Why is Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Important?
August 10, 2023
DID YOU KNOW?
- 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water
- 3 billion people lack access to handwashing facilities with soap
- More than half of the global population does not have access to safe sanitation
- 637 million people do not have access to hygienic toilet facilities
Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a human right and the most basic human need for health and wellbeing.
Yet, for over two billion people, this is not a reality.
The consequences of poor sanitation, unclean water, water scarcity and improper hygiene behavior can be life-threatening for everyone but are particularly hazardous for children.
IMPACT ON CHILDREN
Clean drinking water, or lack thereof, poor sanitation and hygiene practices adversely impact child development and even survival. Bacteria and parasites lead to diseases such as diarrhea and cholera, stunting physical and mental development, keeping children from critical time attending school and causing preventable fatalities.
WASH IN SCHOOLS
A school’s cleanliness and infrastructure can significantly impact children’s health and wellbeing. Disease can spread quickly in compact, inadequately ventilated spaces, where toilets are in disrepair and handwashing facilities are not accessible. Schools, often, are places where children start becoming ill.
Across the world, millions of women and girls lack access to appropriate facilities for menstrual hygiene management due to inadequate access to WASH infrastructure and education. For school-aged girls, the lack of private toilets, hand washing stations and access to hygienic facilities means they are unable to maintain their menstrual hygiene in a safe and dignified manner.
On top of the increased risk of sickness, this results in further school absenteeism.
Education has the power to change lives; it is crucial in achieving societal equality, prosperous communities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Missing vital parts of their education has severe economic and social costs on children’s lives and their communities. Without quality education, children face significant barriers to employment and wage-potential later in life.
The positive impact of safe access to water, sanitation and hygiene in schools is exponential.
Focusing on WASH in schools impacts the health, growth and continued education of school-aged children and their communities by reducing related disease incidences. It is foundational to the health and dignity of future generations.
OUR WORK
Utilizing the Sphere Handbook’s WASH standards as guiding principles, All Hands and Hearts work is inspired by the communities we support. We listen to their needs and adapt our scope of work to fulfill them.
Each approach in the communities we work differs based on cultural insights and environmental and social realities.
When we find a community in which a WASH need is identified, a bespoke analysis is conducted, and solutions are proposed that are adapted to each community. To achieve this, it is essential to collaborate with local organizations that have previous experience implementing solutions in each country and can provide ongoing monitoring. WASH projects require specific technical knowledge, and for this, we also seek to collaborate with international organizations that provide guidance when developing these projects.
So far, we have provided clean and safe access to WASH for over 21,000 people, including:
- 197 toilets/latrines/urinals
- 149 handwashing taps
- 40 water harvesting and storage systems
- 40 water filtration systems
- 15 kitchen sinks
WASH is bigger than just the facilities we build. It also focuses on the development of life skills and the mobilization and involvement of students, parents, communities, governments and institutions to work together to improve water, sanitation and hygiene conditions.
SPOTLIGHT: WATER FILTRATION
Access to safe drinking water is essential for students’ health, dignity and school attendance. Installing water filtration systems ensures the removal of bacteria and turbidity of the water, preventing water-borne disease and providing students and the whole community with the right to health.
On our 26th school rebuild program in Nepal, located in the Hariharpurgadhi Rural Municipality, All Hands and Hearts rebuilt Shree Janaprabhat Ni Ma Vi School to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for over 200 students and their teachers. In addition to the structural damage caused by the 2014 earthquakes, the school lacked access to safe drinking water. Responding to this need, we installed a water filtration system to provide the students, staff and entire school community with safe potable water.
Furthermore, the team identified an additional school in the area, Shree Janajyoti Ni Ma Vi School, which lacked basic WASH facilities for the 190 students and staff. Our teams worked at the nearby school to install two water filtration systems to provide safe drinking water and water supply systems for the toilet blocks and hand-washing facilities, preventing the increased risk of spreading disease.
In May 2023, All Hands and Hearts wrapped up our seventh school rebuild program in Mexico, where we supported the community of Barrio Nuevo Toltepec, affected by the 2017 earthquakes and further impacted by Hurricane Agatha. Our work involved rebuilding three schools within Mexico’s CONAFE system, including kindergarten, primary and secondary schools.
In addition to rebuilding disaster-resilient classrooms and rehabilitating the school grounds, our work also involved the installation of water filtration systems. This ensured the entire school community could access fresh, safe drinking water. Further to providing safe drinking water, we also installed a rainwater harvesting system, ensuring the community has consistent access to water even during drought. Partnering with the company Isla Urbana, with more than ten years of experience in Mexico, we provided a comprehensive system with tailored training and maintenance plans ensuring the sustainability of the solution and long-lasting impact.
SPOTLIGHT: MENSTRUAL HYGIENE TRAINING
Lack of access to WASH disproportionally impacts female students. This is why we strive to educate women and girls on menstrual hygiene and dispel the entrenched social stigmas around menstruation. Increasing education for girls is vital to achieving gender equality, yet menstruation is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism for girls. By raising awareness about menstrual hygiene, we can improve not only girls’ education but girls’ future.
In Hariharpurgadhi, Nepal, we worked with the community to provide menstrual hygiene management (MHM) training to the students and teachers of Shree Janaprabhat Ni Ma Vi School. In addition, through our close connection with the local community, three active Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) participated in the training. The FCHVs, introduced in the 1980’s by the Government of Nepal, are integral to community-based health programs. Focused on maternal and child health, FCHVs work directly with the community to provide health education and community outreach, including conducting home visits, distributing family planning commodities and more. Educating these fundamental individuals in menstrual hygiene management expanded the reach of this valuable information and enabled a wider community group to have awareness of the important topic.
At All Hands and Hearts, we understand that providing impactful and long-lasting relief to communities affected by disasters requires a deep understanding of their unique needs.
Providing WASH solutions is just one way in which we holistically support a community’s recovery and help them to build back better.
