Marieke is a WASH expert with over 18 years of experience in the sector. She has a special interest in small town WASH, participatory strategic planning processes and evidence-based decision making in WASH.
After graduating as an Irrigation and Water Engineer from Wageningen University, Marieke joined IRC as a Junior Professional Officer (JPO) in 2003. As JPO she was stationed with NGO Forum (Bangladesh) and with TREND Group (Ghana). In 2006, she joined the IRC team in the Netherlands.
Marieke has led and participated in action-research studies in Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe on issues like monitoring sustainable WASH service provision, small town water supply, Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM), multiple-use water services, and cost recovery and financing.
Marieke has experience in working closely with ministries (e.g. the Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and electricity in Ethiopia) and government agencies (e.g. Community Water and Sanitation Agency in Ghana) in identifying and addressing sector challenges. She has supported knowledge management and sector learning processes in various contexts and countries (e.g. support to the establishment and development of Learning Alliance Platforms in Ghana and Ethiopia and the Resource Centre Network Ghana).
Marieke is supporting the Accountability and Adaptation team, responsible for monitoring, with special emphasis on monitoring service level and financial indicators. She is also supporting various action research projects, with special focus on monitoring and sustainability issues. She is leading the development of a District WASH Master Planning Facility.
The study looked into the prevalence of cholera at three refugee camps in Bangladesh. Read more...
An epidemiological survey carried out in the Dodoma region of Tanzania found that high rates of trachoma infection in pre-school children were... Read more...
Since 1993 SANDEC is conducting a field research project on the "Management of Sludges from On-site Sanitation" (SOS). Read more...
The effects of improving the water supply on the incidence of diarrhoea in 1096 children from three neighbouring villages of the Kirotshe rural... Read more...
The rapid evaluation method (REM) was developed by WHO in order to assess the performance and quality of health care services, identify operational... Read more...
Between 1 January and 31 July 1992 a cholera epidemic caused 548 reported cases in Riohacha (population 68,000), Colombia. Read more...
Development practitioners often have relied solely on technology and education imposed from the outside, rather than (a) assessing existing cultural... Read more...
Costs associated with community management of water supply and sanitation systems need to be defined at an early stage. Read more...
The study examines the prevalence of major water-related diseases, the relationship between disease, agriculture and nutrition; the status of water... Read more...
This paper reviews eighteen case studies of community/household self-improvement related to water supply, sanitation and environment. Read more...