The openwashdata project aims to transform how research data is shared in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector by establishing a community dedicated to open and responsible data practices. Our objectives focus on building a data stewardship network with strategic partners, expanding our community through advanced training, establishing sustainable governance structures, and improving how we publish data following FAIR principles (making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). During the extension period in 2026, we focused on consolidating our work and planning for the future. We published and formally reviewed further open datasets in our catalogue, which now holds 51 documented, reusable datasets, and we prepared our washr publishing package for release on CRAN. We developed and delivered a new “Git for Scientists” workshop at ETH Zurich that is now supported by the ETH Data Stewardship Network and the Swiss Reproducibility Network, and we submitted a proposal for a hands-on data-publishing retreat at the AGUASAN Workshop 2027, a Swiss network for water and sanitation professionals. Looking ahead, we are planning the next phase of openwashdata across three connected directions. On software, we are building new tools that make datasets easier to find and reuse, including support for widely used metadata standards and better indexing of published data. On community, we intend to grow beyond our current members through the AGUASAN retreat, a revived newsletter, and a presence at a major international WASH conference. On funding and sustainability, we are pursuing several Swiss and international grants and preparing to sustain openwashdata beyond the funding period, with the longer-term aim of establishing a journal for openwashdata and running the community as a social enterprise. Together, these plans set out how a time-limited research project can grow into lasting practice for open data in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector.