Sanitation Updates

Water Sanitation for Africa (WSA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysian firm Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd for technical know-how and consultancy services in sewerage management in African countries.

WSA selected Indah Water “to be in a technical committee formed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to propose immediate, medium- and long-term solutions for sanitation services in WSA member countries”. In 2011-2012 WSA received three Gates Foundation grants totalling US$ 7.2 million, one of which to develop sanitation financing models for urban poor and another to set an African Sanitation Think Tank.

Chief Executive Officer Datuk Abdul Kadir Mohd Din said that the Gates Foundation “had sent a team of wastewater experts from the United States to visit Indah Water after visiting the African continent and Asean countries”.

Indah Water is Malaysia’s national sewerage company. In 1994, the Federal Government awarded the company the concession for nationwide sewerage services which before were the responsibility of local authorities.

Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA) is a Pan African Inter-governmental Agency based in Burkina Faso, previously known as the African Regional Centre for Water and Sanitation (CREPA). WSA has a presence in 32 African countries.

Source: Bernama, 16 May 2013

Filed under: Africa, Technology, Wastewater Management Tagged: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Indah Water, Water and Sanitation for Africa

Cholera Toolkit 2013. UNICEF.

• Toolkit website

The UNICEF Cholera Toolkit aims to provide UNICEF Offices, counterparts and partners with one source of information for prevention (or risk reduction) and control of cholera outbreaks, preparedness, response and recovery – including integration with regular/development programmes. 

The Toolkit provides guidance primarily for the Health and WASH sectors; nevertheless guidelines are presented in an integrated manner, to avoid the continuation of ‘silo’ approaches for cholera prevention, preparedness and response. In addition, the Toolkit includes specific content linked to Education, Nutrition, C4D, Child Protection and other relevant sectors.

The Toolkit comprises this ‘Main Document’, a series of ‘Annexes’ (templates, checklists, spread sheets and more detailed reference information available only in electronic copy) and a selection of ‘Additional Resources’ (an electronic library including published papers, IEC materials, cholera guidelines, training packages, examples of mapping and a range of other practical information, available in the companion USB). Links to web-based resources are included throughout the electronic version of the Main Document.

Filed under: Publications, Sanitation and Health Tagged: cholera, unicef

The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) has specified in its Medium Term Strategic Plan 2012-2016 that all programmes funded by WSSCC’s Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) are subject to independent mid-term and five-year evaluations. These evaluations are aligned with the overall GSF financing mechanism, which is based on a five-year programme cycle.

Therefore, WSSCC is now calling for proposals by 7 June 2013 for “GSF Mid-Term Evaluation Consulting Services”. For more information about the consultancy, please click on this link:

http://www.wsscc.org/about-us/jobs

The mid-term evaluations of GSF programmes in ten countries will be clustered in two batches of five countries in 2013 and 2014/2015 respectively. The assignment covers design and implementation of the mid-term evaluations as well as analysis, consolidation and dissemination of findings as per the Terms of Reference.

As of 31 March 2013, the GSF programmes are implemented in ten countries: Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. In addition, programme preparation is on-going in another six countries; Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Pakistan and Togo. Sanitation and hygiene awareness-raising and promotion activities in the first ten countries with GSF programmes has resulted in 1.4 million people having improved toilets, and more than 1 million people in nearly 4,000 communities who are now living in open defecation free environments.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: behavior change, consultancy, Global Sanitation Fund, hand washing, hygiene, sanitation

Everyone on North Tarawa now has access to improved sanitation. Photo: ABC Radio Australia / UNICEF Pacific.

North Tarawa in Kiribati is the first island in the Pacific to be declared open defecation free, thanks to the “Kiriwatsan I Project”. The Ministry of Public Works is implementing this project with technical support from UNICEF and funding from the European Union.

North Tarawa is made up of a string of islets with a combined population of 6,102 (2010) and a land area of 15.26 sq.km.  Previously about 64 per cent of people used the beaches and mangroves for defecation and dumping their rubbish.

UNICEF spokeswoman Nuzhat Shahzadi says that diarrhoeal diseases cause 15 per cent of the deaths of children under five in Kiribati.

In March 2013, North Tarawa adopted the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach following a training of trainers course conducted by Dr Kamal Kar. The CLTS pioneer wrote that he had convinced Kiribati President Anote Tong to set December 2015 as the target date for the whole nation to become open defecation free.

The villagers of North Tarawa dig shallow pits and use local materials like brick and coconut leaves to build the toilet superstructure. They keep water and soap in one corner. After using the toilet, the villagers sprinkle ash to stop the smell and flies getting in, and then keep it covered.

Ms Shahzadi said that the women and girls were very happy that no longer have to go out on the beach in the middle of the night if they need to use the toilet.

Source: UNICEF, 11 May 2013 ; Radio New Zealand International, 13 May 2013 ; ABC Radio Australia, 14 May 2013

Filed under: Dignity and Social Development, East Asia & Pacific, Sanitary Facilities Tagged: Community-Led Total Sanitation, European Union, Kamal Kar, Kiribati, Kiriwatsan I Project, North Tarawa, open defecation, open defecation-free islands, open defecation-free villages, unicef

To tackle the alarming resurgence of cholera, UNICEF has launched a new comprehensive Cholera Toolkit on 15 May 2013.

The toolkit launch [...] will be the culmination of a thorough review of existing guidance and global consultation with UNICEF at all levels and from all divisions in Africa, along with main partners in the fight against cholera, such as the World Health Organization as the lead agency.

There are 3-5 million cholera cases each year, killing 100,000 to 120,000 people, half of whom are children under 5 years old. Only 5-10% of cases are reported. In Western and Central Africa, there were more than 80,000 cases of cholera in 2012 resulting in nearly 1,500 deaths.

The Toolkit provides the health and WASH sectors an integrated approach to cholera prevention, preparedness and response. In addition it includes specific content linked to education, nutrition, communication for development (C4D), child protection and other relevant sectors.

UNICEF Cholera Kit, p. 41

“What the toolkit does is harvest the best and most up-to-date knowledge in the field and brings it together in one location,” said UNICEF Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sanjay Wijesekera. “It looks at the evidence. It looks at practices that have produced results.”

Download the Toolkit at: www.unicef.org/cholera

Related websites:

• WHO – Cholera
• CDC – Cholera
• MSF Field Research – Cholera

Source: UNICEF, 15 May 2013

 

 

Filed under: Hygiene Promotion, Publications Tagged: cholera, unicef

“If women can have moustaches we can all talk about menstruation”. With this message WASH United kicked off May MENSTRAVAGANZA, a 28-day campaign to raise awareness and break the silence around menstruation and menstrual hygiene.

Messages are posted on the campaign website:
wash-united-may-menstravaganza.tumblr.com and
on Twitter using hashtag #MENSTRAVAGANZA

Filed under: Campaigns and Events, Hygiene Promotion Tagged: May MENSTRAVAGANZA, menstrual hygiene, WASH United

Map showing frequency & severity of violence against
women in Bhalswa slum, Delhi. Shirley Lennon/SHARE.

The lack of safe toilets for women and girls is often linked to an increased risk of sexual harassment and rape. Earlier studies [1] from Kenya, Uganda and India, and now a recent BBC news item are some of the few sources to actually quantify this risk.

Senior police official Arvind Pandey from the Indian state of Bihar told the BBC that 400 women would have “escaped” rape in 2012 if they had toilets in their homes. The rapes take place when women go outside to defecate early in the morning and late evening. These “sanitation-related” rapes make up nearly half of the more than 870 cases of rape in Bihar in 2012.

The BBC news item lists three specific cases:

• On 5 May, an 11-year-old girl was raped in Mai village in Jehanabad district when she was going to the field at night
• On 28 April, a young girl was abducted and raped when she had gone out to defecate in an open field in Kalapur village in Naubatpur, 35km (21 miles) from the state capital, Patna
• On 24 April, another girl was raped in similar circumstances on a farm in Chaunniya village in Sheikhpura district. She told the police that two villagers had followed and raped her. One of them has been arrested

In Bihar , 75.8% of homes have no toilet facilities (Census 2011). Some 49% of the households without a toilet wanted one for “safety and security” for women and children, according to a study by Population Service International (PSI),   Monitor Deloitte and Water for People.

[1] Heise, L., 2013. Danger, disgust and indignity : women’s perception of sanitation in informal settlements. Powerpoint presented at “Making connections: Women, sanitation and health”, 29 April 2013, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Video version available at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS9ulpJqh7s

Related news:

• Request for Proposals: The effects of poor sanitation on women and girls in India, Sanitation Updates, 07 Mar 2013
• India, Delhi: how sexual violence against women is linked to water and sanitation, E-Source, 27 Mar 2012

Source: Amarnath Tewary, BBC, 09 May 2013

 

Filed under: Dignity and Social Development, Sanitary Facilities, South Asia Tagged: Bihar, India, open defecation, rape, sexual violence

Septage disposal. Sri Lanka/Nuwara Eliya sanitation project, 2008, Photo: Flickr/USAID.

An international research institute is helping the government of Sri Lanka to improve septage management in the country.

On 8 May 2013, the Colombo-based International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage signed a Memorandum of Understanding that provides a collaborative framework for sustainable septage management in Sri Lanka.

IWMI will contribute research data for the drafting of a septage management component of the national sanitation policy. The Ministry will lead implementation of the policy through an advisory committee headed by Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

Only about 3% of Sri Lankans have a sewerage connection while the rest rely on latrines and septic tanks for sanitation. Safe disposal of septage (fecal sludge) is a problem because of a lack of treatment facilities in large parts of the country.

IWMI is studying a new approach in cities around the world, which treats the sludge so that it can be safely reused as agricultural fertiliser. With the rising costs of imported fertiliser, such an approach would not only benefit farmers but also allow better sanitation and environmental protection for all.

Related news:

• The business of the honey-suckers in Bengaluru (India), E-Source, 27 Sep 2012
• WASHplus Weekly: Focus on Fecal Sludge Management, Sanitation Updates, 30 Nov 2012

Related web sites:

• IWMI - Resource Recovery and Re-use
• Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage
• SuSanA - WG 5 – Food security and productive sanitation systems and Library – Fecal sludge management

 Source: IWMI, 8 May 2013

Filed under: Policy, Research, South Asia, Wastewater Management Tagged: faecal sludge management, fertilisers, International Water Management Institute, Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage, septage management, septic tanks, Sri Lanka

Posted created in 1940 by John Buczak for the US Federal Art Project. Collection Library of Congress

During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the US Government launched a series of economic programmes collectively known as the New Deal. The largest  of these programmes, run by WPA, the Works Progress Administration (renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration), employed millions of unemployed people to carry out public works projects. Most famous was the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP) that employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors in large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects.

The FAP created over 200,000 separate works including 2,000 posters. Shown  here are several posters promoting sanitation and hygiene from the WPA poster collection of the Library of Congress.

Poster created by unknown artist for the WPA Federal Art Project. Collection Library of Congress.

Poster created by Robert Muchley between 1941 and 1943 for the WPA Federal Art Project . Collection Library of Congress [

 

Poster created by Erik Hans Krause between 1936 and 1939 for the WPA Federal Art Project, Collection Library of Congress

Poster created by unknown artist in 1936 or 1937 for the WPA Federal Art Project. Collection Library of Congress.

Filed under: Hygiene Promotion, North America, Sanitary Facilities Tagged: Federal Art Project, Library of Congress, posters, sanitation history, sanitation promotion, USA

Below are links to the past 100 issues of the WASHplus Weekly on various sanitation and other topics. We welcome suggestions on how to make the Weekly more useful.

2013

• May 4: Water & Food Security
• Apr 26: Focus on Cookstoves & the Environment
• Apr 19: Focus on Handwashing
• Apr 12: Focus on Financing WASH Services
• Apr 5:  Focus on Urban Sanitation
• Mar 29: Focus on Household Air Pollution
• Mar 21: Focus on World Water Day 2013
• Mar 15: Focus on WASH Sustainability
• Mar 8: Focus on Gender Issues
• Feb 22: Focus on Sanitation Marketing
• Feb 15: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• Feb 8: Focus on Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Feb 1: Focus on Cookstove Stacking
• Jan 25: Focus on WASH & Maternal Health
• Jan 18: Focus on Post-2015 MDG Goals
• Jan 11: Focus on WASH and Environmental Conservation

2012

• Dec 21: Focus on HAP & the Global Burden of Disease
• Dec 14: Focus on Community-Led Total Sanitation
• Dec 7: Focus on Water Kiosks
• Nov 30: Focus on Fecal Sludge Management
• Nov 16: Focus on World Toilet Day 2012
• Nov 9: Focus on World Pneumonia Day 2012
• Nov 2: Focus on Water Conflicts
• Oct 26: Focus on Climate Change
• Oct 19: Focus on Waste Pickers
• Oct 12: Focus on Global Handwashing Day 2012
• Oct 5: Focus on Water Technologies
• Sept 28: Focus on WASH & Household Energy Entrepreneurs
• Sept 14: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• Sept 7: Focus on WASH & Child Survival

• Aug 31: Focus on Biogas for Cookstoves
• Aug 24: Focus on Multiple-Use Water Services
• Aug 17: Focus on WASH & Food Security
• Aug 10: Focus on Cholera Prevention & Control
• Aug 3: Focus on Menstrual Hygiene Management
• July 27: Focus on Marketing Cookstoves
• July 20: Focus on HIV/AIDS & WASH
• July 13: Focus on Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections
• July 6: Focus on Community-Led Total Sanitation
• June 29: Focus on WASH in Emergencies
• June 8: Focus Public-Private Partnerships
• June 1: Focus on WASH-related Diseases
• May 25: Focus on WASH & Indoor Air Pollution
• May 18: Focus on Water Security
• May 11: Focus on Sludge Management
• May 4: Focus on Self-Supply
• Apr 27: Focus on Cookstove Adoption
• Apr 20: Focus on Small-Scale WASH Service Providers
• Apr 13: Focus on Hygiene Behavior
• Apr 6: Focus on the Informal Sector & Solid Waste Management
• Mar 30: Focus on Nanotechnology
• Mar 23: Focus on Urban Health
• Mar 8: Focus on Gender Issues in WASH and IAP
• Mar 2: Focus on Multiple-Use Water Services
• Feb 24: Adoption of WASH & IAP Interventions
• Feb 17: Focus on Ecological Sanitation
• Feb 10: Focus on Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Feb 3: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• Jan 27: Focus on Health Impacts of WASH & IAP Interventions
• Jan 20: Focus on Community-Led Total Sanitation
• Jan 6: Focus on WASH & IAP Technologies

2011

• Dec 16: Focus on Financing WASH & IAP Interventions
• Dec 9: Focus Water Safety Plans
• Dec 2: Focus on Rainwater Harvesting
• Nov 18: Focus on World Toilet Day
• Nov 11: Focus on Pneumonia Prevention
• Nov 4: Focus on Water Point Mapping
• Oct 28: Focus on Menstrual Hygiene Management
• Oct 21: Focus on Carrying Water
• Oct 14: Focus on Climate Change
• Oct 7: Focus on Handwashing
• Sep 30: Focus on Humanitarian Assistance
• Sep 23: Focus on Sanitation Marketing
• Sep 9: Focus on Reuse in Sanitation
• Sep 2: Focus on WASH for the Disabled
• Aug 19: Focus on Sludge Management
• Aug 12: Focus on Cholera Prevention & Control
• Aug 5: Focus on Indoor Air Quality
• July 29: Focus on Prevention of Diarrhea
• July 22: Focus on Drinking Water Quality
• July 15: Focus on HIV/AIDS & WASH
• July 8: Focus on Marketing Approaches
• July 1: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• June 24: Focus on Hygiene Behavior
• June 17: Focus on Mobile Technologies
• June 10: Focus on Monitoring & Evaluation
• June 3: Focus on Health Impacts
• May 27: Focus on Financing
• May 20: Focus on WASH & Urban Issues
• May 13: Focus on Community-Led Total Sanitation
• May 6: Focus on Gender & WASH
• Apr 29: Focus on WASH & IAQ in Schools
• Apr 22: Focus on WASH & IAP Integration
• Apr 15: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• Apr 8: Focus on Handwashing
• Apr 1: Focus on Sanitation
• Mar 1: WASHplus Updates

Filed under: Dignity and Social Development, Economic Benefits, Emergency Sanitation, Hygiene Promotion, Progress on Sanitation, Publications, Sanitary Facilities, Sanitation and Health, Wastewater Management

Published on May 3, 2013 - Presentation by Rose George (journalist and author of ‘The Big Necessity’ http://www.rosegeorge.com) at “Making connections: Women, sanitation and health” event.

Filed under: Dignity and Social Development, Sanitation and Health Tagged: Rose George

Published on May 3, 2013 – “Making connections: Women, sanitation and health” took place on 29th April 2013 at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). It was convened by LSHTM and WaterAid as partners of the SHARE Research Consortium. The event brought together a diverse mix of academics, journalists, practitioners and activists from the WASH, gender and health sectors to present and debate critical issues on linking gender, sanitation and health including violence against women and girls, maternal health and menstrual hygiene.

Filed under: Multimedia, Sanitary Facilities, Sanitation and Health Tagged: women's health

The BRAC WASH programme in Bangladesh has produced a new handwashing promotion video. It shows slides of handwashing promotion sessions for different groups (children, adolescent girls, women, men), as well as for schools, village WASH committees and mosques (imams).

The video was released on 5 May to coincide with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual global campaign  to promote better hand hygiene in health care.

 

 

Filed under: Campaigns and Events, Hygiene Promotion, South Asia Tagged: Bangladesh, BRAC, BRAC WASH II programme, handwashing, videos

Below are links to the 100 issues of the WASHplus Weekly that have been compiled since March 2011 on WASH and Indoor Air Pollution issues. We welcome suggestions for future Weekly topics and also any suggestions on how to make it more useful. 

2013

• May 4: Water & Food Security
• Apr 26: Focus on Cookstoves & the Environment
• Apr 19: Focus on Handwashing
• Apr 12: Focus on Financing WASH Services
• Apr 5:  Focus on Urban Sanitation
• Mar 29: Focus on Household Air Pollution
• Mar 21: Focus on World Water Day 2013
• Mar 15: Focus on WASH Sustainability
• Mar 8: Focus on Gender Issues
• Feb 22: Focus on Sanitation Marketing
• Feb 15: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• Feb 8: Focus on Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Feb 1: Focus on Cookstove Stacking
• Jan 25: Focus on WASH & Maternal Health
• Jan 18: Focus on Post-2015 MDG Goals
• Jan 11: Focus on WASH and Environmental Conservation

2012

• Dec 21: Focus on HAP & the Global Burden of Disease
• Dec 14: Focus on Community-Led Total Sanitation
• Dec 7: Focus on Water Kiosks
• Nov 30: Focus on Fecal Sludge Management
• Nov 16: Focus on World Toilet Day 2012
• Nov 9: Focus on World Pneumonia Day 2012
• Nov 2: Focus on Water Conflicts
• Oct 26: Focus on Climate Change
• Oct 19: Focus on Waste Pickers
• Oct 12: Focus on Global Handwashing Day 2012
• Oct 5: Focus on Water Technologies
• Sept 28: Focus on WASH & Household Energy Entrepreneurs
• Sept 14: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• Sept 7: Focus on WASH & Child Survival
• Aug 31: Focus on Biogas for Cookstoves
• Aug 24: Focus on Multiple-Use Water Services
• Aug 17: Focus on WASH & Food Security
• Aug 10: Focus on Cholera Prevention & Control
• Aug 3: Focus on Menstrual Hygiene Management
• July 27: Focus on Marketing Cookstoves
• July 20: Focus on HIV/AIDS & WASH
• July 13: Focus on Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections
• July 6: Focus on Community-Led Total Sanitation
• June 29: Focus on WASH in Emergencies
• June 8: Focus Public-Private Partnerships
• June 1: Focus on WASH-related Diseases
• May 25: Focus on WASH & Indoor Air Pollution
• May 18: Focus on Water Security
• May 11: Focus on Sludge Management
• May 4: Focus on Self-Supply
• Apr 27: Focus on Cookstove Adoption
• Apr 20: Focus on Small-Scale WASH Service Providers
• Apr 13: Focus on Hygiene Behavior
• Apr 6: Focus on the Informal Sector & Solid Waste Management
• Mar 30: Focus on Nanotechnology
• Mar 23: Focus on Urban Health
• Mar 8: Focus on Gender Issues in WASH and IAP
• Mar 2: Focus on Multiple-Use Water Services
• Feb 24: Adoption of WASH & IAP Interventions
• Feb 17: Focus on Ecological Sanitation
• Feb 10: Focus on Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Feb 3: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• Jan 27: Focus on Health Impacts of WASH & IAP Interventions
• Jan 20: Focus on Community-Led Total Sanitation
• Jan 6: Focus on WASH & IAP Technologies

2011

• Dec 16: Focus on Financing WASH & IAP Interventions
• Dec 9: Focus Water Safety Plans
• Dec 2: Focus on Rainwater Harvesting
• Nov 18: Focus on World Toilet Day
• Nov 11: Focus on Pneumonia Prevention
• Nov 4: Focus on Water Point Mapping
• Oct 28: Focus on Menstrual Hygiene Management
• Oct 21: Focus on Carrying Water
• Oct 14: Focus on Climate Change
• Oct 7: Focus on Handwashing
• Sep 30: Focus on Humanitarian Assistance
• Sep 23: Focus on Sanitation Marketing
• Sep 9: Focus on Reuse in Sanitation
• Sep 2: Focus on WASH for the Disabled
• Aug 19: Focus on Sludge Management
• Aug 12: Focus on Cholera Prevention & Control
• Aug 5: Focus on Indoor Air Quality
• July 29: Focus on Prevention of Diarrhea
• July 22: Focus on Drinking Water Quality
• July 15: Focus on HIV/AIDS & WASH
• July 8: Focus on Marketing Approaches
• July 1: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• June 24: Focus on Hygiene Behavior
• June 17: Focus on Mobile Technologies
• June 10: Focus on Monitoring & Evaluation
• June 3: Focus on Health Impacts
• May 27: Focus on Financing
• May 20: Focus on WASH & Urban Issues
• May 13: Focus on Community-Led Total Sanitation
• May 6: Focus on Gender & WASH
• Apr 29: Focus on WASH & IAQ in Schools
• Apr 22: Focus on WASH & IAP Integration
• Apr 15: Focus on Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage
• Apr 8: Focus on Handwashing
• Apr 1: Focus on Sanitation
• Mar 1: WASHplus Updates

Filed under: Progress on Sanitation, Publications, Sanitary Facilities, Sanitation and Health

Educational cartoon boosts worm infection prevention | Source: News-Medical, Apr 29, 2013 |

Researchers in China have found that a health education package targeted at schoolchildren can improve hygiene behaviors and reduce the incidence of soil-transmitted helminth infection.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, included 1718 school children aged 9 to 10 years, of whom 893 attended control schools (n=19), and 825 attended intervention schools (n=19). The research was conducted in rural Linxiang City District, Hunan province, where there is a high prevalence of helminth infection but limited awareness or educational activity about the risks.

Both control and intervention schools displayed an awareness poster. However, in the intervention schools, students also took part in an educational package, including a 12-minute cartoon promoting knowledge and prevention awareness, followed by classroom discussions. They also took part in drawing and writing competitions that reinforced the cartoon’s messages, and received a pamphlet summarizing the main points. All students received albendazole treatment at baseline.

Over 9 months, the rate of helminth infection fell from 10.0% in the intervention schools to 4.1%, which was 50% lower than the rate observed in control schools (8.4%), report Donald McManus (Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston, Australia) and colleagues.

Results from a questionnaire measuring knowledge, attitudes, and practices around soil-transmitted helminths, showed that students in the intervention group scored significantly higher at 63.3% than students in the control group at 33.4%. Additionally, students without infection at follow-up scored on average 9.9 percentage points higher than patients who were infected.

In 10 control and 10 intervention schools where researchers covertly observed hand washing behavior, 98.9% of students in the intervention schools washed their hands after using the toilet compared with 46.0% at baseline. In contrast, the rate of hand washing showed no change in the control group (54.2 vs 54.0% at baseline). Hand washing practices also significantly correlated with questionnaire scores.

The authors also note that the intensity of infections fell in both groups during the study period. They also found that, overall, boys were significantly more likely to be infected than girls at follow-up, and that girls scored slightly but significantly higher on the questionnaire than boys (1.7 percentage points on average).

While the World Health Organization currently advocate mass drug administration, McManus and colleagues say it is inevitable that the parasites will develop drug resistance. They believe strategies such as theirs can complement pharmacologic treatment and reduce the number of treatment cycles required.

“Efforts to reduce the overall incidence of infection with soil-transmitted helminths require an integrated approach consisting of pharmacologic treatment to reduce morbidity and the prevalence of the infection and other interventions (e.g., improvements in hygiene achieved through health education) to prevent reinfection,” they conclude.

Filed under: East Asia & Pacific, Sanitation and Health Tagged: China, handwashing, hygiene education, Parasitic worm

A Systematic Review of the Health and Social Effects of Menstrual Hygiene Management. PLoS ONE 8(4) 2013.

• Full text

Sumpter C, Torondel B

Background – Differing approaches to menstrual hygiene management (MHM) have been associated with a wide range of health and psycho-social outcomes in lower income settings. This paper systematically collates, summarizes and critically appraises the available evidence. 

Methods – Following the PRISMA guidelines a structured search strategy was used to identify articles investigating the effects of MHM on health and psycho-social outcomes. The search was conducted in May 2012 and had no date limit. Data was extracted and quality of methodology was independently assessed by two researchers. Where no measure of effect was provided, but sufficient data were available to calculate one, this was undertaken. Meta-analysis was conducted where sufficient data were available.

Results – 14 articles were identified which looked at health outcomes, primarily reproductive tract infections (RTI). 11 articles were identified investigating associations between MHM, social restrictions and school attendance. MHM was found to be associated with RTI in 7 papers. Methodologies however varied greatly and overall quality was low. Meta-analysis of a subset of studies found no association between confirmed bacterial vaginosis and MHM (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.52–2.24). No other substantial associations with health outcomes were found. Although there was good evidence that educational interventions can improve MHM practices and reduce social restrictions there was no quantitative evidence that improvements in management methods reduce school absenteeism.

Conclusion – The management of menstruation presents significant challenges for women in lower income settings; the effect of poor MHM however remains unclear. It is plausible that MHM can affect the reproductive tract but the specific infections, the strength of effect, and the route of transmission, remain unclear. There is a gap in the evidence for high quality randomised intervention studies which combine hardware and software interventions, in particular for better understanding the nuanced effect improving MHM may have on girls’ attendance at school

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: menstrual hygiene, MHM

How to … design a sanitation app | Source:  The Guardian, March 22, 2013 |
Trémolet Consulting won the London leg of the 2012 Sanitation Hackathon. The team explain how to take your mobile app idea from concept to creation

As we write this, we’re contemplating the prospect of a trip to the Silicon Valley to meet potential investors for a mobile phone application (app) we’ve designed. The app aims to help answer one of the biggest unresolved questions for understanding sanitation markets in developing countries: how much do households invest in their own sanitation facilities?

How do you design an app that can find out how much households invest in water and sanitation? Photograph: Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images

It all started when we submitted a problem statement at the London leg of the Sanitation Hackathon, an event that took place simultaneously in 14 cities around the world in early December 2012. Hackathons are increasingly used by international agencies or governments to get computer programmers and app developers applying their creative brains to solve a social issue. The “watsan” (water and sanitation) hackathon dates back to 2011 when the World Bank organised the firstwater hackathon. Since then, mobile phone apps have made their mark in the water sector, particularly for water point mapping.

The idea we submitted to the hackathon stemmed from what we’ve observed as a lack of data on households’ investment and recurrent expenditure on latrines, despite the fact that they often represent a major proportion of total investment in the sanitation sector. It is critical to understand how much households are investing, and in what, in order to design appropriate policies and programmes to support them. We seized the opportunity of the London sanitation hackathon to see whether that app (a computer programme connected to the internet that runs on smartphones and other mobile devices), now known as ‘SIT’ (Sanitation Investment Tracker) had the potential to make a significant contribution to the way sanitation programmes are designed, run and monitored.

SIT is a suite of apps to track investments in household-level sanitation. It can be a more effective way of collecting data than the traditional pen and paper approach. It allows for better data analysis, addresses monitoring and verification issues and can help with building a customer database for the local sanitation sector. Our initial idea was awarded first prize at the London hackathon and has earned us mentorship from Andrew Stott, who formerly worked at the cabinet office where he helped set up data.gov.uk. We also submitted SIT to the follow-up competition set up by the World Bank, the San App challenge, and wait to hear if we’ve won the final prize, awarded on Friday 22 March – World Water Day.

Since the first win, we have also been able to further develop our initial concept by teaming up with akvo.org, a Dutch software foundation that builds and runs open-source internet and mobile systems to make development activity more effective and transparent. We’ve also secured funding from DfID via Share, a research consortium dedicated to sanitation. The consortium is led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and comprises of NGOs and research institutes, which will be particularly helpful in the roll-out of the app.

So, should you have an app idea and want to take it further, here are a few words of advice:

Aim to fill a clear gap

There are already dozens of apps for all sorts of things, from games to news or video-making and this is also true for sanitation apps. If you want your app to be used by professionals, it should respond to a clear need and fulfil a function. By working in the sector, with lots of different agencies (including donors, NGOs, governments), we could see how getting better data on household investment would help design better interventions, particularly those that use public funds as a way to leverage household investment.

Identify your users

One key question is who is going to download and use the app? During the development process we considered whether households themselves should report on their investments or whether the app should be used by surveyors hired by sanitation professionals. We opted for the latter, bearing in mind that households have limited incentive to report on their investments. The success of self-reporting apps in the developing world has so far been disappointing, as many people are illiterate or are not motivated enough to send the required information. As the app develops, however, we intend to add an SMS reporting system, allowing households to report when their latrine fills up and needs emptying, for example. A small incentive, such as a discount on pit emptying charges or free mobile air-time, will most likely be necessary.

Don’t reinvent the wheel, do build partnerships

Partnership is the key, not simply to provide technological support, but also to build on the experience of others. Our development partner, akvo.org runs the Akvo Flow system, which was originally developed to collect, manage, analyse and display data on water points using mobile phones. Akvo is now running it as open-source software, developing it further to make it adaptable for wider use and integrating additional features. We selected them for the robustness of their underlying system and for the fact that their tool was already widely in use in a number of sub-Saharan African countries where we intend to test and roll out SIT. Between our two organisations, we have a wide and deep range of contacts in the WASH sector, which will also come in handy when testing out the app.

Test your app on the ground

Once your idea is in place and partnerships have been secured, now think: what will this app look like? What are its main features? To answer these questions, you must focus on the user experience and take into account social and cultural considerations: are your features intuitive? Is the app easy to use? Will it contravene social norms? For instance, will people agree to have their latrines being given a number or photographed? Could these reporting tools be perceived as an invasion of private life? To get these answers, you need to find a few “friendly projects” working with organisations who are prepared to test your app and perhaps also cover some of the costs on the ground.

Build a business case

Your app is a living product that you will need to update, maintain, further develop or tailor to your users’ needs. Users need to be trained and data needs to be stored somewhere. This generates costs which need to be covered in some way. To ensure that you can keep the app running, you will need to build a sustainable business plan to finance the on-going management of the app. Once SIT is up and running, it will be open source, but we will also offer tailored services to partner organisations using the app so as to support the app’s ongoing development and tailoring to local circumstances. These services will include customising the content of the app (surveys and reports), delivering training to use the app as part of a wider data analysis project (monitoring and evaluation, verification work, policy design etc) and hosting the database on a server.

Invest in communications and tailor your message to different audiences

Your app is a product that you want to see disseminated. As well as informing your existing networks, social media platforms are a great way to reach a wide range of users. We used the full range, from Twitter toYoutube but it was also important not forget the traditional email pitch to reach development sector specialists who may not yet be on sharing socially.

Sophie Trémolet, Marie-Alix Prat and Goufrane Mansour are consultants in water and sanitation economics and finance at Trémolet Consulting. The consultancy tweets as @TremoletC

Filed under: Progress on Sanitation Tagged: Apps, Sanitation Hackathon

12th Specialised Conference on Small Water and Wastewater Systems and 4th Specialised Conference on Resource Oriented Sanitation
02-04 November 2014, Muscat, Oman
Website: www.iwahq.org/1wr/events/iwa-events/2014/swws-2014.html

Organised by: International Water Association (IWA)

Small water and wastewater treatment plants play an important role in the management of water quality in  rural and small communities to treat their domestic and industrial effluents. Resource oriented sanitation concepts promote ecologically socially and economically sound approaches.

Themes:

• Water resources management
• Environmental management systems
• Government laws
• Decentralised domestic and industrial wastewater collection and treatment systems
• Aerobic and anaerobic treatment
• Low technology treatment systems
• Ecological sanitation
• Biofilm reactors
• Sequencing batch reactor
• Operation and monitoring of small wastewater treatment plant
• Wastewater reclamation and reuse
• Sludge management
• Nutrient removal
• Environmental microbiology & population dynamics

Abstract deadline: 28 February 2014

Filed under: Campaigns and Events, Wastewater Management Tagged: ecological sanitation, International Water Association, IWA, resource oriented sanitation

The Republic of Panama is organizing the Third Latin American Sanitation Conference on 29-31 May 2013. The theme is:  “Universal Sanitation: New Challenges, New Opportunities”.

Latinosan is held every three years.

Latinosan 2013 consists of two events: a technical conference and a meeting of senior officials that will result in the Declaration of Panama.

Main topics:

• the status of sanitation at regional and country levels
• institutions and public policy
• human rights and sustainable development
• post-2015 goals: regional and global

For more information visit the conference website: latinosanpanama2013.com (Spanish only)

Filed under: Campaigns and Events, Latin America & Caribbean, Policy, Progress on Sanitation Tagged: 3rd Latin American Sanitation Conference, Latinosan, right to sanitation

UNICEF/Malawi: CLTS Triggering Tools: How to Trigger for Hand Washing with Soap, March 2013.

• Link to full-text, pdf

An Excerpt: The tools outlined by this document were developed based on actual field research in testing, done as a collaborative effort between UNICEF and Salima District Council. Salima was selected for the research and testing of new hand washing triggering tools because they already had experience attempting to incorporate hand washing into their triggering process, and also have data showing high numbers of new hand washing facilities being built after CLTS. Also, Salima was selected because they implement CLTS continuously as part of their routine extension staff work.

Nine different tools were tested for how well they instilled a realization of the importance of hand washing with soap (HWWS). When these tools were used, hand washing practice increased by 69% and soap availability at hand washing facilities increased by 15%, compared to when CLTS didn’t include specific
tools to trigger HWWS. However please take these guidelines with a grain of salt, as they are based on a small sample size, overall only a few villages.

THE 10 FIELD-TESTED HAND WASHING TRIGGERING TOOLS OUTLINED IN THIS DOCUMENT:

• Anal Cleansing Materials
• Shit and Shake
• Cassava/Egg Demonstration
• Charcoal
• Smelly Hands
• Charcoal Smearing
• Scratch & Smell
• Wall Contamination
• Food Sharing
• Dirt Under Fingernails

Filed under: Hygiene Promotion Tagged: Community-Led Total Sanitation, Hand Washing With Soap, handwashing, Malawi, soap