MORE
THAN
AN NGO
A global rainwater movement
Who We Are.
IRHA is a Geneva-based NGO and global alliance of practitioners, scientists, and communities working across continents to protect rain, restore land, and build long-term climate resilience, one watershed at a time.
Our work goes beyond infrastructure: we design landscapes, regenerate degraded soils, support agroecological transitions, and connect water access to equity and sustainability.
For over twenty years, IRHA has supported climate-affected regions through community-driven rainwater harvesting, restoring ecosystems and strengthening resilience.
We work through a wide-reaching network of trusted local and regional partners — combining scientific insight, environmental data, field experience and traditional knowledge.
This collaborative approach is key to project success, local ownership, and lasting results.
Who We Are
IRHA is a Geneva-based NGO and global alliance of practitioners, scientists, and communities working across continents to protect rain, restore land, and build long-term climate resilience, one watershed at a time.
Our work goes beyond infrastructure: we design landscapes, regenerate degraded soils, support agroecological transitions, and connect water access to equity and sustainability.
What Guides Us.
What we're here for
To transform the way rain is seen and used, not as risk, but as renewal. Not as a waste to evacuate, but as a free and vital resource to steward wisely.
We believe every drop matters and people everywhere can lead change when given the right tools.
What we believe
Water, soil, and people are inseparable. Rain, when harvested with care, becomes the foundation for food, dignity, and planetary healing.
Five Values,
One commitment.
Excellence & Innovation
We combine science with creativity, rigour with empathy.
Our methods evolve constantly, rooted in traditional knowledge, tested by terrain, and strengthened by global exchange.
Empathy & Empowerment
We listen first. We act with, not for.
Whether in field visits or global forums, we walk beside communities, not ahead or behind.
Sustainability & Responsibility
We grow long-term balance between land, water, and life.
From infiltration ponds to agroecology, every intervention is built to benefit future generations.
Collaboration & Solidarity
No one harvests alone. Rain belongs to all.
Our impact is collective, multiplied through networks of trust, shared tools, and co-creation.
Integrity & Clarity
We earn trust drop by drop through action.
We document, we report, we stay transparent. And we deliver what we promise.
our values,
On the ground.
Every value we hold is reflected in our fieldwork. In Senegal, solidarity means building women-led cooperatives to manage water access. In Sri Lanka, innovation means designing half-moons adapted to local terrain. In Nepal, sustainability means conserving Himalayan watersheds across generations.
why values matter
In a world facing climate breakdown and rising inequality, technology alone is not enough.
Values are what turn projects into movements. They ensure that dignity isn’t lost in the name of efficiency, and that every drop of water also carries a drop of justice.
Meet Our Secretariat.
Based in Geneva, our Secretariat leads with empathy, expertise, and strategy — coordinating global programs, research, communications, and partnerships with care and precision.
Marc Sylvestre
Director
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Marc Sylvestre holds a Master’s degree in Urban Development from the Graduate Institute of Development Studies and an MSc in Water and Environmental Management from Loughborough University. He has managed development and water-related projects across Lebanon, Haiti, Nepal, Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia.
As Director of IRHA, he oversees the strategic and operational development of the organization, ensuring coherence across advocacy, programme and project implementation, and partnerships. He works closely with the Committee, Alliance members, implementation partners, and country representatives to strengthen coordination, governance, and collective impact.
He represents IRHA in its relations with partners and donors, contributes to the launch of new initiatives, and leads fundraising and donor engagement with foundations, institutions, and private partners. He also works closely with IRHA President on the strategic development and consolidation of the Alliance.
Marion Dunand
Project Officer
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Marion Dunand holds a Master’s degree in African Studies from the University of Geneva and a Master’s in International Programme Management from the Institute of International and Strategic Relations.
She joined IRHA as an intern in January 2022, initially working on the Global Rainwater Harvesting Index and later contributing to strengthening the Alliance’s strategic positioning. She is currently responsible for awareness-raising projects in Switzerland, knowledge sharing at Alliance level, and project implementation in Senegal.
Yasmina Beck
Head of Communication & Partnerships
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Yasmina Beck has a background in communication, project management, and partnerships, with experience across nonprofit and private organizations in Swiss and international contexts.
After university studies in Arts and Humanities, she graduated from the Swiss Institute for Public Relations (SPRI) and the Swiss Academy for Marketing and Communication (SAWI), and also holds a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Corporate Communications from the School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR), HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts. She is also a Certified Leadership Coach (ICF).
She joined IRHA in 2024 and leads communication and partnerships, working closely with the Secretariat, the Committee, and Alliance members on positioning, advocacy, donor relations, and fundraising support. Her role also includes capacity building and field scouting in East Africa.
Florian Bielser
Program Manager
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Florian Bielser graduated in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He joined IRHA in 2019 and has a strong interest in low-tech, nature-based solutions that are sustainable and easily adopted by communities.
As Programme Manager, he coordinates projects focused on food sovereignty and ecosystem restoration in Nepal, Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia. His work includes project design and monitoring, coordination with local partners, and support to community-led implementation adapted to diverse environmental and social contexts.
Our team in action.
Board
& Advisers.
We are guided by a multidisciplinary Committee composed of engineers, academics, social entrepreneurs, policy specialists, and environmental leaders — all committed to climate justice and systemic change.
Han Heijnen
President
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Han Heijnen has worked in rural water supply and public health in low- and middle-income countries in Asia and Africa since 1977. He began promoting rainwater harvesting solutions in rural water supply in Sri Lanka in 1996 as part of a World Bank WASH investment programme.
Throughout his career, he has worked with the governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the World Health Organization in Bangladesh and Nepal, UNICEF, Helvetas, and several international NGOs and knowledge institutes, including IRC-WASH. He served as WHO South Asia Regional Advisor for WASH.
He is a founder member of the Lanka Rainwater Harvesting Forum (LRWHF) and of the South Asia Rain Network (SARNET). Since 2021, he has provided voluntary advisory support to organizations and former colleagues worldwide. He is a member of the IWA Specialist Group on Rainwater Harvesting and Management and a life member of the Society of Public Health Engineers of Nepal (SOPHEN).
Clara Ariza
Secretary
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Experienced Senior Consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the environmental, disaster risk reduction and climate change services sectors. Skilled in sustainable development and humanitarian issues and international environmental and climate policy, Clara has worked for bilateral and multilateral institutions, non-profit organizations, civil society associations, academic institutions and the private sector in projects covering over 40 countries.
Annemarie Khetib Treasurer
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Annemarie Khetib served for nine years as Administrative and Financial Director of the European Scout Bureau.
At IRHA, she previously held the same responsibilities, ensuring that procedures, documentation, and financial management complied with Swiss GAAP FER 21 standards and donor requirements.
In 2023, she transitioned to the role of Treasurer, where she continues to contribute to good governance and sound financial oversight.
Margarita Pacheco
Co-Founding Member
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Margarita Pacheco is a Colombian and Swiss architect, currently an environmental communications producer. She has worked with local communities in Colombia and has experience with the United Nations in Burkina Faso and Mali. She is a co-founder of the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance, established in 2002 in Geneva, and developed partnerships with NGOs in India, Nepal, and Mexico.
She is currently an active member of IRHA’s Executive Committee and is based in Cartagena and Bogotá. She is recording a video podcast published on Spotify, “Su Madre Naturaleza,” and in Revista Cambio. Her website “Su Madre Naturaleza” includes a chapter on rainwater harvesting in Spanish:
She has been chairing the board of the Natura Foundation since 2022 and has been involved in the restoration of the water system at Parque Museo El Chicó in Bogotá as a board member of the Sociedad de Mejoras y Ornato de Bogotá since 2018.
She has been promoting, together with Congresswomen of the Republic of Colombia, a rainwater policy within the national water agenda. Her work is focused on strengthening environmental journalism and influencing water and biodiversity restoration.
Giulio Castelli, PhD Member
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Giulio Castelli is an environmental engineer with extensive experience in research projects across the Mediterranean region, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central and South America.
He holds a PhD in Sustainable Management of Agricultural, Forestry, and Food Resources from the University of Florence, completed in 2018, with a research focus on water harvesting, water resources management, and participatory approaches in international development. Alongside his doctoral work, he collaborated with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Sudan and worked with the World Bank.
He is currently an Assistant Professor in Agricultural Hydraulics and Watershed Protection at the University of Florence and is affiliated with the Water Harvesting Lab.
Rachel Hosein Nisbet Member
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Rachel Hosein Nisbet researches and advocates for community-based climate adaptation. She has held visiting research positions at the universities of Lausanne and Leeds, and is currently a visiting postdoctoral fellow in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries in the latter institution.
She is the president of the storytelling association Le Puits, The Story Well, which is a member of the Adaptation Research Alliance. Her current projects include investigating the role of storytelling and theatre in nurturing the cultural value of a forest, planted as a climate change adaptation initiative.
She is an experienced researcher in earth system processes, who has conducted fieldwork in arctic Svalbard, the Swiss Alps, Scotland and Venezuela and archival research in the UK, Scotland and France. She holds two doctorates from the universities of Neuchatel (Biogeochemistry) and Lausanne (Environmental Humanities). She is a British and French national, who works in English and French
E.W. Bob Boulware, PE, MBA Member
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Mr. Boulware is a graduate of Purdue University’s School of Mechanical Engineering and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Indiana University. He is the founder and retired President of Design-Aire Engineering, a firm providing mechanical and electrical engineering services since 1983.
A registered professional engineer, he has over 40 years of experience analyzing building HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems, with a strong focus on performance and energy efficiency. He is a Life Member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and a long-standing member of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), where he has served as Central Indiana Chapter President and currently sits on the Codes and Standards Committee.
Mr. Boulware is a past National President of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) and a member of the ARCSA Rainwater Catchment Hall of Fame. He played a key role in the development of international standards, including as principal author of ANSI 63 on Rainwater Catchment Systems and ANSI 78 on Beneficial Uses of Stormwater.
He is the author of Alternative Water Sources and Wastewater Management (McGraw Hill), a reference work used internationally, and serves as an adviser to the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance.
Darja Könnig, PhD Member
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Darja Könnig is a global health and sustainability professional with experience spanning regenerative medicine research, innovation driven programme design, and international health and environmental initiatives. She currently serves as Program Manager at the Global Health Security Fund in Geneva, where she works on multilateral programmes addressing biological and environmental risks through collaborative and locally grounded approaches.
She previously supported the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Programme as part of the UN Biorisk Working Group. She holds a PhD in Biology and Regenerative Medicine from Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin, and brings an interdisciplinary perspective at the intersection of health, ecosystems, and sustainability to the IRHA Committee.
Salvano Briceño Member
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Salvano Briceño was the first Director of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR, now UNDRR), a position he held from 2001 to 2011.
Following his retirement from the United Nations, he was elected Chair of the Science Committee of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk programme of the International Council for Science, supported by the International Social Science Council and UNDRR.
Prior to UNISDR, he held senior positions within the UN system, including with UNCTAD, UNCCD, UNFCCC, and UNEP. Earlier in his career, he worked with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and as a Research Associate at Harvard University’s Energy and Environment Policy Center. He also held senior responsibilities within Venezuela’s Ministry of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources.
He holds a Doctorate in Administrative Law from the University of Paris II and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. He is a French and Venezuelan national and works in Spanish, French, and English.