Category Archives: World Water Week 2011

Blog posts surrounding World Water Week 2011 August 31-26

World Water Week: Addressing Water and Food Security’s Effect on NTDs and Development

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Stockholm, Sweden, August 26-31, 2012 :  The leading minds in environment, health, climate change, economics, and poverty reduction gathered in Stockholm for the annual World Water Week, hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).  Operating since 1991, the event highlights the importance of partnerships between the different fields of expertise when determining the best and most feasible solutions to global water issues.

This year, the World Water Week focused on the importance and challenges of “Water and Food Security,”, and emphasized the importance of improving sanitation and reducing wasteful practices around the globe.  More than enough food is produced to feed the world’s population, yet one billion people don’t get the nourishment they need.  Despite the one billion people going hungry, around one third of food produced is thrown away or otherwise wasted.  It is important to note even though these numbers are both astounding and frustrating, food alone will not solve this problem.  Half of malnutrition cases are related to unclean water, insufficient sanitation, or poor hygiene.

For the Global Network, this message is extremely important.  Poor sanitation and hygiene are leading factors in the spread of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).  There are nearly 500million people without access to clean water, and a greater two billion without access to a proper toilet.  An insufficient or dirty water supply, poor hygiene practices, as well as limited or no access to sanitation facilities lead to the spread of NTDs.  Improving these issues could substantially decrease NTDs, improving health and standard of living in many developing areas.  Disease and undernourishment severely limit the productivity of the work force, putting strain on the entire community.  For example, in Nigeria’s rice farming communities, contracting Schistosmiasis in the swampy farmlands can result in a loss of more than a month’s worth of labor days per person (for information about NTDs in Nigeria’s swamp rice farms, read more here ). Clean water, sanitation, and good hygiene go beyond improving health to facilitate the productivity and over all living standard of a community.  The benefits of clean and available water span across all fields of development. For World Water Week participants, this is the bottom line.

 

To learn more about the World Water Week’s purpose and agenda, check out their website at www.worldwaterweek.org

More from World Water Week 2011

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World Water Week 2011 took place this past summer August 21 – 26 2011 in Stockholm, Sweden. The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases along with our Latin America and Caribbean water initiative partners — the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and FEMSA Foundation — had our very own session during the conference entitled “Focus Latin America and the Caribbean: Fighting Poverty in Latin America: Integrating Water and Health Initiatives.” Panelists convened to take in-depth look at NTDs in Latin America and the Caribbean, and  to discuss promising strategies to sustainably reduce the burden of NTDs within the region. Below are photos from the session:

Our booth during the event.

Panelists (from left to right): Ann Kelly, Partner, Global Philanthropy Group and The Global Water Initiative of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Vidal Garza Cantú, Director, FEMSA Foundation, Neeraj Mistry, Managing Director, Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Carlos de Paco, Operations Lead Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank, and Moderator Gian-Carlo Ochoa, Board Member, Charity Water.

Group photo with Global Network Managing Director Dr. Neeraj Mistry and event participants.

Eliminating NTDs with Clean Water Initiatives

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On Wednesday, the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases co-hosted a seminar at World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. We were joined by the Howard G. Buffet Foundation to discuss the current state of water and NTD programs within the Latin America and Caribbean region. In the blog post below, Ann Kelly, representative of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation’s Global Water Initiative and co-founder and Partner at Global Philanthropy Group provides an overview of the event, and her experience at Wednesday’s event at the 2011 World Water Week.

By Ann Kelly, representative of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation’s Global Water Initiative and co-founder of Partner at Global Philanthropy Group

As another World Water Week comes to an end here in Stockholm, we are reminded how central water is to so many of the world’s development issues. The other night I had the honor to sit on a panel entitled “Fighting Poverty in Latin America: Integrating Water and Health Initiatives” sponsored by FEMSA Foundation, the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases  (Global Network) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). My co-panelists Vidal Garza Cantú, Director of the FEMSA Foundation; Dr. Neeraj Mistry, Managing Director of the Global Network; and Carlos de Paco, Principal Partnerships Officer at the IDB are already collaborating with the Pan-American Health Organization, and the government of Chiapas to eliminate trachoma, the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world. This collaboration illustrates three things: (1) it is impossible to work on water without also working on health; (2) it takes creative partnerships to do things that are as transformational and sustainable like eliminating trachoma and other NTDs; (3) all of this is achievable relatively easily and inexpensively – it just requires focus and determination as illustrated by the efforts in Chiapas.

As a representative of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation’s Global Water Initiative (GWI), a 10-year, $150 million investment to create an enabling environment for clean water access and security in 13 countries in Africa and Central America, I can say the Foundation did not set out to fund a health intervention. GWI Central America’s mission was to empower communities to manage their own water resources. Our partners in GWI found that the only way to achieve that mission was by focusing on (1) protecting and restoring water sources; (2) promoting equitable and affordable access to water; and (3) reducing water-borne illnesses, especially in young children. In other words, we cannot empower communities burdened by preventable, treatable water-borne diseases. Continue reading →

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Safe Water Practices can Help Prevent and Control NTDs

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By: Kerry Gallo, Children Without Worms

World Water Week in Stockholm presents an opportunity for those of us working in the field of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) to communicate a clear and unified message to the water sector: by working together, we can make a difference in the lives of millions of people around the world.

Treatment through preventive chemotherapy alone does not break the transmission cycle of many NTDs. Many require environmental improvements to water and sanitation systems coupled with behavior change to promote lasting effects on the health of communities. Effective control strategies for several NTDs such as soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), trachoma, and schistosomiasis require that communities have access to water and latrines to break the cycle of infection.

Photo courtesy of USAID

Washing foods and hands with soap and water is a critical barrier against infection from STH and other parasitic worm infections. Face-washing to cleanse the eyes of infectious discharge that attracts disease-carrying flies and washing soiled clothing and bedding prevent the spread of bacteria that cause blinding trachoma. Preventing children and adults from swimming, washing clothes, and collecting water in contaminated streams by providing a source of clean water breaks the transmission cycle of schistosomiasis.  In addition, patients suffering from lymphedema, caused by lymphatic filariasis, are encouraged to wash their limbs regularly to prevent infections. Behaviors and actions such as these are needed to prevent infection and morbidity, but in communities where water is scarce and every drop is precious, none will be used for handwashing, bathing, or cleaning if it means going thirsty instead. In communities where water is contaminated and no other sources of water are available, people are left with little choice but to risk infection in order to carry out their daily tasks. Continue reading →