IRHA
Since 2017, IRHA's secretariat has changed, with a young, motivated team guiding the development of our organization. We recognize that rainwater harvesting has a key role to play in mitigating land degradation, biodiversity loss and the risks associated with extreme weather events. IRHA is an NGO registered by Swiss law, with UN ECOSOC status.
Committee
Han HEIJNEN - President
Jean Bernard Rebord - Treasurer
Clara Ariza - Secretary
Salvano BRICENO - Member
Bob BOULWARE - Member
Margarita Pacheco - Member
Secretariat
Marc Sylvestre - Executive Director of IRHA
Graduated from a Master in Urban Development (IUG, 2007) and MSc in Water and Environmental Management (WEDC-Loughborough, 2017), Marc has managed numerous development projects in Lebanon, Haiti and Nepal. He participates in the strategic and operational development of the organization (strategy 2018-2020), contributes to the development of projects and seeks funding along with the framing in terms of monitoring-evaluation-impact of the activities implemented.
> LinkedIn
Anne Marie Khetib - Head of Admin and Finance
Administrative and financial director of the World Scout Bureau (WSB) for 9 years, she holds the same responsibilities within our NGO and ensures that our organization, recognized by public utility, implements the required procedures, in terms of good governance and financial management (Swiss GAAP FER 21).
> LinkedIn
Rachel Hosein Nisbet - Director of Communications & Advocacy
Rachel's expertise lies in understanding the complex intersection of cultural practices and environmental processes. Scientific field experience in Svalbard, Britain, Venezuela and the Swiss Alps gives Rachel first-hand knowledge of multiple, terrestrial biomes. Research into river narratives that cultivate readers’ practical wisdom shows her this listening attention is essential to foster socio-ecological wellbeing.
Rachel holds two PhDs, in the geosciences and the environmental humanities, respectively. Her Indo-Trinidadian heritage reinforces her commitment to evolving integrated, socio-ecological practices to improve the capabilities of low-income communities.
Florian Bielser - PM Rainwater Harvesting - Agroforestry
Florian Bielser is a twenty-six-year-old MSc student of environmental engineering at the EPFL, Switzerland. He is currently on placement as an IRHA project manager in Fatick region (Senegal).
Blandine Barthod - PM IWRM/ Watershed management
Graduated from a B.A. in International Relations and a Master in Environmental Sciences, Blandine is interested in addressing water related issues. She is currently monitoring the management of the Blue School programmes as well as launching the “rain communities” project in the area of Pokhara (Nepal).
IRHA Strategy: 2018-2020
We also use a business plan, specifying our working model, position as an NGO, and the added value obtained by collaborating with IRHA. Additionally, our financing plan describes the investment needed to realize our strategy.
These documents are available upon request.
> Contact
2018 Annual Report (in french)
The IRHA Annual Report in 2018 is available in French. We are working on a English Summary. The report presents all the achievements and initiatives implemented in 2018.
An ecosystem of 60+ organizations
Our projects
The Blue Schools
This program aims to educate schoolchildren to the management of water, sanitation and good hygiene practices, but also the recovery of waste to make blue schools, incubators of social change "
Raincommunity
Construction of rainwater harvesting systems in Bhaktapur, to provide safe access todrinking water in 2 schools and 6 camps for displaced families after the 2015 earthquake.
The Rain, the soil and the people
Climate change requires us to rethink our management methods and practices. This project aims to build community resilience by combining better management of water resources, trees and soil.
" Unserved "
The "Unserved" project aims to provide access to clean water and restore dignity for those who have nothing, the forgotten from water services, who live on the outskirts of our cities and have to fight every day to access even water for drinking.
Workshops: Water and the City
The objective of this workshop is to bring school children to become aware of their environment, and to be able to implement durable, sustainable solutions in their city.
In the rain ink
The aim of this "In the rain ink" project is to transform the representations of rainwater seen as a nuisance, poetically using the urban environment in which we live.