While handwashing has been acknowledged as a way to prevent the spread of infection, experts agree that we still aren’t making enough progress on increasing uptake of this behavior. A systematic review revealed that in 2015, only 26 percent of people globally washed their hands with soap after contact with feces.
October 15, 2019, is Global Handwashing Day (GH Day), an annual advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap. This year’s theme is “Clean Hands for All,” which gives much needed attention to the marginalized groups that lack access to handwashing facilities or face discrimination in the provision of handwashing and other water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.
The Women + Water Alliance Newsletter for September 2019 discussing progress over the last quarter for the Gap Inc. and USAID Women + Water Alliance (W+W Alliance). This newsletter includes the W+W Alliance’s representation at SIWI’s World Water Week and engagement with key stakeholders in the WASH and water stewardship space. This year’s World Water Week focused on “Water for Society: Including All," a theme closely aligned with the mission of the W+W Alliance.
Read on for more details.
The Women + Water Alliance (W+W Alliance) is a five-year partnership between Gap Inc. and USAID to improve and sustain the health and well-being of women and communities in India touched by the apparel industry. The W+W Alliance prepared these slides for a panel session on August 28 at the 2019 World Water Week conference in Stockholm, Sweden.
CONTEXT
Niger is an emerging democracy landlocked in the increasingly unstable Sahel region. It consistently ranks at or near the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index. USAID assists the Nigerien government and local partners to create economic opportunities and increase civic and political participation for Nigerien youth to help undermine extremist messages and encourage stability in Niger and the region.
APPROACH
Worldwide, 892 million people practice open defecation, most of whom live in rural areas of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is the most widely deployed approach to generate demand for, and use of sanitation facilities. CLTS relies on behavioral change and community self-enforcement to end open defecation.
In a crisis, humanitarians are often responsible for providing or repairing handwashing infrastructure for the affected population. This creates an opportunity for us to build infrastructure and provide products which encourage people to practice handwashing with soap.
Wash'Em developed this guide to assist humanitarian actors in designing handwashing facilities that can actually change behavior.
USAID/Ethiopia seeks to support the improvement of access to clean and sustainable water sources for target communities in the Afar, Oromia, and Somali Regions of Ethiopia.
In order to improve access to water in these regions, it is recommended that additional boreholes be drilled in strategic locations, and existing non-functional boreholes be repaired where feasible and the original causes of inoperability can be determined and corrected.
This activity will design and field validate ultra-low pressure drip irrigation systems for the MENA region that will cut pumping energy by 50%, enable drip systems to run on low-pressure municipal water supplies, and facilitate the dissemination of low-cost, solar-powered drip irrigation solutions with up to 40% lower capital costs. The implementer will partner with a private sector partner to mainstream the technology into existing production lines for wider regional dissemination. The target areas are Jordan and Morocco.
Firmly grounded in proven practices, Breakthrough ACTION works in partnership with governments, civil society, and communities around the world to implement creative and sustainable SBC programming, nurture SBC champions, mainstream new techniques and technologies, and advocate strategic and sustained investment in SBC.
