In Bangladesh, 3.3 million people lack access to clean water, over 70 million don't have decent toilets, and over 1,000 children under five years of age die from diarrheal diseases each year caused by poor water and sanitation.
While there had been real progress made in WASH, contextual and emerging challenges in are still there.
The Water Crisis
Discover how lack of access to water stops people having an equal chance to be healthy, educated and financially secure.
The Sanitation Crisis
Public, community, and institutional sanitation facilities and its many linkages should be sustainable and inclusive.
The Hygiene Crisis
Good hygiene practices can protect and transform people’s lives. However, this isn't always the case.
In order to address these challenges, we adopt a core set of approaches aligned with WaterAid’s global principles to implement programmes that bring lasting change. Our strategies towards bringing change revolve around the principles of rights to WASH, engaging districts and local governments, integration and sustainability.
Rights-based approach
We sensitise duty bearers on their roles for greater accountability and responsiveness, and empower communities to claim their WASH rights.
District-wide approach
We demonstrate model solutions, and enable wider replication through advocacy and capacity building to broaden coverage.
Integrated approach
We integrate WASH into other areas of development and bring in elements from health, education, nutrition and other sectors into our work through partnerships.
Sustainability approach
We strive for the highest quality and durability in our interventions, and work to improve sector performance and accountability for more sustainable WASH services.
Knowledge and innovation approach
We centralise learning and innovation, both in technological and operational elements of our programmatic work, as well as through rigorous, multidisciplinary research.
25million reached with WASH
Staying true to our mission, we have reached 25 million people with safe water, improved sanitation, and hygiene education in Bangladesh since 2003.
403,683
people reached with water coverage in year 2023-2024
people reached with water coverage in year 2023-2024
234,274
people reached with decent sanitation coverage in year 2023-2024
people reached with decent sanitation coverage in year 2023-2024
224,890
people reached with hygiene interventions coverage in year 2023-2024
people reached with hygiene interventions coverage in year 2023-2024
Behind these numbers lie countless stories of transformation in some of the country’s poorest communities.
Starting from a single donor and grant, our evolution to a vibrant, multi-project country programme has been driven by effective interventions with hyper-local and national-level impact.
As a key figure behind the pioneering community-led total sanitation (CLTS) approach, now practiced in 60 countries globally, we have a deep-rooted history of working with local partners and communities to galvanise progress at scale. Our focus on equity, inclusion and rights has led to context-specific projects in hard-to-reach areas, working with highly marginalised populations – including working with slum residents to ensure legal water supply connections in slums, or reaching the vulnerable tea picker community with access to safe water, improved sanitation and good hygiene.
Our emphasis on innovation and growth continues to generate new ideas and break new ground in the WASH sector, and projects including in faecal sludge management, co-composting, and public toilets are at the forefront of sectoral progress.
Addressing the complete sanitation value chain through FSM
WaterAid Bangladesh with its partner BASA has been supporting Sakhipur municipality to run a co-compost plant.
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