Haiti’s vulnerability to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and flooding have complicated efforts to repair, expand, and sustain access to safe water and sanitation. The low levels of water and sanitation services and poor hygiene practices contributed substantially to the severity and rapid spread of the cholera epidemic in 2010. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 further compromised the fragile WASH sector in affected areas.

Rising temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events in East Africa are impacting community livelihoods, the regional economy, and access to improved water and sanitation. Against this backdrop, USAID launched Planning for Resilience in East Africa through Policy, Adaptation, Research and Economic Development (PREPARED) in 2012, to help build the region’s capacity to plan and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate.

In the harsh, arid lowlands of Ethiopia, USAID is working with the government to accelerate progress on its One WASH National Program to increase access to basic water services to 83 percent of its population. In the mostly pastoral communities where the USAID Lowland WASH Activity is based, water sources are few and far between, and even when available, those sources may not be functioning or dispensing safe water.

Partnering with the Government of Rwanda and local communities, USAID is working to enhance private-sector involvement in rural sanitation markets to help the nation achieve 100 percent improved sanitation coverage by 2020. Meeting this goal means overcoming a number of challenges, including a shortage of sanitation supplies and contractors; a lack of construction professionals involved in household sanitation; the need for a variety of latrine models that function in unique geographies and take consumer preferences and water access into account; and limited financing options.