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, may not be functioning or dispensing safe water.
Following repeated large-scale humanitarian emergencies in the Sahel, USAID recognized that continuing to treat these recurrent crises as acute emergencies is extremely costly and does not effectively address their underlying causes.
The U.S. Government Global Water Strategy identifies poor hygiene and the lack of adequate water and sanitation as a leading cause of disease and death worldwide and a contributor to the spread of many neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
The primary goal of the USAID West Africa Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Program (WA-WASH) was to increase sustainable access to safe water and sanitation and improve hygiene in West Africa.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are critical in the prevention and care for all of the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) scheduled for intensified control or elimination by 2020. Provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene is one of the five key interventions within the global NTD roadmap. Yet to date, the WASH component of the strategy has received little attention and the potential to link efforts on WASH and NTDs has been largely untapped.
Despite strong economic growth and rising living standards in the last two decades, high levels of undernutrition persist in Cambodia. Tackling childhood undernutrition requires a broad range of ‘nutrition specific’ and ‘nutrition sensitive’ interventions that act to ensure adequate dietary intake and address the multiple underlying or enabling determinants. However, when rigorously evaluated, interventions to improve dietary intake alone have not been successful in reducing stunting.
Globally, CLTS has been widely embraced as a strategy to end open defecation, and dozens of countries have incorporated the approach as part of national policy for rural sanitation. Though the “total sanitation” focus of CLTS is laudable, there is reason to believe that the poor and more vulnerable segments of the community do not benefit equally, as they are more likely to construct lower-quality toilets and revert to open defecation.
On April 5, USAID held a webinar to discuss findings from the recent report from the USAID-funded WASHPaLS Project, "Toward a Hygienic Environment for Infants and Young Children: A Review of the Literature."
The USAID-funded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability (WASHPaLS) project presented an analysis on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 of market-based sanitation (MBS).
On September 26, the USAID-funded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability (WASHPaLS) Project held this webinar and discussion on sanitation enterprises and design considerations. WASHPaLS presents a detailed discussion of the elements of a sanitation enterprise including mechanisms and practices, design approaches, and key considerations based upon the findings a recent WASHPaLS desk review.
