Institutional lessons learned in environmental health programs

The report presents the lessons learned from six case studies. These include: a sanitation program in two peri-urban communities in Jamaica, the development of a lead abatement plan in Egypt, a social mobilization program to control dengue in Guatemala, the development of a national plan for sanitation in Zambia, the prevention of diarrhoeal disease in Benin and Bolivia, and the development of a program to reduce lead exposure in Romania. Key lessons cited in the report have less to do with institutional development in the conventional sense and more to do with developing understanding and collaboration among existing institutions. The report argues for a sensible allocation of roles and responsibilities, and a reorientation of existing institutions to take health concerns into account.