2015 is the year that the Millennium Development Goals make way for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). An important role in both development agendas is reserved for water, sanitation and hygiene issues that leave much to be desired in many countries. OneWorld dived into the world of development and looks back and ahead with retired expert Jo Smet – who in 35 years of work has seen the necessary Western policymakers and developments in the field of water and sanitation pass by. Original article in Dutch was published on 17 January 2015 at One World by Hidde Jansen.
BRAC's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme -BRAC WASH enables millions of people in rural Bangladesh to achieve safe and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene. It provides direct support to communities, stimulates demand for sanitation and behaviour change and trains Village WASH Committees to transform rural life for the next generation.
Behaviour change lies at the heart of the WASH programme of the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance (BRAC) organisation, using an approach 'selling not telling'. Recent monitoring of the programme shows that 90% of the involved households report that all family members use the latrine and 80% has soap and water in or near the latrine for hand washing.
Two Dutch non-governmental organisations, IRC and Simavi, want the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on universal access to water and sanitation to be expanded to schools, clinics and work place. The pledge was announced during a meet & greet event with the steering commission of the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) in the Hague, the Netherlands, on 4 December. A photo impression of the Meet&Greet for SWA delegation and Dutch WASH sector: http://en.simavi.nl/about-simavi/news/a-photo-impression-of-the-meet-and-greet-for-swa-delegation-and-dutch-wash-sector/
The USA based Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) launches its Ethiopia WASH Program at a workshop in Addis Ababa from 30 September to 2 October 2014. IRC and Aqua for All are the two Dutch organisations that will support MWA in the program. The new program runs from July 2014 to June 2017 with funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and other partners. The MWA Ethiopia Program brings together a unique permanent coalition of both international and Ethiopian NGOs, that has reached nearly 1.1 million people in 28 woredas with water, sanitation and hygiene education since 2004.
'Possibilities of 'Clean India' will only be realised if we look at the whole sanitation chain'. An article in the Indian Express based on an interview with Dr. Kurian Baby of IRC.
On day three of World Water Week in Stockholm, the Guardian's Eliza Anyangwe speaks with IRC's CEO Patrick Moriarty onthe question of who pays for what floats to the surface. "It takes courage for donors to ignore 30 years of bad experiences with governments and work with them again. Taxpayers in donor countries are suffering from aid fatigue so insisting on payment for results is good, but pay for the right results ... So you've given one million people access to drinking water but will they still have it after two years?" NGOs should offer support to government reform, do less direct implementation. Do you agree with IRC's CEO that donors should fund services not hardware?
By Shabibah Nakirigya (the Monitor Uganda) - At the IRC co-organised event, Experts recommend menstrual hygiene management be part of Health's periodic inspection and report be made to the district water and sanitation coordination committee on the quarterly basis.
By New Vision's Clare Muhindo and Grace Amme - The Ministry of Education has developed a reader to teach primary school girls how to manage their menstrual periods, in a bid to reduce the number of school drop outs.
By Racheal Ninsiima (The Observer newspaper Uganda)
The ministry of Education last week launched a menstrual reader to help teenage girls improve their hygiene.
'Understanding and managing menstruation', is a 50 page booklet divided into three sections to help girls learn about menstruation and how to manage it. Representing the Education minister, the assistant commissioner for Teacher Education in the ministry, Dr Jane Egau, said the reader was intended to keep students in school.
