We are all connected
A message from our CEO
If there is one ray of hope in these challenging times, it is that through necessity, there is renewed urgency and recognition that the health and wellbeing of everyone on this planet is connected.
You already understand that scaling health impact requires a nuanced understanding of our interdependent world. That’s why you have been part of WaterAid’s global community of supporters.
Still – in light of the COVID-19 crisis – you are likely reexamining how closely linked your actions are to the health of your family, your co-
workers, your neighbors, your community.
It’s eye-opening to remember that people WaterAid serves in countries all over the world are navigating similar challenges while still
struggling with the difficulties they faced prior to the pandemic: accessing clean water and hygiene.
In this edition of The Ripple Effect, we want to show you how your support is directly connected to helping save lives and bringing hygiene, health and hope to families struggling through the global pandemic in places like India, Rwanda and Madagascar.
I hope you’ll take heart in these stories. And I hope you’ll be proud of the impact you are helping achieve — not only for the health of the people we serve, but for the wellbeing of all.
Yes – we are living, and leading, through challenging times. But during challenging times, the best of humanity can rise.
Thank you for rising with us.
Kelly Parsons
CEO, WaterAid
From schoolhouse to shelter
WaterAid delivers for Madagascar
While the burden of disease in society has never been equal, people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic are paying an especially high price. This is true in the United States – and it is true in developing countries where WaterAid is dedicated to protecting the health of those most at risk.
In Madagascar, WaterAid is working to meet the needs of homeless people living through the pandemic. We are collaborating with the Ministry of Population to ensure that all people have the basics they need to protect themselves from COVID-19. As part of this effort, we are helping transform schools into temporary homeless shelters.
Our role in this initiative is comprehensive. We are supplying tangible items like soap, handwashing stations and plastic waste bins to support lifesaving interventions like handwashing. We are educating residents on how to protect themselves. We are rehabilitating and repairing sanitation facilities. And we are advising health care professionals on how to keep the shelters hygienic and enable adequate social distancing.
Protecting the health of the world’s most vulnerable is always central to WaterAid’s work.
“There are so many people here in Madagascar who don’t know what COVID is, how it spreads, how to avoid it. Many people don’t even have soap or something to wash their hands.”
--Liva, WaterAid Madagascar staff
Snapshots from the field
An insider’s look at WaterAid’s global emergency response
At WaterAid, we listen to communities to understand their challenges, motives and drivers. That’s why our rapid response activities are as varied as the countries themselves.
Rwanda
In Rwanda, radio is the most popular medium for news and information. WaterAid is reaching a third of the Rwandan population with crucial COVID-19 health messages by working with young writers and actors to produce a series of COVID-19- related radio dramas.
Bangladesh
Before Bangladesh went into lockdown, WaterAid jumped into action building handwashing stations and providing soap in transport hubs. We also partnered with the World Health Organization and the Bangladesh Ministry of Health on a major public awareness campaign.
Malawi
In Malawi, health care workers and hospitals faced shortages of supplies to combat COVID-19. Here, our team delivers handwashing stations and sanitary equipment to Bwaila Hospital in Malawi’s capital.
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, where water scarcity is a common challenge, we have distributed 50 water tanks, 2,500 liters of sanitizer and more than 1,000 bars of soap to health centers in the capital city of Addis Ababa.
India
In India, illiterate and semi-literate rural communities bear a heavy burden of disease. The WaterAid team launched a graphic-heavy COVID-19 mass media campaign that has been translated into seven languages and reached more than a million people across 13 states.
Nepal
In Nepal, celebrity endorsements can strongly influence behavior change. In response to the COVID-19 threat, WaterAid is working with two former Miss Nepals to promote good hygiene behavior on YouTube.
After the sprint
Creating long-term resiliency in global health
Leonardo Da Vinci said, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
When it comes to global health, handwashing and hygiene are as simple as interventions come. Yet, the return on investment and health
impacts are exponential.
Promoting good hygiene behavior is the most cost-effective public health intervention and protects people from life-threatening illnesses
such as cholera, diarrheal diseases, and now, COVID-19.
This moment that we are living through has the potential to lead to catalytic change. The link between good hygiene and disease prevention has never been clearer or more urgent. But we must leverage the moment wisely.
Dr. Om Prasad Gautam, WaterAid senior manager and hygiene expert, has studied previous disease outbreaks extensively and has seen that while there is an immediate uptick in handwashing, inevitably that upward trend plummets once the threat retreats.
That’s why the WaterAid team is building resiliency for the future, now. Handwashing and hygiene can prevent subsequent pandemics before they start – but only if we prioritize them.
As more people experience the importance of having sustained access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, we are supporting communities and local leaders in demanding their right to these services. We are also working with governments to invest more and prioritize water and sanitation services, so they are better prepared for future rapid response efforts while also meeting immediate health needs.
Further, we will continue deploying sustained hygiene behavior change programs at scale. And we are embracing behavior-centric approaches
where we listen to communities to design research-backed programs to create lasting healthy behaviors.
The impact of handwashing
50% reduction in pneumonia
48%reduction in endemic penumonia
27%reduction in infection-related infant deaths
Since 1981, we have reached 26.4 million people with water
We are international nonprofit organization and work in more than 30 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalized people with clean water, decent toilets and hygiene education.
When a community gets clean water for the first time, it creates a powerful ripple effect, saving lives and improving people’s health, education and livelihoods. Water is just the beginning.