At the beginning of 2018, the CLTS Knowledge Hub based at the Institute of Development Studies released a call for applications for a desk-based study looking at ‘the other side of gender’. The idea came out of discussions with different sanitation and hygiene (WASH) actors who felt that despite gender relations being regarded as socially constructed power relations between men and women, boys and girls - gender in WASH discussions was often being reduced to the roles and experiences of women and sometimes only to menstrual hygiene management (MHM).

I had the opportunity to attend the 41st WEDC Conference held at Nakuru, Kenya 9 – 13th July 2018 . The theme of the five-day event was, 'Transformation towards sustainable and resilient WASH services'. The power-packed week saw more than 160 presentations, 29 side events, 21 capacity building workshops, exhibitions and posters - there was something for everyone! I was thrilled to interact with participants who were working on diverse themes, but with one common objective. As we all eagerly await next year's conference, here are my reflections on some of my conference highlights.

Sanitation practitioners attending the East and Southern African Regional CLTS and rural sanitation workshop visited the districts of Babati and Karatu, in the north east of Tanzania, in April 2018 to discuss the implementation of CLTS and WASH approaches under the Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for all (SSH4A) project run by SNV in partnership with the Government of Tanzania (GoT) and the UK's Department for International Develo