The VSC promoted the private entrepreneurs, particularly women who become the strong change agents in sanitation promotion. NGO Forum promoted various types of demand-responsive, cost-effective, appropriate, feasible and sustainable WatSan technologies considering different hydro-geophysical conditions and affordability of the community people throughout the country. The Context-specific Alternative Water Supply Technologies like Pond Sand Filter (PSF), Community Managed Rain Water Harvesting System, Household based Rain Water Harvesting System, Arsenic Iron Removal Plant (AIRP), Ring-well, Gravity Flow System (GFS), Deep set pump, Deep Tubewell, Shallow Tubewell, Community based Piped Water Supply at villages and Piped Water Network in CHT as the pioneer. NGO Forum is the pioneer in establishing of Water Quality Testing Laboratory, promotion of Water Safety Plan, innovation of water testing Microkit.  Besides, in accelerating the sanitation coverage in the hard to reach areas, NGO Forum introduced Plastic Latrine, Single-Pit, Twin-Pit, Eco-san Toilet, Disable-friendly, School Latrine, Public Toilet in Institutions and Market Places.

Since its inception, it emphasized on networking, advocacy, campaign, capacity development & training for the LGIs and partner NGOs, using ICC and BCC materials for mass people, media involvement. In line with this, NGO Forum has become the active member of sectoral policy formulation bodies of the Government of Bangladesh. The groundbreaking achievement of NGO Forum’s advocacy was the incorporation of Water Sanitation & Hygiene issues in the secondary school curriculum. In achieving the MDGs and SDGs, addressing the changing context of development issues, emergency response and disaster risk reduction, adaptation to climate change and climate resilience, people’s rights and governance, promotion of urban WASH, arsenic mitigation, waste management and renewable energy, solar irrigation for agricultural development, addressing one of the biggest refugee crisis, access to humanitarian services for the Rohingya refugees- NGO Forum remained at the front. 

The creation of NGO Forum was inevitable and timely regarding the crisis of water, sanitation and hygiene. NGO Forum, from its inception has been contributing to the WASH sector with context specific innovations, serving information with Information Education and Communication (IEC) & Behavior Change Communication (BCC) materials, quality services, structured programme management, community access and involvement, alliance with the civil society and policy-makers, and above all maintaining a wide network with all the relevant stakeholders. Throughout the period, NGO Forum has become more pragmatic and has extended adaptive measures recognizing the emerging multifaceted threats in the Sector. Bangladesh, being the frontline victim to climate change imparts potential threats to the feasibility and sustainability of the traditional WatSan technologies which have become dormant in the climate change aspect. In addressing these kind of challenges,

The creation of NGO Forum was inevitable and timely regarding the crisis of water, sanitation and hygiene. NGO Forum, from its inception has been contributing to the WASH sector with context specific innovations, serving information with Information Education and Communication (IEC) & Behavior Change Communication (BCC) materials, quality services, structured programme management, community access and involvement, alliance with the civil society and policy-makers, and above all maintaining a wide network with all the relevant stakeholders. Throughout the period, NGO Forum has become more pragmatic and has extended adaptive measures recognizing the emerging multifaceted threats in the Sector. Bangladesh, being the frontline victim to climate change imparts potential threats to the feasibility and sustainability of the traditional WatSan technologies which have become dormant in the climate change aspect. In addressing these kind of challenges,

NGO Forum innovates context specific,  sustainable and safely managed water and sanitation services for the people in need and to contribute to the overall improvement of the Public Health situation of Bangladesh. It is widely experienced on water and sanitation related technological innovations and promoting alternative options with necessary modification and renovation in different geophysical contexts. The multidimensional impacts of Public Health cannot be dealt through ensuring hygiene measures alone and the situation is required new  interventions in addressing WASH, Environment and health, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), rights and governance comprehensively in an integrated approach. Environment conservation, disaster management, humanitarian response, rights and governance, have become key programme factors in ensuring sound health while sustainable WASH facilities stand as a compulsory component.

NGO Forum has stepped forward potentially possessing a comparatively advantaged position, exploring the threats and mitigation measures beyond the WASH sector. Since 2011, NGO Forum has been renamed and recognized as the NGO Forum for Public Health instead of NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply & Sanitation which unfolds the wider opportunity to contribute in the greater public health sector. It has expanded the programmatic areas intermingled with WASH & Nutrition, WASH in the Health Care Facilities,   Food security and Livelihood along with the regular mandated components. In reducing public health risks and improving the environment, NGO Forum has been managing solid waste and faecal sludge in a safely manner following the relevant policies and standards. In addressing the growing realities, it has been prioritized on enhancing community resilience, ensuring sustainable programmatic interventions, and contributing to social cohesion with significant importance. In addition to its WASH and Public Health focused activities, NGO Forum has remained committed to the development of human capital as well as institutional capacity development since its inception with offering decentralized, tailor-made and customized training programs both from central level as well as regional training centers. NGO Forum’s pledge towards contributing in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 has been prioritized in every intervention. It has been contributing in 12 SDGs out of 17 through implementing projects in different nature emphasizing on SDG 6 - ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’.

NGO Forum’s evolution in 4 decades has revealed different interventions and initiatives to strengthen the present profile. Each decade heralded the blooming of NGO Forum in the sector incorporating new interventions and innovations. In the course of its transformation, NGO Forum never deconstructed the previous stairs rather reconstructed those to go through. The remarkable evolution of NGO Forum narrated in the following 4 decades:

The United Nations 'Water Conference' at Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1977 set up an International Drinking Water Decade, 1981-1990 with the aim to make access to clean drinking water and sanitation available across the world. The first Water Decade was observed with the mission to help reduce mortality and morbidity caused by water-borne diseases at the grassroots. In line with the Water Decade Programme in Bangladesh, NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply & Sanitation launched its journey in 1982 as the brainchild of the United Nations Steering Committee of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD).

NGO Forum was formed as a platform for NGOs to come together, exchange knowledge, and advocate for policies and practices that promote safe drinking water and sanitation in Bangladesh. It aimed to coordinate activities, promote best practices, and build capacity among its member organizations.

Evolution by Decades

Decade–1 (1982–1990)

• - Function as Information Centre & WatSan exchange hub
• - Establish GO–NGO networks and inter-agency collaboration
• - Provision of Software & Hardware Services
• - Introduction of R&D in WatSan

Decade–2 (1991–2000)

• - Apex role in national WatSan scenario
• - Intensification of Software Services using media-mix approaches
• - Decentralized functional mechanism through national network
• - Increase in Hardware Support provision
• - Facilitation of social mobilization & hygiene promotion
• - Collaboration at national & international levels
• - Facilitation of information exchange and advocacy
• - Introduction of community-managed programme approach
• - Shift from supply-driven to demand-responsive & decentralized approaches
• - Applied research in WatSan
• - Flourishing as Centre of Excellence based on partnerships
• - Strengthening organizational development initiatives

Decade–3 (2001–2010)

• - Strengthening apex role as sectoral Centre of Excellence
• - Scaling-up community-managed WatSan with LGIs
• - Demand-responsive support through software services
• - Introduction of context-specific WatSan technologies for hard-to-reach areas
• - Reinforcing WatSan & hygiene promotion for climate change adaptation
• - Advocacy for WASH rights, especially in hard-to-reach areas
• - Strengthening organizational development with issue-based policies
• - Decentralized capacity building initiatives
• - Establishment of Water Quality Testing Laboratory
• - Establishment of National Resource Centre for knowledge management
• - Scaling-up LGI-level WatSan learning through HLP

Decade–4 (2011–2021)

1. - Inclusive program components reducing public health risks
2. - Widening scope: WASH, health, nutrition, environment, governance
3. - Focus on Humanitarian Response, Protection, Livelihoods & WASH Resilience
4. - Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) prioritized
5. - Focus on Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) & Solid Waste Management (SWM)
6. - Integrating WASH with environment & health care services
7. - Promoting sustainable environment through climate adaptation
8. - Strengthening advocacy on environment, WASH & health hazards
9. - Innovation & promotion of context-specific WatSan & green technologies
10. - Program promotion focusing on rights of hard-to-reach people
11. - Strengthening water quality management in climate context
12. - Shift from service delivery to rights-based approach
13. - Promotion of governance & transparency
14. - Expanding decentralized institutional & programmatic facilities