Tagged: Water, sanitation and hygiene

A swaddled baby asleep

I spent my first days in the NICU; I got lucky

Impact

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Twenty-five tiny newborns were crammed three and four to a bed. The only sink was filled with dirty water with no soap in sight. An empty bottle of hand sanitizer hung from a string on the door. The scene before me in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a major hospital in Ethiopia wasn’t the worst I had seen, but it was no less… Read more →←
Two sanitation workers pull a wheelbarrow in Kenya

Learning from history: Sanitation for prosperity

Experts speak

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The disposal and treatment of human waste has been an integral part of human civilization for thousands of years. From Mesopotamia’s first clay sewage pipes in 4000 BCE, to indoor plumbing in ancient Rome, to flush toilets in the Industrial Revolution, sanitation has helped human health, development and economic prosperity. Sanitation… Read more →←
A group of adolescent girls raise collectively their hands towards a leading group of three girls.

Menstrual hygiene: Breaking the silence among educators

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In Niger, it is not uncommon to hear that if a menstruating woman touches sowing seeds, the harvest will not be abundant; that a woman must not braid her sister during menstruation, otherwise she will induce hair loss; that menstruation is a woman’s business and a man must not talk about it — the numerous rumors about menstrual… Read more →←
A woman squats alongside some children beside a clean water storage tank.

From Syria to Yemen: My life in WASH

Insider

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Story also available in: Français العربية
“Please, can I have a small plastic basin for my baby to bathe her?” A shy, middle-aged woman whispered these words into my ear. In June 2018, as the conflict in Yemen escalated, this woman, like other displaced families living in this school, had fled her home in Hodeida. I looked at the month-old baby girl in her arms – so weak,… Read more →←
Aerial view of shanties on a hill

A populated neighborhood, but little water to drink

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Story also available in: Español
“We have not access to water through pipelines for a month. I collected rainwater yesterday,” says Gregorina, 23, while she collects water from a water truck that arrived in Caucaguita, her neighborhood in Petare on the outskirts of Caracas. Petare is one of the most populated areas in Venezuela. Millions of people live on the hilly… Read more →←
A school girl collects water in her hands from a communal water tap.

In Basra: Oil in abundance, but little water to drink

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: 中文 العربية Français
Iraq’s southern city of Basra was once a thriving port city. In its heyday, it was described as the “Venice of the east” due to the numerous canals and bridges all over the city. The comparisons with Venice are long gone. Today, the situation is bleak. Basra’s canals are polluted with filth, algae and bacteria. The riverbanks are… Read more →←
A girl dips a mug into an open tank of water

Using data to end open defecation in Cambodia

Data and research

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Every child deserves to grow up in a clean and safe environment. In communities where open defecation is practiced, children are at risk of disease. Newly released data  confirms that Cambodia has made exemplary progress towards improving toilet use. Since 2000, Cambodia’s progress towards safer sanitation is among the fastest in the… Read more →←
Boys sit on a bench in white shirts; one looks directly at the camera.

Men must talk, even if it makes us uncomfortable

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Sharing the picture below on the internet makes me uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. Not because I am uncomfortable with the topic. As a communication officer at UNICEF India, I have been creating content around the issue for years now. But somehow, I am uncomfortable talking about it to men and women on a public platform. And to men… Read more →←
A girl pushes two younger children in a wheelbarrow that also bears several jerrycans

Memories from Syria and Yemen

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: 中文 العربية
Being responsible for UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme in the Middle East and North Africa region, I’ve served in many countries affected by conflict. These include Syria, Pakistan and Iraq and prolonged stints in countries like Yemen. I will never forget my time in beautiful Syria – a country very close… Read more →←

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