The following articles link to news around the world that relates to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The content is not necessarily endorsed by Lifewater or its partners.
Lack of Soap Means Illness, Death for Millions of Children
(CNN) November 15, 2011 - It still makes Fatoma Dia's eyes widen whenever the Hilton hotel cleaning worker sees a bar of barely used soap on a bathroom counter. "This," she says, picking it up with a gloved hand and dropping it in a brown bucket, "is valuable where I come from." The 35-year-old grew up in a mountainous region of southern Sudan where soap can cost more than a day's wages. Because some in the region, could not wash, they got sick.
Across the globe, 2.4 billion people do not have access to clean sanitation, according to the World Health Organization. An estimated 1.5 million children die every year because their immune systems are not mature enough to battle diarrheal and respiratory diseases spread in contaminated environments. Read the full article.
Lifewater International Addresses Drought's Devastation in Ethiopia
(Lifewater International) July 26, 2011 - Lifewater International, a not-for-profit global water development organization based in San Luis Obispo, is working to respond to the severe drought in southern Ethiopia. The drought extends over much of the Horn of Africa and is affecting an estimated ten million people.
Lifewater’s affiliate office in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, reports that more than three million rural Ethiopians are suffering. Lack of water and livestock deaths have already forced hundreds of thousands to leave their homes in search of sustenance.
In response to the emergency, Lifewater is accelerating its ongoing water development efforts and working with other humanitarian organizations to identify other effective drought relief strategies. Measures being considered include mass distribution of water purification kits, food packets, and sanitation resources. Read the full article.
The Future of Water
Join the web conference on June 7, 2011 11am Eastern - Join 60 leading thinkers as they explore the rich, complex, and critical topic of water's future. Beginning with a big-picture perspective, and uncovering both key "megatrends" and personal stories from the frontlines, The Future of Water will examine how different fields, sectors, and stakeholders can meet the challenge of supplying a growing global population with clean and sustainable water.
Phnom Penh's Feat: Getting Clean Tap Water Flowing
(NPR) 2 June 2011 - The sound of running water — clean running water — is not one you have always been able to hear in the ramshackle lean-tos that pass for homes on the edge of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Providing clean water is one of the biggest challenges for governments in the developing world.
Clean water charities say thousands of people die every day of preventable diseases as a result of not having clean drinking water, and 90 percent of those who die are younger than 5. But in recent years, Phnom Penh has been leading the way: The city has managed to provide clean running water to almost the entire urban population... Read the full article. Learn about Lifewater's projects in Cambodia.
People Demand Water, Sanitation Justice
(Daily Guide) 12 May 2011 – Over 350,000 people have called for leaders at the United Nations
Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV) in Istanbul to
urgently tackle the world water and sanitation crisis, with campaigners
warning that if they failed to do so, the fight against poverty in the
world's poorest countries would be lost.
A staggering 500 million people living in the world's least developed countries (LDCs) have no access to sanitation, while over 300 million are without clean drinking water, resulting in child death, less school attendance and over-burdened health systems... Read article
As Drought Deepens in Ethiopia, UN Urges Scaling Up Aid
28 April 2011 – United
Nations humanitarian agencies are calling for increased assistance to
an estimated 2 million people affected by drought in the Horn of Africa
country, where emergency conditions are projected to persist until the
next rainy season arrives in October.
Water is being transported by truck to drought-hit residents of the southern and south-eastern lowlands of the country, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in an update issued today. UN aid agencies, working with national authorities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), are also distributing food to households in need and providing health care, veterinary services and livestock feed.
The agencies have warned of an increased risk of disease outbreaks, which has been plagued by drought in recent years. A multi-agency national needs assessment will start in next month, approximately one month earlier than originally scheduled, according to OCHA’s latest humanitarian bulletin on Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Government has requested an additional $75 million for humanitarian assistance this month and in May, while UN agencies and their partners have called for more resources to meet increasing needs and expand operations in the coming months to avoid gaps in aid delivery.
The recent unrest in the Middle East and North Africa has led to a decline in the demand for livestock exports from Ethiopia, reducing the incomes of the affected communities, according to OCHA. High global food and fuel price rises have raised the cost of buying and importing essential commodities, including food.
Secretary Clinton to Sign Memorandum of Understanding with the World Bank on World Water Day
(Office of the Spokesman) 21 March 2011 WASHINGTON, DC. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the World Bank on World Water Day at World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, March 22 at 2 p.m. The MOU will strengthen support to developing countries seeking a water secure future. Secretary Clinton and World Bank President Robert Zoellick will deliver brief remarks....
Cholera Protests Ebb In Haiti But Anger Remains
(The Associated Press) 19 November 2010 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti. Protests over the cholera epidemic faded Friday but young men burned tires and threw rocks at police near government buildings amid surging anger over a disease that has killed more than 1,100 people so far. Frustrations simmered as the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders issued a statement that "despite the huge presence of international organizations in Haiti, the cholera response has to date been inadequate in meeting the needs of the population." The aid group, which has been one of the primary responders to the
epidemic, said that other international organizations have failed to
provide enough safe water or soap, build enough latrines and waste
disposal sites, or remove dead bodies. It also criticized groups for not reassuring people that the disease is treatable.
Blogs from Lifewater Friends
When you gotta go (Blog from Lifewater Field Trainers Jeff and Darcy Anderson)
Mozambique (Blog from Lifewater Field Trainer Steve Beard)
WASHE the Children (Blog from Lifewater Field Trainer Lon Stuebinger)
The Reluctant Missionary (Blog from Lifewater Field Trainer Linda Berquist)
