions are contributing to the local system as a whole and improving it to create long-term impact.

00:40:20 FINILOOP indicators and dimensions

Alejandro explains that FINILOOP measures multiple dimensions and indicators. They track municipal staff trained, as well as households and businesses reached. They measure the waste management dimension, which includes everyone who creates or works with waste, such as households, formal and informal waste workers, SMEs, private operators, and bulk generators. In this dimension, they track collection services, reliability, source separation, and the amount of plastic collected and recycled. Because they work with businesses, they also have a business development dimension that includes formal and informal SMEs, startups, and private operators, tracking their performance, growth, and employment generation. Finally, because the system relies on people who often face challenges, they focus on improving livelihoods, specifically for informal waste workers, self-help groups, and operators. They track income, savings, working conditions, and social protection. Alejandro emphasizes that there are no silos; all indicators are interconnected. For example, improving source separation leads to informal waste workers getting more high-quality plastic, which they sell to an SME, leading to improved operational performance, which in turn generates growth and employment. The Diamond approach ensures all actors are interlinked and benefit from the improvement of the whole system.

00:43:08 FINILOOP data collection and impact

Alejandro notes that FINILOOP started with many data points and sources before using ActivityInfo. Initially, they collected data based on their partners' preferences. For example, in India, startups reported data to partners, while community mobilizers gathered data from informal waste workers. WASTE served as the final review point, consolidating the data to identify operational errors or dataset inconsistencies. They would then meet with partners to understand the root causes of these inconsistencies, such as seasonal problems, market changes, or physical challenges. Over three years in three Indian cities, they collected more than 10,500 tons of plastic, of which 6,600 tons were recycled. This impact created or improved 1,029 green jobs and improved the income of 1,602 informal waste workers out of the 4,000 they were monitoring. They also reached 276,000 households with awareness-raising activities to improve source separation. Alejandro shares photos from the ground, illustrating their work. One picture shows a women-led informal association of waste workers that WASTE helped establish as a formal SME. Other pictures show informal SMEs sorting plastic and connecting with both the lower and upper parts of the value chain, demonstrating how supporting the whole chain leads to community improvement.

00:46:55 Using data to adjust interventions

Alejandro provides an example of how data helped adjust their intervention in a walled city in India. During the baseline phase, they realized that private collection had a lower tonnage within the city walls. Additionally, household questionnaires revealed dissatisfaction and a lack of trust in the unreliable services provided by the municipalities. After observing that this problem remained constant for a couple of months, WASTE sat down with their partners and the municipality to discuss the issue. They realized that the narrow streets within the city walls made it very difficult for private sector trucks to navigate and turn. To solve this, they agreed to introduce informal waste workers with tricycles to lead the collection services within the city walls. This became a successful story because they could subsequently track the provided services and the increased satisfaction of the households. By connecting different pieces of data, they were able to gain a full overview and fix a physical challenge they had not initially foreseen.

00:50:54 Main takeaways

Alejandro concludes with the main takeaways from both programmes and their experience with ActivityInfo. First, they must understand how the system works. They start with the Diamond approach and build a theory of change connected to the context. Because long-term impact is influenced by many interconnected factors and actors, they must start with a shared understanding with their partners of what they want to achieve. Defining both output and outcome indicators is crucial; for example, counting how many municipal workers are trained is different from understanding if that knowledge is applied and how it impacts the overall system. Second, making data reliable requires regular verification and shared definitions. Everyone must share a common definition of what an indicator means, such as defining exactly what constitutes a "safely managed toilet" and what evidence is required. ActivityInfo helps by providing a shared platform that highlights inconsistencies and keeps reporting consistent and accountable. Finally, they use quantitative and qualitative data, field evidence, and partner discussions to make informed decisions. This evidence helps them identify gaps, adjust their dynamic approaches, and improve their response to create long-term impact. ActivityInfo provides the platform to organize ideas, visualize them, and analyze the whole system across different partners and locations.

00:53:54 Q&A session

The presenters share their email addresses for future collaboration and move to the Q&A session. Sajib addresses a question regarding financing for FINISH Mondial, explaining that they use a market-based sanitation approach. They believe that when people invest their own money into sanitation systems, they are more likely to sustain their use, as opposed to receiving them as grants or freebies. While funding sources vary by context and sometimes include government subsidies, they primarily work with microfinance institutions that provide low-interest loans to communities. This approach has resulted in a 98% repayment track record, which encourages new microfinance institutions to join and extend their WASH portfolios. In Ethiopia, they work with a network of microfinance institutions, while in Bangladesh, they work in combination with large microfinance networks. Regarding a question on political disruptions, Sajib and Anas explain that the government is a key actor in the Diamond approach. While political instability is out of their control, having data integrated at the district level allows them to shift their focus to districts that are less affected. In Bangladesh, recent political unrest caused connections with the previous government to vanish, so the team pivoted to focus heavily on government engagement activities to establish new connections and restart activities smoothly. Finally, Anas answers a question about composting, explaining that they operate three active faecal treatment plants that produce co-compost by combining faecal sludge and solid waste. They also produce vermicompost using earthworms to consume organic kitchen waste mixed with animal manure. While vermicompost is very popular as a fertilizer for fruit and vegetable production, co-compost faces perception issues, as people are hesitant to use faecal sludge for food production. Therefore, co-compost is mostly used for rooftop vegetation, flowers, and grass, and the team is currently working on obtaining certification for it.