by Jack Showell-Rogers
Jack Showell-Rogers is a Year 11 student at Harrow International School Bangkok with a strong track record in writing, public speaking, and global issues. A ten-conference Model UN delegate and Best Speaker award winner, Jack brings genuine curiosity about how the world works, and how it could work better. Outside the classroom, he sits on his school’s Eco Committee and has been selected to record a TEDx talk on happiness. He joined the Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC) at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) as an intern under the mentorship of Dr. Vineeta Thapa, where he explored inclusive urban sanitation, GEDSI, and the role of the private sector in WASH. In the reflection below, Jack shares what the experience taught him, and why sanitation is, at its core, a question of dignity, accessibility, and who gets left behind.
My name is Jack; I am fifteen and currently studying in Bangkok. I interned at the GWSC in June 2026, and was tasked with exploring links between GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion), urban WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), private sector engagement, and inclusive employment practices during my time there.
Before the internship, the extent of my knowledge about WASH was very limited, and I was oblivious to many details of the sector, especially about how linked GEDSI and WASH are. I was somewhat expecting to learn very generally about areas that had little access to water and sanitation, but on arrival, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I would be diving deeper into the links between GEDSI and urban WASH.
What I Learned About Urban WASH
While I was researching common patterns of urban exclusion in WASH, it became clear that while covering gaps in infrastructure does play a very major role in extending access to sanitation to all, there are many other factors that must be considered, many of them social. Some may be marginalized by the community, and some may not be able to physically access WASH. For me, this gave me a new perspective on water and sanitation because I was previously under the impression that shortfalls of infrastructure were by far the biggest constraint to WASH for many.
I also realised how important informal settlements are in WASH. As long as migration is outpacing how fast the city can build effective infrastructure, informal settlements will continue to grow. They have very little access to WASH, meaning that the number of those without WASH will only increase with urbanisation. Due to this, I believe it is crucial that cities develop more inclusive sanitation to reduce the inequality between those with access to WASH and those without.
How GEDSI Changed My Understanding of WASH
Understanding GEDSI helped significantly to develop my understanding of WASH. Before my internship, I did not know that GEDSI problems were present within organisations working in WASH. Once I realised that the parts of WASH systems that work against GEDSI are rooted very deep within the sector, leading me to understand that inclusion must be part of planning from the beginning, instead of being an afterthought.
I have also learned how invaluable the experiences of people who have limited access to WASH are. Every barrier they have faced in WASH can be learned from to continuously improve. It allows the sector to learn the specific needs that people face, and design the sanitation systems to their actual requirements, not to a generalised and homogenous view of their needs. This is crucial to achieving inclusiveness in WASH.
The Private Sector’s Role in WASH
A third key area I discovered more about was the private sector’s role in WASH. The private sector’s key role in expanding services in many countries was new to me. It often has the ability to finance and build projects that the government cannot. This means inclusiveness within WASH is easier to achieve, as projects that get closer to reaching universal coverage are more likely to happen. However, there is a real danger of the private sector controlling utilities without considering equity. This led me to believe that it is essential for governments to introduce policies to prevent companies from ignoring the need for accessibility.
Having increased representation of women, persons with disabilities and young people could greatly increase the inclusiveness of WASH sector. Creating an inclusive workplace is the first step towards diversity within WASH. If this is successful, eventually the diversity will have a knock-on effect on the implementation of initiatives. It is my biggest takeaway: that inclusiveness in WASH is not just something that happens on the ground; diversity must be present at every level of the system for it to truly be inclusive.
Skills learned & Conclusion
Whilst at GWSC, I developed many skills that are not often used in school. Beyond the base plan I was given, it was my responsibility to find material, analyse it, then use and make inferences from specific pieces of information. In schools, this skill set is rarely taught and used – more often, material is given and it must be memorised. This internship has allowed me to learn how to break down a larger project into smaller, more manageable parts and learn vital skills that can only be developed in a workplace.
From this internship, I will take with me not just the skills I have learned, but a new understanding of how WASH works. To me, WASH is no longer just an ever-present given, but is something that can be constantly improved and made more inclusive.
Contact us to learn more about Internship opportunities or learn about the Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC): gwsc.ait.ac.th | gwsc@ait.ac.th