Category Archives: Water and Sanitation

A refreshing approach to water AND sanitation from Rio+20

NTDs, policy, WASH, Water and Sanitation

By Helen Hamilton, policy advisor for neglected tropical diseases at Sightsavers

The Rio +20 conference, which took place last week in Brazil to discuss how the world can develop more sustainably, generated a lot of discussion not just about the future that poor and marginalised people want but that they need.

I was at the conference to represent Sightsavers and flag the future we want in terms of seeing neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) eliminated.   Following three long days of discussions on water, climate change and other sustainable development topics to advocate for this group of debilitating diseases, I left feeling there were some hopeful signs.

The final outcome document from the conference entitled The future we want, which will be used to guide the process of designing and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also indicated a huge step forward for those who have been working to raise the profile, and therefore increase support for, these neglected diseases.  For the first time, NTDs have been recognised as an important disease group to address alongside malaria, tuberculosis and also non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Continue reading →

Common Ground: Dialogue between the NTD and WASH sectors, for World Water Day and beyond

NTDs, WASH, Water and Sanitation

The author talking with rural community members in Rwanda to locate community water sources. (Credit: S. Ogden)

By Stephanie Ogden, WASH/NTD Consultant, Emory’s Center for Global Safe Water, Children Without Worms, International Trachoma Initiative

2012 marks my tenth year celebrating World Water Day. I’ve worked in and with the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector since my time as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural El Salvador almost a decade ago. Since that time, I’ve worked with many organizations in Latin America, Africa and Central Asia helping to improve rural access to water and sanitation in order to promote health and encourage long-term development.  I continue to work in the WASH sector, and this year, I have the opportunity to experience my tenth World Water Day from the point of view of an advocate for the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) sector.

This opportunity is the result of a new partnership between Emory University’s Center for Global Safe Water, Children Without Worms (CWW) and the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI). These three organizations have committed to a partnership that will encourage actionable dialogue and increased coordination between the NTD and WASH sectors. In my role as WASH/NTD consultant, my objective is to find ways to bridge the gap between these two sectors and identify opportunities for collaboration.

The London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases in January provided an important catalyst for dialogue. The Declaration solidified a global public-private partnership to eliminate or control 10 neglected tropical diseases by 2020. By calling for the development of sustainable control programs for these diseases, the NTD sector has effectively pledged commitment to work towards elimination or control of 10 NTDS. Continue reading →

Handwashing: Is it really all that simple?

Water and Sanitation, , , ,

Happy Global Handwashing Day! Today we feature a piece authored by Kerry Gallo of Children Without Worms:

By: Kerry Gallo, Children Without Worms

Since joining Children Without Worms (CWW) earlier this year, I’ve spent most of my time thinking about neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)—in particular, intestinal worms in kids, and how deworming medications like albendazole and mebendazole can make kids healthy. But last week, I had the opportunity to step out of the NTD space and into the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) world for a few days by attending the Water and Health: Where Science Meets Policy Conference in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

I’ve written before about the importance of partnerships between the NTD and WASH sectors. CWW advocates for the WASHED Framework (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene Education and Deworming) as a comprehensive strategy for prevention and treatment of intestinal worms. Our role is to partner with drug companies to coordinate the donations of deworming medications, such as albendazole from GlaxoSmithKline and mebendazole from Johnson & Johnson. But since we are not WASH program implementers, we turn to our partners to complement deworming with the administration of hygiene education and improvements to water and sanitation infrastructure.

It was in the role of partner and advocate for WASHED that I attended the conference and met with many colleagues representing various WASH organizations. One event that was discussed with excitement was Global Handwashing Day.

Handwashing—what could be more simple? It seems like such an incredibly basic activity to us, but for kids in low resource settings around the world, it may not be so simple. Continue reading →

Reading List 9/22/2011

Maternal Health, MDA, Water and Sanitation, , , ,

Check out the latest in global health and NTD news with the today’s End the Neglect reading list! Today we’re reading about:

Distribution of filariasis tablets begins
“The Fiji government has announced it will be distributing anti filariasis tablets again in an effort to eliminate the disease in the country. The 2011 Mass Drug Administration (MDA) will begin next week Monday. The tablets will also be available at Health Centres and Nursing Stations in the Central, Eastern and Northern divisions. Ministry of Health spokeswoman Priscilla Govind said the Central Eastern and Northern divisions will undergo a further (9th) round of MDA scheduled for 26th September to 7th October.”

Johnson & Johnson Makes Strong Progress in First Year of Initiative to Improve Health of Millions of Women and Children in the Developing World
” … Since its launch last September, Johnson & Johnson has laid a strong foundation for measurable impact in several areas toward Every Woman, Every Child, the United Nations’ Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health to reduce mortality in women and children by 2015, including: expanding health information for mothers over mobile phones, helping to increase the number of safe births, doubling donations of treatments for intestinal worms in children … Johnson & Johnson more than doubled its donation of mebendazole, a treatment for intestinal worms in children, through its Children Without Worms program, up from 36 million doses in 2010 to 80 million doses by the end of 2011. The Company plans to continue to expand this program to distribute 200 million doses each year in 30 to 40 countries by 2015.”

Award-Winning LifeStraw® Water Filter Makes North American Retail Debut
“The award-winning LifeStraw® personal water filter is now available to consumers in the U.S. and Canada for the first time. The portable filter—used since 2005 amid harsh conditions in developing countries—removes bacteria and parasites from water, and is ideal for outdoor activities, overseas travel, and emergency preparedness. LifeStraw® is an elegantly simple but technologically advanced innovation. The filtering tube measures about nine inches long and one inch in diameter, and weighs less than two ounces. It removes virtually all bacteria (99.9999 percent) and protozoa parasites (99.9 percent) that can contaminate water, and it reduces turbidity (muddiness) by filtering out particulate matter.”