COVID-19 is now spreading in low-income countries that do not have strong health systems like we have in Australia. We are starting to see the impact of this in countries like Papua New Guinea where the weak health system has very quickly reached capacity. One in six healthcare facilities worldwide have no hand-washing facilities at all.
Right now, our teams around the world are urgently working to install hand-washing facilities in areas where people need them most, and to launch public awareness campaigns making sure that everyone knows how important it is to wash their hands with soap, when to do it and how to do it right.
What we're doing about COVID-19
We're urgently focussing our support to help people in the communities where we work to reduce the spread of COVID-19:
- We are providing education to locals about low cost solutions for developing hand wash station
- We are providing information on how to make soap from locally, available materials, to enable handwashing with soap and water.
- WaterAid is conducting direct community outreach. WaterAid staff have been visiting rural communities to spread World Health Organisation and National Department of Health awareness messaging to prepare locals for COVID-19.
- WaterAid is creating COVID-19 specific responses by providing national communications, information, , materials and training on water, sanitation and hygiene to frontline health workers and health posts in rural areas
896million
people globally
have no clean water at all at their healthcare facility.
have no clean water at all at their healthcare facility.
WHO/UNICEF (2019) Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2017.
1in3
schools worldwide
does not have handwashing facilities
does not have handwashing facilities
(WHO/UNICEF JMP)
28%
of the population
in Timor-Leste have access to handwashing facilities with soap and water.
in Timor-Leste have access to handwashing facilities with soap and water.
WHO/UNICEF (2019) Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2017.