Under the overall umbrella of CleanGreenPakistan Movement, WaterAid partnered with Reckitt Benckiser to support the movement’s ODF initiative at the provincial level to contribute to its overall vision.
In October 2018, the Prime Minister of Pakistan launched CleanGreenPakistan Movement (CGPM) with one of its sub-themes to address the issues of malnutrition, stunting and child deaths due to diarrhoea that is directly or indirectly associated with unimproved WASH services.
Under the overall umbrella of CGPM, this WASH programme is designed to assist Housing, Urban Development & Public Health Engineering Department (HUD&PHED), Government of Punjab in the implementation of its integrated WASH strategy not only to achieve ODF status through direct implementation by HUD&PHED but also to bring improvement in prevention and control of WASH-related diseases.
Project coverage
Under this project, HUD&PHED Punjab will be assisted to directly reach out to around 550,000 people in 4 targeted districts (Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Faisalabad and Hafizabad). 400 villages will achieve open defecation free (ODF) status by end of the project.
Key outcomes
-
CleanGreenPakistan Movement taken to scale
-
Access to safe sanitation in at least 80% targeted households and 30% targeted schools and Basic Health Units
-
Reduction in WASH borne diseases, especially diarrhoea, through an improved environment for children in targeted communities
-
Access to safe drinking water in the targeted villages, schools and BHUs
-
Build the capacity of provincial, district and community institutions for effective implementation of integrated WASH programmes
Technical assistance to be provided to the Ministry of Climate Change at the federal level and Housing, Urban Development & Public Health Engineering Department (HUD&PHED) at the provincial level to take the CleanGreenPakistan Movement forward.
The model involves the provincial government to reach out and engage with communities, promoting sustainable practices in clean and open defecation-free (ODF) villages. The effort is to ensure empowerment and awareness among communities with the enhanced realisation that access to safe sanitation and clean water is their primary right.
In order to provide better environment for children to grow to their full potential as envisaged under CGCM as well as in line with governments vision, drives will be run by involving relevant departments to ensure that treatment of WASH borne diseases especially diarrhoea is available at government facilities within the targeted areas while tree plantation drive will be launched by HUD&PHED in coordination with community, and other relevant departments/ stakeholders at appropriate time within the project duration.
Safe water and sanitation is a source of social and economic benefits on multiple levels. Access to WASH services leads to a decrease in diseases among children, particularly diarrhoea, offering long-term benefits of health, education and human development. Good health of children brings relief and confidence to women who then enjoy more time for pursuing productive chores along with savings in household income through a decline in medical treatment.
