Involvement of beneficiaries is the process of sensitizing and mobilizing beneficiaries to improve the quality of their life through (collective) self-help. Many types of community organisations exist within a community depending on their current needs, problems and aspirations. Before starting a RWH project in an area, beneficiaries have to be involved intensively to create sense of ownership. This will contribute to the success of the RWH project and contribute to its sustainability.

For RWH systems on a household level, the beneficiary is involved in all stages of implementation of the RWH system, from beneficiary selection (selection is often done by the community itself), excavation, construction, training in maintenance & operation and involvement in water usage & impact assessments.

For communal systems the procedure is different, as the community has to elect a water committee to supervise the implementation and will be responsible for the management after construction. The water committee consists of a representative group of the community and will take part in several trainings on hygiene, water management, operation and maintenance of the RWH system.