Improving accessibility for all

Nyaama, a trachoma sufferer from Ghana.

Credit: WaterAid / Jon Spaull

"I do not understand exactly why I went blind but I know it was to do with the water here," says Nyaama, a 56 year old Ghanaian woman who suffers from trachoma, an eye disease that is common in hot, dusty and dry areas where there is not enough water to wash with, like Aurigo where Nyaama lives. "The place where I grew up had clean water and I was fine but when I came here and used the dirty water my problems started."

It's hard enough to imagine the struggle faced by so many people in the developing world to gain access to clean, safe water and basic sanitation facilities. Yet imagine how much harder it would be to draw water from a well, operate a handpump or live without a latrine if you also had to contend with physical disability - if you were in a wheelchair, blind or simply frail and infirm as a result of illness or old age.

Like so many people, Nyaama found herself trapped in a downward spiral of poverty and disease, which has continued to limit her access to safe, clean water. "I didn't get any treatment for it, I kept quiet," she explains. "I told my husband and a few other people but, because we were poor, there was no money to go to hospital. The most important things we need in this village are first water and then a road - that would bring development." 

Nyaama collecting water with the help of a child.

Credit: WaterAid / Jon Spaull

Some of the poorest and most marginalised people in the world are those with physical disabilities, the elderly or those with HIV or AIDS, especially women; but these people are also the ones whose needs can be overlooked.

Not only do disabled people face social hurdles in the form of prejudice, pity or stigma from other members of the community, but, unable to negotiate obstacles in the natural environment, their social isolation can be mirrored by physical isolation.

Steep or muddy river banks, rocky paths and the long distances involved for many in the daily trek to find water put those with disabilities at a considerable disadvantage. Steps, narrow entrances to latrines and slippery floors can also cause significant problems - yet they can all be surmounted with a bit of forethought and planning, or through adapting existing facilities to be inclusive and accessible to all.

The small village of Thienfala, just 35km from Mali's capital Bamako, is trachoma endemic. 65 members of the 1966-strong community are blind. WaterAid collaborated with Sight Savers International to rehabilitate two wells that had previously been provided to supply safe drinking water and water for gardening.

The opening of each well was narrowed to reduce the danger of falling, a metallic plate was installed above the pulley wheel alerting the user to the position of the water container and a trench was dug for the disabled to draw water directly and easily to their gardens.

Involving the community in the re-design of the wells and incorporating sanitation and hygiene education into the project enabled the best possible solutions to be found, fostered a sense of ownership of the facilities, an enthusiasm for the sustainability of the wells and strengthened the rights of the blind members of the community.

This is just one example of many projects that WaterAid is implementing across its programmes to ensure that work truly does reach out to the most marginalised people in society.

A blind man in Thienfala watering his crops.

Credit: WaterAid

It is a misconception that disabled or vulnerable people need separate, 'special' facilities of their own. Ramps, adjustable support rails and moveable sitting blocks are all further examples of the resourceful ways in which people's specific needs have been accommodated into water and sanitation projects.

However, building an awareness of the particular problems faced by disabled or vulnerable people into water and sanitation projects from the initial stages represents a more prudent use of funds. Making entrances wider or providing space for a carer to assist the disabled person from the outset is actually more cost effective than attempting to rebuild or adapt wells, latrines or handpumps.

As long as the practical aspects of accessing water and sanitation continue to cause such basic difficulties for even the able-bodied, the need to address these issues from a design and construction perspective is paramount.

Water is a human right for all, regardless of how healthy or mobile and WaterAid will continue to tackle the provision of clean water and effective sanitation for disabled people and other vulnerable groups in the 17 countries in which we work, making sure that people like Nyaama and communities such as the trachoma sufferers of Thienfala can have access to the clean, safe water, sanitation and hygiene education that they so deserve.