This series contains records relating to two projects that were part of the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)-World Bank Water and Sanitation Program (UNDP-World Bank WSP) that supported the United Nation's 1981 - 1990 International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD). The two projects are the Information and Training Program in Low-Cost Water Supply and Sanitation (INT/82/002) and the International Training Network (ITN) for Water and Waste Management (INT/86/027). These projects were responsible for developing and delivering training modules geared toward water sector personnel and non-water professionals on topics concerning low-cost alternative technologies, sanitation (e.g., ventilated pit latrines), economic appraisal of projects, user participation, health aspects of water supply and sanitation, sanitation technology solutions, wells and handpumps, water distribution network, water and waste treatment, hygiene education, gravity-flow water supply, rainwater roof catchment systems, institutional and financial aspects, and many more. The goals of these training projects were to promote and deliver training on technical aspects, management, administration, finance, community development, and project support communications.

The training projects produced three major training packages for three primary stakeholders: the Decision Package for policy and senior government leaders; the Technical Package for students and sector professionals; and the Community (User) Participation Package for community workers and project staff.

UNDP financed the projects in cooperation with international agencies, while the World Bank (Bank) was responsible for project execution through the Technology Advisory Group (TAG) for technical assistance. The Bank's responsibilities included but were not limited to coordinating the recruitment process, agreements, feasibility studies, in-country training, project description drafts, course curricula design, etc.

Some of the key individuals mentioned in this series include but are not limited to Letitia Obeng, Saul Arlosoroff, Richard N. Middleton, and Mary Elmendorf (anthropologist/consultant, 1975-1996).

Materials include but are not limited to foundational records to prepare and produce the training modules; translations; progress and review reports; correspondence and memoranda; administrative files; conference and workshop files; photographic prints; and audiovisual items (e.g., magnetic cards, flexible disks, 35 mm color slides, and cassette tapes).

This series also contains records related to other initiatives: Research and Development in Integrated Resource Recovery (GLO/80/004) and TAG's collaboration with the UNDP's Women and the Decade Project (INT/83/003). It contains information about the promotion and support for women's participation in the United Nation's 1981 - 1990 International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD) and the development of low-cost sanitation projects and training modules created by the Bank's EconomicDevelopment Institute (EDI).