Integrated projects
WaterAid believes that together water, sanitation and hygiene education provide the key to poverty reduction.
By focusing on projects that combine these three elements, health benefits are maximised and the results are long lasting and wide reaching.
As WaterAid's programmes have evolved so has its approach - read more about our programme approach here.
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| A woman teaches safe hygiene practices to children in Nepal. |
| Credit: WaterAid / Jim Holmes |
Water and sanitation related diseases kill 4,000 children a day.
By providing clean drinking water and a safe environment in which to use the toilet these deaths can be reduced.
However, it is only when the links between lack of water and sanitation and diseases are explained that health benefits are maximised.
This is done through hygiene education. Communities are taught about the key practices that prevent the spread of germs which cause water and sanitation related diseases.
Investments in water quality and quantity can reduce childhood deaths caused from diarrhoea by 15-20%, better hygiene like washing hands and handling food safely reduces it by 35%, and improved sanitation reduces it by 40%.
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| Children learn about safe hygiene practices in Mozambique. |
| Credit: WaterAid / Jenny Matthews |
Integrating water, sanitation and hygiene education in projects is therefore essential.
Through water, sanitation and hygiene education WaterAid now helps over one million people a year.
These vital projects help prevent deaths and the spread of disease, enabling people to escape the spiral of poverty and gain a better quality of life.
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Essential project elements Poor sanitation means bad health. Bacteria, viruses and parasites found in human waste are responsible for the transmission of cholera, typhoid and other infectious diseases that kill millions of people every year. Yet, basic latrines alongside knowledge and understanding about the connection between hygiene and diseases can save lives, so much so, that Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Sanitation is more important than independence." Hygiene education, or hygiene promotion, encourages people to replace their unsafe hygiene practices with simple, safe alternatives. These practices include the safe disposal of children's faeces and safe drinking water storage. |
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What we do
