Without enough safe water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene, it is difficult to maintain good health and fight off illnesses. Without proper sanitation, water supplies can become contaminated and diseases can spread rapidly. We specialize in WASH services to protect the public health of displaced people and local communities, and to help protect their right to safe water and sanitation.

The lack of access to WASH facilities in shelters or camps deprives displaced families of the opportunity to make their shelters into homes, and their settlements into communities. By providing appropriate water and sanitation infrastructure, and educating people on good hygiene practices, we help displaced families achieve dignified living conditions.

WATER:

Water security is under threat worldwide from a changing climate, and roughly half of the world’s population experience severe water scarcity for at least some part of the year due to climatic and non-climatic drivers. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as floods and droughts, alongside increasing global average temperatures, will put further pressure on infrastructure and water resources.

At the same time, many of the most immediate climate adaptation needs, particularly in developing countries, are related to improving water resource management and ensuring access to water and sanitation services. Globally, over 663 million people still lack access to safe drinking water sources—the very resource on which a healthy, productive life depends.  Even for those who have access, services are often inadequate to meet basic needs.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, 30 percent to 50 percent of rural systems are non-functional within five years of being built, and utilities in urban areas often ration water servicing. Similarly, water is often contaminated from urban, industrial, and agricultural pollutants that can compromise nonpiped water systems, even those that are classified as improved water sources.

Many of those who lack access to basic water services also live in conflict-affected states with poor governance, insecure tenure, high rates of poverty, and weak institutions. In countries with a history of conflict and civil unrest, the impact of refugees has further deteriorated the condition of water supply services.

The climate crisis directly threatens the water security of regions, countries, communities and households worldwide and compounds existing challenges managing water resources. Most of the worst climate disasters are water-related. Improving water security is essential to blunt the worst impacts of climate change.

SANITATION & HYGIENE:

Globally, one in three people lack a hygienic toilet in their homes. Sanitation and hygiene are critical for health, economic growth, personal security, and dignity, especially for women and girls. Investments in sanitation reduce health care costs and boost productivity, as time available for work and school increases. Every day, thousands of children around the world die from diarrheal disease caused by inadequate sanitation. And yet globally, more people have access to a mobile phone than a toilet. 

GOOD PLANET APPROACH:

Good Planet will help partner and reach out to the poor and underserved to end open defecation, gain first-time or improved access to basic sanitation services, move progressively toward safely managed services, and create hygiene behavioural change that would last.  Good Planet sanitation objectives include:

• ⦿ Reducing the number of people practicing open defecation
• ⦿ Increasing the number of people with access to basic sanitation facilities
• ⦿ Improving the affordability and availability of sanitation products and services
• ⦿ Improving the ability of educational and health systems to manage sanitation and hygiene facilities in institutions
• ⦿ Increasing the number of people with safely managed sanitation services.
• ⦿ Increasing handwashing with soap at critical times
• ⦿ Increasing the rate of safe management of household drinking water