Target 6.2 Improving sanitation and hygiene
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those vulnerable situations
International Water Programs
FIU has delivered clean water, sanitation and hygiene solutions to countries throughout the world including Ghana, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burkina Faso and Mozambique through initiatives supported by USAID. These efforts included a particular focus on gender equality and the responsibilities women in developing countries often shoulder, including promoting hygiene practices within the family and retrieving water for their households.
Tanzania
In the Wami Ruvu basin, FIU worked with local governments and NGOs to maximize the supply of clean safe water for basic needs while also creating opportunities for business ventures among local villagers so clean water could be a financial benefit in addition to a necessity. Micro-lending at the village level encouraged private investment. This effort helped foster 27 new village micro-savings and micro-financing programs that serve more than 25,000 people in the area. More than 70 water access points have been created serving some 16,000 people, and more than 20,000 people have completed sanitation and hygiene education.
Morocco
An FIU team traveled to the El-Haouz region of Morocco to increase access to drinking water, improve hygiene practices and encourage collaboration among local authorities to govern water. In the agricultural Doukkala Province, FIU worked with small farmers to improve their water-use practices which led to enhanced livelihoods and improved sustainability. The project brought clean water to hundreds of children in local schools, provided more than 1,000 people with improved access to sustainable water and educated 3,000 people on best hygiene practices.
Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Mozambique
Sub-Saharan African countries have large, well-experienced regional, national and international organizations in the water delivery, sanitation and hygiene field, yet local organizations lack the necessary technical capacity to solve challenges in these areas. FIU worked with local organizations to close the knowledge gap through technical training and education to help them develop sustainable, state-of-the art, locally tailored approaches to water delivery, sanitation and hygiene.
Ghana, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso
This FIU-led and USAID-supported project increased access to safe water and sanitation and improved hygiene in Ghana, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Our team introduced water and sanitation technology as well as promoted better hygiene at the community level through education. We used experiences from this project to develop models that could be scaled to other regions in Africa.
Rwanda
FIU’s Rwanda Integrated Water Security Program was designed to improve the sustainable management of water quantity and quality to positively impact human health, food security, and resiliency to climate change for vulnerable populations in targeted catchments in Rwanda. The project included low-cost and innovative technologies for water supply, sanitation and agriculture in Rwanda, along with multiple-use water services, sanitation marketing and product/supply chain development. Simultaneously, program managers worked with local communities to educate and improve individual hygiene behaviors.