This blog originally appeared on PSI’s website.
Paul Kpadonou began his career as an entrepreneur on the side of the highway.
As he sold garden decorations from his roadside business, Paul dreamed of creating a successful enterprise in his suburban town of Abomey-Calavi, Benin. His shot at prosperity came with the “WC Mimin” brand of toilets, which he discovered during a campaign promoting the product.
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.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria or virus change to resist the action of antimicrobials (e.g., antibiotics). Currently, it is estimated that at least 700,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant diseases. Each year, more and more common diseases are becoming untreatable and lifesaving medical procedures are becoming much riskier due to AMR.
To address health challenges related to rapid urbanization, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-supported Strengthening Ethiopia’s Urban Health Program (SEUHP) will promote urban health leadership and provide capacity building support in cities and towns across seven regions in Ethiopia. SEUHP extends the commitment of the previous USAID/Urban Health Extension Program (USAID/UHEP) by providing the Government of Ethiopia (GoE), civil society partners, and urban communities of Ethiopia with cost-effective, high quality, and appropriately targeted support and services.
The WASHplus project supported healthy households and communities by creating and delivering interventions that lead to significant improvements in access, practices, and health outcomes related to water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and household air pollution (HAP). This multi-year project (2010-2016), led by FHI 360 in partnership with CARE and Winrock International, was funded through USAID’s Bureau for Global Health. If was implemented in Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nepal, Zambia
A 2015 report from UNICEF and WHO found that limited data exists on the status of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in healthcare facilities (HCF). Few assessments have been conducted and even fewer collect data beyond the basic coverage of WASH within a HCF. In order to determine the extent of the problem and develop an action plan to address gaps, more comprehensive assessments are needed.
Started in 1983, the Small Project Assistance (SPA) Program represents the largest and longest-running partnership between United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Peace Corps. Since 2000, nearly $44 million in USAID funds have enabled the SPA Program to support life-changing projects around the world. SPA grant projects have generated an additional $34 million in local community and third party contributions.
ISDP aims to provide support for creating sustainable, strong health care facilities in Ezo, and Yambio counties that will improve quality of services and access, especially for women and children.
