07/30/15 Sanitation crisis causes girls to dropout of School Rasheda K. Chowdhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), blamed lack of toilets at schools as one of the major causes that leads adolescent girls to drop out from their schools. Planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said ensuring sanitation in schools needs special attention. "It is mandatory to set up toilets in every school," he added. (Prothom Alo) 07/30/15 Pakistan among 77 countries with achieved water, sanitation targets The recently launched global report by the World Health Organisation and the UN children's fund (UNICEF) joint monitoring programme 2015 mentioned that Pakistan is among the 95 countries that have met target for sanitation. According to the report, 64% of the population has now access to sanitation compared to 24% in 1990. Pakistan is also placed among just 77 countries which have met both the drinking water and the sanitation MDG targets. The number of people defecting in the open has been reduced from 46 to 25 million during the last decade. Pakistan is ranked 5th among those 16 countries which have reduced the open defection by at least by 25%. (Daily Times) 7/28/15 How This NGO is teaching Girls Taboo Subjects Femme International is a Canadian NGO that promotes women's health through education, with a focus on menstrual health and hygiene. Menstruation is a major reason why girls in developing communities miss school or drop out together due to a lack of sanitary resources and the oppressive stigma that surrounds the topic. (Huffington Post Canada) 07/26/15 Sulabh plans sanitary napkin unit in state Sulabh International will establish a sanitary napkin factory in Odisha to improve personal hygiene among adolescent girls. Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the Sulabh Sanitation Movement, indicated that Sulabh will continue to work to create awareness among children on sanitation and hygiene and will involve the government in their project that aims to promote menstrual hygiene among girls in the state. Sulabh has already formed sanitation clubs in more than 22 schools, creating awareness on issues like sanitation and hygiene among youth. (The Times of India)
07/25/15 Villanova group tackles Madagascar's water issues A team of Villanova University students are spending part of the summer in Madagascar with Catholic Relief Services working to improve sanitation and drinking water facilities. During the school year, engineering students designed clean water and sanitation projects and trained local workers how to use water-monitoring equipment. During the summer, students will analyze existing water supply systems and will develop mechanisms to reduce system failure. (The Inquirer) 07/23/15 Innovative New Mobile Phone Service Offers Hope for Beating Water and Sanitation Crisis WaterAid announced a new partnership with The People's Operator (TPO) that will give customers the choice of directing 10% of their monthly mobile stipend to nonprofits at no extra cost. Mark Epstein, TPO's CEO, noted that TPO subscribers can transform lives by selecting WaterAid and making clean water and toilets a reality for people around the world. (Benzinga) 07/23/15 In Yemen's grinding war, if the bombs don't get you, the water shortages will For months, citizens of this war-torn country have been terrorized by bomb explosions and mortar attacks. Now another threat is growing, which could be just as deadly. Yemenis are running out of water. This poor Arabian Peninsula country has faced a severe scarcity of water for decades. But four months of fighting have dramatically worsened the situation, with attacks destroying water pipes, storage tanks and pumping facilities in a number of cities. (The Washington Post) 07/23/15 MP takes a walk down Victorian street to learn about great stink MP David Warburton experienced the great stink 150 years on - thanks to international charity WaterAid. It had built a Victorian street so that people could understand what life was like when sewage ran along British roads and choked the rivers. Britain's first life-saving sewerage system was created following the great stink, when the stench of the polluted Thames was unbearable. The opening of the first modern sewage pumping station 150 years ago, designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, helped prevent cholera outbreaks in London. (Frome Standard) 7/21/2015 How Do We Get Businesses Working Towards the Sustainable Development Goals? UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon kicked off last week's Addis Ababa conference on Financing for Development. It was the first of a series of major events that could make 2015 a turning point in sustainable development, the next two being the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in New York in September, and the Paris conference on climate change in December. (Huffington Post) 7/21/2015 Iraq: Funding shortage forces UN to shutter critical water and sanitation responses With more than 74,000 new people displaced by fighting on the move in Iraq, the United Nations humanitarian wing has warned that overall, some 40 per cent of critically needed life-saving water and sanitation programs will be forced to shut down by the end of the month due to lack of funding. (New Kerala) 07/21/15 Lessons in global health: let poor countries run their own programmes Endemic countries are demonstrating strong ownership and leadership, in variable financial, political and environmental circumstances, to ensure their NTD programs are successful in meeting 2020 targets. Countries are achieving elimination goals, more people are being reached, and the drug donation program for NTDs, the largest public health drug donation program in the world, continues to grow." Other countries are joining Malawi to take charge of their public health initiatives. Bangladesh, the Philippines and India are now financing 85%, 94% and 100% of their NTD programs respectively. (The Guardian) 07/17/15 Guinness Nigeria, Concern Universal unveil community-led water, sanitation projects Guinness Nigeria partnered with Concern Universal to offer clear water for rural communities. The partnership will strengthen the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) program by offering protected water in villages that have been declared open defecation free. The partnership also trains WASH committees on borehole restoration to prevent future breakdowns. The committees also must develop their own water administration plans and plans to finance hardware repairs. (The People) 07/16/15 Lack of sanitation undermining health gains Sanjay Wijesekera, head of UNICEF's global WASH programs noted that the "Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water" report demonstrates the need to focus on inequalities to achieve sustainable progress in sanitation. Because access to adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene plays a key role in preventing neglected tropical diseases, the global model for development must ensure the poorest countries make progress on sanitation. The WHO and UNICEF indicated that the SDGs must close the inequality gaps that remain after the MDGs so that poor communities can also benefit from improved hygiene and sanitation in homes, schools, and health care facilities. (Business World) 07/16/15 Hygiene: The Cinderella of the SDG Ball Handwashing with soap, one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diarrhea, was neglected in the Millennium Development Goals and not properly prioritized in international development. The SDGs are being negotiated now and hygiene is part of a target to "achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030." However, statisticians at the UN have recently proposed dropping hygiene from the list of SDG indicators that will be tracked globally, thereby diluting the mandate to invest in hygiene improvement. A letter sent to the UN this week emphasized the essential role of hygiene in bringing better health, nutrition, education, equity, and economic opportunities to millions around the world. (Huffington Post) 07/16/15 Educating Women About Their Bodies Makes Good Economic Sense The movement to help girls in developing countries access menstrual products is broadening its approach to include education that teaches girls about their bodies. SHE offers health education and outreach to girls and students in addition to its core product. In-country production of pads provides women with an additional source of income that can lead to other job opportunities as machine technicians or street hawkers. (Next City) 07/15/15 Unilever collaborates with Amref Health Africa to fight cholera outbreak Unilever East Africa and Amref Health Africa recently partnered to improve government efforts in controlling and preventing the spread of cholera. The cholera outbreak that began in December 2014 has affected 16 countries in Kenya, affecting nearly 5,000 people and killing 100. The collaboration with Unilever will raise awareness about hygiene and sanitation throughout the country by targeting communities and schoolchildren and encouraging them to adopt long-term behavior change. (Vaccine News Daily) 07/15/15Addis: 'Historic' agreement reached on financing for new UN sustainable development agenda Countries agreed on a series of bold measures to overhaul global finance practices and generate investments for tackling economic, social, and environmental challenges. The 100 concrete measures that comprise the Addis Ababa Action Agenda aim to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Domestic resource mobilization is central to the agenda and countries also reaffirmed their commitment to development assistance for the least developed countries and pledged to increase South-South cooperation. (UN News Centre) 07/14/15 The Consequences of India's Lack of Toilets Go Beyond Hygiene The lack of flush toilets and widespread practice of open defecation has given rise to deepening social problems in India. On July 4, 2015, a 17 year-old teenage girl in Jharkand who was ashamed of defecating outdoors allegedly killed herself after her parents denied her repeated request to build a toilet. Last year, two teenage girls in Uttar Pradesh were found hanged from a tree after they had been gang raped after having walked outdoors at night to use the toilet. Providing toilets for women has been complicated by the prominence of male engineers in government departments that focus more on the technical aspects of toilet construction rather than developing a design that meets the privacy and menstrual hygiene management needs of women and girls. (Global Voices) 07/14/15 First real-life trial for oral cholera vaccine successful in Bangladesh The first real-life trial of the oral cholera vaccine was successful and Shanchol has been deemed safe to use and viable for protection against the disease. Results reveal that severe life-threatening cases of cholera were reduced by nearly 40% among those vaccinated. The study, published in The Lancet, examined the drug's effectiveness in urban Bangladesh where the disease is endemic. The findings represent a huge step toward controlling outbreaks and developing effective mass vaccination programs. (Medical News Today) 07/14/15 Can We Finance Sustainable Development? The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been the most comprehensive international poverty alleviation movement in history. Since 1990, extreme poverty has been cut by half; 17,000 fewer children die each day; and 2.3 billion people gained access to clean drinking water. A multi-stakeholder coalition of governments, international organizations, and civil society groups has tackled crucial issues ranging from education to improved sanitation to gender equality. And yet, the challenge of empowering hundreds of millions more to gain access to proper healthcare, sanitary facilities, and education is enormous. (The Huffington Post) 07/11/15 Hygiene in schools to get a fillip with WinS Governor P. Sathasivam inaugurated WASH in Schools in 1,001 schools in five southern districts of the State. A toilet block with 13 units, including one that accommodates children with physical disabilities, will be constructed at the Government Higher Secondary School for Girls under the project. The project enables children to develop good hygiene habits and raises awareness of the importance of sanitation and hygiene. Sathasivam urged Rotary to expand WASH in Schools to all schools in the State. (The Hindu) 07/11/15 MSF opens new cholera treatment centre in Juba MSF opened a new cholera treatment center in Munuki, a suburb in the South Sudanese capital of Juba, to tackle the cholera outbreak. MSF is working with the health ministry in South Sudan to establish facilities that will provide needed medical services throughout South Sudan. In Juba, there have been a total of 733 reported cholera cases and 33 deaths since the ministry declared a cholera outbreak. UNICEF has urged donors to supply $4.6 million dollars to fund an emergency cholera response during the next six months. (Sudan Tribune) 07/10/15 Water and Sanitation Urged as Focal Points at Addis Ababa Ahead of the International Financing for Development Conference, WaterAid has called upon world leaders to prioritize programs for water, sanitation, and hygiene. WaterAid released a new report, "Essential Element" that identified 45 high-priority countries that have been left behind in financing for water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. In each of the countries, half or more of the population does not have a safe place to defecate, which puts their citizens at high risk of contracting waterborne diseases and pandemic illnesses. (UN Inter Press Service) 07/09/15 'Menstrual Man' speaks on finding a simple solution to a global problem Over 85% of women in India lack access to affordable menstrual hygiene and as a result, over 70% of female reproductive disease in India is attributed to poor menstrual hygiene. Arunachalam Muruganantham, a school dropout from Southern India, worked to create a sanitary pad that his wife could afford. He developed a small machine that could be operated and maintained by and for illiterate woman in small Indian villages. Two decades after he began his work, his business employs over 20,000 women in rural India and his products are available in more than 17 other countries. (Vancouver Observer) 07/09/15 Cheap vaccines prevent cholera A study in Bangladesh found that a cheap oral vaccine prevented cases of deadly cholera. The study gave a third of participants the vaccine, a third of participants the vaccine and free soap to wash their hands, and a third had no change to their normal lifestyle. More than 260,000 people took part in the study and the study showed that the vaccine reduced cholera cases by 37% (45% when combined with handwashing) and halved the number of the most serious cases. The findings were published in the Lancet, but experts indicated it was crucial to still tackle poor sanitation. (BBC News) 07/09/15 Media equally responsible in solving sanitation problems D.G. Lakshman, a journalist, expressed concern over 'Swachh Bharat' failures and noted that the media is responsible for helping to eliminate open defecation. At a day-long workshop for media on sanitation organized by UNICEF and Communication for Development and Learning, Lakshman encouraged members of the media to highlight the detrimental effects of open defecation with facts and figures to raise awareness. Lakshman stressed the importance of highlighting success stories around sanitation and open defecation in order to effect change and eradicate open defecation. (The Hindu) 07/09/15 A global crisis of water quality looms A major global concern at present is that the world will run out of water to meet the needs of its burgeoning population. Since water is needed for every aspect of life, the fear is that there will not be enough water for an estimated 9.3 billion people by 2050 and their numerous water-related needs. However, the most pressing global water problem of the future will be water quality and not quantity. The quality of water is progressively deteriorating in nearly all the countries of the world. (The Malay Mail Online) 07/09/15 Eastern Ukraine: EU and UNICEF work to improve access to water for children and families The EU has provided €500,000 to UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to improve the water, sanitation, and hygiene situation of conflict-affected communities in eastern Ukraine. Through this joint initiative, over 36,000 children and adults will benefit from hygiene supplies and will receive access to safe drinking water in government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. (EU Neighbourhood Info Centre) 07/08/15 K'taka among top 5 states in building public toilets Karantaka ranks among the top five states that have taken a lead in building community and public toilets under Swachh Bharat. Delhi has completed construction of 5,776 community and public toilets since the launch of Swachh Bharat. Under Swachh Bharat, 17,411 community and public toilets have been constructed from April-June 2015, compared to 1,222 toilets constructed from October 2014-March 2015. (Deccan Herald) 7/7/15 Beer and business: the unexpected benefits of water access in Cameroon Most of the recipients of the water, from the $1.3m project, in the local village of Mindif are using it to start small businesses, which they see as the best way of adapting to the increasingly tough climatic conditions and to overcome poverty. (The Guardian) 07/05/15 Here is why India may be on the brink of an unprecedented full-blown water crisis Last year, Nalgonda experienced severe drought with a rainfall shortage of almost 42%. Water and fluoride expert Srinivas Chekuri claimed that the demand for water for drinking and farming is at a peak and the wastage of water from the district's reverse osmosis plants exacerbates water scarcity. Apart from Nalgonda's water shortage, the World Resources Institute predicts that in fifteen years, the national supply of water is expected to fall 50% below demand in India and agriculture and rapid urbanization will stress already fragile water resources. (The Economic Times) 07/02/15 Vietnam: Closer to bringing drinking water and sanitation to all A robust 15-year commitment helps Viet Nam exceed the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for water and sanitation. "With the MDGs, the government strengthened its political commitment and began considering access to water and sanitation as an indicator of socio-economic development." The commitment has paid off. Viet Nam has not only met the MDG targets to reach 82% and 68% of the population with improved water and sanitation, it has surpassed them. (World Health Organization) 07/01/15 The Dhaka slum being transformed by women In 2010, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) funded the Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction in the Korail slum in Dhaka. Every 20 households formed a primary group of stakeholders and elected representatives from these groups to form community development committees. The development committee clusters built latrines and transformed a piece of land commonly used for open defecation into a block of six toilets. The toilets have reduced waterborne diseases and have drastically improved the health of children living in the Korail slum. (BBC News) 07/01/15 Inadequate Menstrual Hygiene Violates Girls' Right to Education Network for Society, Water, and Sanitation (NEWSAN) based in the Bauchi State of Nigeria lamented that girls' rights to education are violated without adequate menstrual hygiene. Nicole Kankani, a NEWSAN Program Officer, indicated that menstrual hygiene facilities keep girls in school where they can reach their full potential and that menstrual hygiene is fundamental to ensuring physical health and social and mental well being. (All Africa) |