The demand for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and facilities in Myanmar remains huge, compounded by a range of socio-economic, political and environmental challenges. The WASH sector in Myanmar gained momentum when the devastating cyclone Nargis first hit the country in 2008 and yet more than a decade down the line, while WASH interventions in Myanmar have been largely successful in making positive changes in the society, the interventions remain limited to emergency and/ or humanitarian response.
Since the WASH sector in Myanmar still has its focus on working in humanitarian settings, interventions are limited to short-term access to drinking water and building of temporary toilets – hardly contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Activities conducted outside of conflict-ridden or humanitarian needs areas in Myanmar are yet to reach some of the most remote, marginalized and vulnerable communities in the country. WASH needs in these settings are imperative, and COVID-19 has been a stark reminder of the cross-cutting needs of WASH in communities both urban and rural, situated both inside and outside of humanitarian settings.
With 2030 approaching and progress towards attaining the SDGs unfavourably slow, WaterAid aims to achieve SDG Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all by conducting a series of trainings for CSOs and NGOs working for the betterment of WASH services and facilities in some of the country’s most remote and marginalized communities and providing them with small grants to achieve these goals.
