Hygiene improvement project : why WASH matters : community-based approach in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania

Diarrhoea and other infections are caused or spread by unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. At one time or another, most people
living with HIV or AIDS will have diarrhoea. The immune systems of these people are weakened and they are therefore at greater
risk of having diseases related to poor hygiene. They are also more likely to suffer from complications if infected. Diarrhoea reduces a person’s ability to absorb medicine and nutrients from food, reducing life expectancy and a person’s quality of life. Finally, diarrhoeal disease in people living with HIV adds to the burden of the people who care for them in homes and clinics. Family members then have an increased risk of diarrhoeal disease, further weakening the families overall who are already struggling to meet the challenges of HIV. Integrating WASH into HIV/AIDS programs is a useful way to meet the water, sanitation and hygiene needs of families affected by HIV and AIDS. Small do-able actions that a household can adopt without added resources or inputs make it possible to change behaviours to improve the lives of people who have HIV/AIDS and the entire household. Program guidelines and implementation tools
developed in a few countries serve as a solid base for initiating this integration into on-going programs in other country settings. [authors abstract]