Pakistan sits at the crossroads of Asia and the Middle East, a geographically and culturally diverse nation with fast-growing power and influence.
Pakistan has the world’s sixth biggest population and is rapidly urbanising, which makes reaching everyone with basic services extremely challenging.
It is one of the top five countries worldwide in improving access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. But despite this impressive progress, 22 million people still have no choice but to drink dirty water, and more than two in five people don’t have a decent toilet.
Tough landscapes, from arid deserts to remote mountain ranges, combined with unsettled politics make reaching the poorest people difficult. People are moving to towns faster than in any other South Asian country, straining already limited services. Add in natural disasters like floods, and the obstacles are substantial.
But we are tackling these challenges, and making water, toilets and hygiene a normal part of daily life. We are supporting local communities with the tools they need to claim their rights to basic services. We are helping the Government, our local partners, and service providers build facilities that will withstand disasters, so improvements will last whatever the future holds.
We are showing communities the important links between health and good hygiene practices such as handwashing, and encouraging them to build and use proper toilets. And we are working with schools and the media to spread these messages as widely as possible.
Together we can challenge conventional thinking, inspire action and build the momentum needed to change lives for good.
