Improved Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in 2011
Poor access to safe water and sanitation services is a major problem for a many people in developing countries. Coupled with poor hygiene practices, it kills and sickens many people each day. Poor farmers and wage earners are for instance less productive due to illness, and health systems are overwhelmed.
Dorcas' WASH programme aims to increase the access to clean water, sanitation and knowledge on hygiene. With this programme Dorcas contributes to the prevention of diseases, wins precious time and energy (often of women and children) that otherwise has to be spent on fetching water hours away, and also contributes to environmental conservation. Projects in Albania, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania are supported.
In 2011, 26,127 people have improved access to clean drinking water, 13,719 increased access to improved sanitation facilities and 54% of the beneficiaries in the target communities improved their environmental hygiene and health practices in these countries as result of the WASH programme.
Still 37% of the developing world's population (2.5 billion people) lack improved sanitation facilities, and over 780 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources. Without continued investment in improving water supply and sanitation, sustainable development will be impossible.
|
