Core Principles
Sago Network is guided by five Core Principles:
Principle 1: Community-Centred Approach
Placing people at the centre of their own development process. We encourage communities to be motivated for change, committed to action and to own the solutions.
Principle 2: Process & Product
Sago Network values both product and process, seeking to achieve carefully considered results through an inclusive and capacity-building process. Interventions are rigorously researched, carefully detailed, locally appropriate and site-specific responses. Projects are complemented by an awareness that sustained progress is supported by a ‘process’ that is empowering, explanatory, collaborative, supportive and sustained.
Principle 3: Strategic Partnerships
The team aims to catalyse strategic partnerships between communities and organisations who stand to gain from collaboration. This constellation of project partners is unique to each project and can extend from community partnerships with:
Government looking to deliver services to their constituents.
Private sector seeking to contribute as part of corporate social responsibility programmes.
Industry who can supply communities with maintenance skills or replacement parts to ensure long-term functionality of facilities.
Educational institutions with students interested in getting involved in community development. Sago Network strives to form a network of support around communities that can assist in achieving lasting change.
Principle 4: Education & Empowerment
Education and empowerment are critical components to programme delivery, empowering communities with knowledge that will ensure long term sustainable improvement. We value education, especially of children, women and young people, and aim to reduce factors that
may affect their ability to access a fruitful education. Sago Network’s educational material is shaped to be contextually relevant and focuses on sanitation,
hygiene and health as well as the technical knowledge surrounding the appropriate use, monitoring and maintenance of facilities being implemented.
Sago Network believes in participatory learning and engages communities through the use of local staff or community members for educational delivery where possible. In order to promote Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), Sago Network incorporates GESI processes into all programme activity.
Principle 5: Reflective Practice
Sago Network maintains a commitment to learning from projects previously undertaken to ensure that each subsequent effort is strengthened with the following measures assisting this reflective mode of practice:
Assessment, monitoring, maintenance reviews and evaluation.
Qualitative assessments of projects with community members.
Quantitative and empirical evidence and data collection.
Project process is continually reviewed and improved to ensure a framework of approach that reflects best practice and learning to date.
The complex and inter-related development challenges of water and sanitation have been tackled by Sago Network by forming a diverse and multi-disciplinary team which is flexibly configured around the needs of each community.
