Our vision: creating an enabling environment for sustainable WASH solutions for marginalised people
In our vision all people are able to assert and realise their right to sustainable access to safe drinking water in sufficient quantities, adequate sanitation and hygienic living conditions in order to improve their health, nutritional status and economic living standard. We empower people by building and strengthening an enabling environment for sustainable WASH solutions for marginalised people.
A background
Contaminated drinking water, poor sanitation and poor hygiene – urgent and growing health problems
Worldwide, over 780 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources and 2.5 billion people (40% of the global population) lack improved sanitation facilities. Contaminated drinking water, poor sanitation and poor hygiene are an urgent and growing health problem. It is the leading cause of diarrhea, which annually kills 1.5 million children. Investing in water and sanitation is extremely profitable: a $1 investment in adequate facilities can provide an economic return of $3 – $34, depending on country and location. In addition, water is essential for increasing food security and for other development goals, such as education and gender.
Our objectives
Increasing sustainable access to and use of safe water and sanitation service
The main objective of our five year programme (2011-2015) is to reduce poverty and improve health, environmental and economic conditions. How? By empowering people and creating an enabling environment. With our programmes we aim to achieve increased sustainable access to and use of safe water and sanitation services and improved hygiene practices for women and marginalised groups.
To realize this overall ambition, we have formulated two supporting objectives:
Increased improved access to and use of safe water and sanitation services and improved hygiene practices
Civil society actors are strengthened to jointly and individually better respond to the needs of the communities and influence decision making on WASH service delivery
Our programme
Supporting our partners in Africa and Asia to implement sustainable WASH programs
We support civil society organizations in developing countries in Africa and Asia in implementing programs that improve sustainable access to and use of safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. Unique to the alliance is an effective pooling within the Dutch water sector, enabling the Alliance to make improvements throughout the entire WASH chain from water supply to sanitation and hygiene promotion– from villages to international bodies.
During the five year period, the programme aims to provide access to an additional 1,2 million people with improved sanitation facilities and an additional 440,000 people with improved drinking water facilities, mostly in rural areas, through country programme partners and multi-stakeholder platforms. Another target group are the country programme partners and public and private stakeholders, whose capacities are enhanced to build up a strong Civil Society.
The grant by the Dutch Government will be used as leverage to generate additional investment from consumers, companies, governments, and other funders, both in the countries we work in and in the Netherlands.
