Why it Matters
The 4th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference will take place in Chennai, India, from February 19-23, 2017. To register to attend, click here.
Registration for this event is now closed. The recording of the webinar is now available here.
Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) represents a revolution in the fight to end open defecation, with large-scale programs in place and embedded in national policy in dozens of countries. In their Handbook on Community-Led Total Sanitation, Kar and Chambers (2008) identified an array of variables thought to make program success more or less likely.
This Sunday, November 19, let’s take some time to reflect. For billions in the developing world proper sanitation can mean the difference between education and ignorance, health and illness, prosperity and poverty. But 2.5 billion people still don’t have access to a toilet, and 11 percent of the world’s population still defecates in the open.
Water Currents is produced biweekly by USAID’s E3 Water Office. Each issue contains recent news and articles on water sector issues, partner and donor updates, latest sector research, and a special focus on one topic. Please provide your feedback and suggestions by contacting the waterteam@usaid.gov.
In the center of Simaye village in Mali’s Mopti Region, men, women, and children gather under a large tree to listen. Two USAID-trained facilitators discuss the health challenges facing the village. Only three latrines serve many families, so more than half of the people are practicing open defecation; the water point no longer functions, so most families are pulling dirty water from the river; many of the infants and young children are not benefitting from exclusive breastfeeding or a diversified diet, so they are malnourished.
The CLTS process has reached a point in its implementation through SAREP that we are now able to introduce monitoring, evaluation (M&E) and ODF verification and Certification processes into the training. This toolkit and manual contains all forms and materials that are need for a CLTS monitoring team to be established in communities.
Sikasso Region is one of the most affected regions by malnutrition in Mali. According to the Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions Survey in 2016, 30.2 percent of children under 5 years of age are stunted. Causes of malnutrition in Sikasso are due to suboptimal nutrition and health behavior, limited access to high nutrient foods, and poor access to health, water and sanitation services.
