Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)

FEATURE STORY

The Fabulous Fabienne: 

One nurse-midwife’s journey to establishing a community-led health care facility with improved services in Madagascar

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Since 2008, USAID has supported 70 million people to gain access to safe and sustainable drinking water services and 540.8 million people gain access to safe and sustainable sanitation services.

 

 

Globally, 2.2 billion people lack safe drinking water, and 4.2 billion lack adequate sanitation.  More than half of health care facilities in low and middle income countries don’t have basic water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.  Increasing access to safe drinking water and sanitation can decrease waterborne diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, improve people’s productivity, resilience, and security, particularly benefiting women and children. USAID's support to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene in healthcare facilities provide dignified care and can lower infection risks during childbirth and postnatal care, ultimately preventing maternal and child deaths.

Explore the WASH Fact Sheet
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Key Resources and Publications

Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Capacity Needs Assessment

USAID Water and Development Technical Series

Area Wide Sanitation Desk Review

Improving Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Health Facilities

Our Strategy 

Vision for water security

USAID WASH Investments 

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U.S. Global Water Strategy 

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Water for the World Act

Areas of Focus

Safe Sanitation Services

Safe and sustainable sanitation services are crucial for preventing the spread of diseases and providing dignity. USAID invests in the programs that support governments, health facilities, service providers, and households to improve sanitation facilities such as toilets and services that empty and treat waste to help reduce the prevalence of diseases like diarrhea, which can be life-threatening for young children and pregnant women.

Safe Drinking Water Services 

USAID-supported initiatives help provide governments, service providers, health care facilities, and communities with access to safe and sustainable drinking water services. Contaminated water sources and unavailability of water often leads to waterborne diseases, which can be particularly harmful to vulnerable populations like pregnant women and young children. By ensuring access to safe drinking water, the risk of waterborne illnesses is reduced, leading to better overall health outcomes.

Safe Hygiene Practices

USAID promotes the adoption of critical hygiene behaviors in health care facilities, communities, households. These initiatives enable and influence people to adopt safe hygiene practices such as handwashing, proper waste disposal, environmental cleaning, and other hygienic practices. Such measures can significantly reduce the transmission of infectious diseases and subsequently improve the health of mothers and children.

Stories of Impact

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Dr. Hariniony Rakotoarimanana in Madagascar holds an educational session for young women before they have individual appointments at the local clinic.

Six Ways USAID is Committing to Menstrual Health and Hygiene

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Approximately 500 million people worldwide face barriers to managing their menstruation in a safe, healthy, and dignified manner due to poor access to menstrual health and hygiene resources, and stigma around menstruation, among other factors. The challenges are most acute in low- and middle-income countries. Our commitment — from the classroom to the factory floor — is to ensure all menstruators can safely engage in life with dignity and confidence.

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A third year midwifery student taking part in a practical training session on proper handwashing at the Korle Bu Nursing and Midwifery Training School in Accra, Ghana.

Clean Hands (and More!) in the Time of COVID-19

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Proper handwashing with soap and water represents the first layer of defense against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. But many places around the world cannot practice this behavior due to a lack of access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) resources. Health care workers, families, and students cannot practice safe handwashing due to shortages of running water or soap in homes, health care facilities, and schools.

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Tapping Into Water

Tapping Into Water

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USAID is committed to increasing access to sustainable safe drinking water and sanitation services in Guatemala.

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USAID is committed to supporting equitable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for all

Sanitation Services Designed with Inclusivity in Mind

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USAID is committed to supporting equitable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for all. 

Projects and Partnerships 

A water secure world means safe and sustainable access for all. Ibu Eko and her enjoying piped water services from the Sidoarjo District water utility (PDAM). The installation of the piped water connection was made possible through a microcredit scheme supported by USAID IUWASH. Without microcredit, it was unaffordable.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability (WASHPaLS) #2 

 

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Momentum Country and Global Leadership

Learn more about our programs and partnerships
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Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF

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