First stop: water and sanitation

Shilpi, 8 years old, from Old Zimkhana slum, Dhaka

Credit: WaterAid / Prodipan

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, the people of Old Zimkhana, living on the site of a disused railway station, are used to waiting for services that never arrive.

But with the help of WaterAid's partner Prodipan they are beginning the journey out of poverty and disease by managing their own solutions to the lack of clean water and safe sanitation.

Slum communities like this one are usually built without permission and exist under the constant threat of eviction. Against this backdrop of uncertainty, gaining access to safe water and sanitation facilities is a constant struggle with the authorities.

With low awareness of good hygienic practices, no safe water sources and nowhere sanitary to go to the toilet, these overcrowded environments become rife with water-related diseases and people are locked into a cycle of poverty and ill health.

Until recently, Old Zimkhana had no safe water source and open defecation was the only option for the 1100 people living here. Diarrhoeal diseases were prevalent, keeping children out of school and adults absent from their livelihoods as day labourers, rickshaw drivers, housemaids or street vendors.

Thankfully, the situation is now being turned around. Prodipan is working with the community to help deliver water, sanitation and hygiene education.

People are building their organisational abilities and are learning how to maintain the pumps and latrines so they can manage the new facilities long into the future. Six deep tubewells have been constructed so far, saving people valuable time and energy in collecting water, and two new sanitation blocks provide latrines and water for washing.

With improved water and sanitation facilities in place Prodipan run hygiene education sessions to help reduce disease and raise awareness of practices like handwashing. Children play a vital role in spreading the messages to their families who may have had habits ingrained over a lifetime.

Shilpi is eight years old and has learnt about wearing sandals while visiting the latrine blocks, about handwashing at critical times and the importance of drinking safe water. She has shared her knowledge with her family, who until that point had suffered from what they thought were natural ailments, like continual diarrhoea, fever and malnutrition. Shilpi's family is now in better health and not spending precious money treating unnecessary diseases.

The project in Old Zimkhana slum is typical of WaterAid's approach and that of our partners. Making sure that the poorest communities gain access to water, sanitation and hygiene education greatly reduces disease and helps people take that first step out of poverty. Moreover, making sure that they run the facilities themselves means that these vital services are sustained well into the future.