USAID implemented the Pakistan Safe Drinking Water and Hygiene Promotion Project (PSDW-HPP) as part of its goal to improve basic health services for the Pakistani population.
Access to safe drinking water is critical in preventing transmission of waterborne diseases. The benefits of using chlorine as a disinfectant in emergencies and waterborne disease outbreaks include low cost, high availability, and ease of monitoring. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) specialists have assisted Ministries of Water and Health and other partners to improve chlorination and water quality monitoring in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe during outbreaks and emergencies.
USAID is holding a webinar to discuss findings from the recent report, Toward a Hygienic Environment for Infants and Young Children: A Review of the Literature.
USAID recently completed this review of the scientific and grey literature to capture the state of knowledge of the health risks to infants and young children from fecal exposure in their home environments, focusing on historically underemphasized sources and transmission pathways not disrupted by the traditional suite of WASH measures.
This Global Handwashing Day explore the handwashing research of Dr. Reshmaan Hussam, an economist and assistant professor at Harvard Business School, on Global Waters Radio. Dr. Hussam chats with Senior Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Social Behavior Change Advisor Nga Nguyen from USAID’s Office of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition about her team’s fieldwork in West Bengal, India.
Learn how students, teachers, and USAID are teaming up for better health in East Java, Indonesia.
A Troublesome ToiletAt Ngalah School in Pasuruan, Indonesia, over 330 girls had to share Dorm D’s solitary bathroom—more like a locker room or public pool facility than anything else.
"It was dirty. Bugs were everywhere,” said 19-year-old Anis Faridah, the girls’ student leader. “There weren’t enough toilets or enough showers."
Mwayi wa Mayo was a five-year Innovation Project (CS-27 cycle) running between I October 2011-31 March 2016. The project was funded by USAID's Child Survival and Health Grant Program (CSHGP), with matching funding from Save the Children, Towers Watson, and the Pfizer Foundation. The project targeted hard-to-reach communities in Blantyre District with limited access to health care services.
Contaminated water is a leading cause of diarrheal disease and child mortality in Zambia, where only 64% of the population has access to safe drinking water sources. Among children under five, 21% have had diarrhea in the past two weeks, regardless of water source or location. Mortality among children under five is particularly high, as attempts to rehydrate children, usually with more contaminated water, often fail.
ESMPIN was a USAID-funded nationwide social marketing project focused on 15 priority states in Nigeria, aimed at improving maternal and child health by promoting family planning methods, and child health products. Some diseases like diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia, lack of family planning (FP) and inappropriate care of pregnant mothers and newborns are some of the causes responsible for Nigeria’s high maternal, neonatal and child mortality rates. ESMPIN also promoted healthy behaviors in addition to its product demand.
Diarrhea is a major public health problem in Indonesia. The national prevalence of diarrhea is 11 percent, and it is one of the biggest killers of children under five. Multiple studies (eg. Fewtrel L et al., 2005; Curtis, 2003) suggest that hygiene and sanitation practices are important keys to reduce diarrhea illness. However, some caregivers are not practicing these behaviors, consequently placing infants and children at risk.
