When it comes to developing nations’ health, growth, and success, the importance of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, or WASH, should not be overlooked. In fact, the aspects of WASH must take priority before anything else. As it stands, billions of people across the globe go without WASH, and, as a result, billions suffer from preventable water-related illnesses, unhealthy environments, and a lack of available hygiene and sanitation infrastructure. When we work together to solve these issues, the people of developing countries can stop simply trying to survive and begin advancing their education and careers while enjoying time with their loved ones.
We will look at the different topics of WASH, how organizations like Healing Waters International help implement WASH, and how WASH relates to collaborative goals to aid growth in developing countries.
Water Access
WASH is specifically concerned about access to clean water, not just any water supply. In many parts of the world, women and children usually have to travel miles to find the nearest available source of clean water. This is especially taxing for those living in rural areas and sometimes impossible. For some, they might not be able to afford clean water. Because of this, millions worldwide are forced to use contaminated groundwater sources for drinking, cooking, and bathing water. By consuming contaminated water, whether natural or chemical, these millions are very often susceptible to all kinds of waterborne diseases like diarrhea, E. coli, typhoid fever, and more.
Sanitation
Contaminated water and poor sanitation are highly correlated. Lots of contaminated water issues can be resolved with better sanitation infrastructure. While some urban areas deal with improper wastewater management, rural areas sometimes don’t have any sanitation infrastructure at all, and many people still practice open defecation. Solutions include creating dedicated bathroom facilities that separate harmful contaminants in human waste from people. Right now, schools are in high demand for facilities that can accommodate all kinds of students, so they experience fewer interruptions during the day. In addition, by setting up handwashing sinks and offering education on hygiene practices, we underscore the crucial role of handwashing in preventing the spread of illness. By installing additional clean water sources in areas where they are most needed, we can further bolster efforts to promote community health and create more opportunities to safeguard against illnesses.
Hygiene
Without proper health and hygiene education, so many people do not even know they are unintentionally polluting their water, consuming contaminated water, and spreading disease to others. Education is our greatest weapon to achieve a healthy populace. Having all the appropriate infrastructure is a necessary first step, but it won’t go a long way if the population is unfamiliar with the importance of washing their hands and taking precautions to keep water unpolluted.
In the end, simple changes in daily routines and using proper hygienic practices can have the largest impact on keeping people safe from water-related illnesses.
How Healing Waters Implements WASH in Developing Countries
At Healing Waters, we are doing our part, along with your help, to bring clean water to even the most remote communities around the world to create a thriving, happy population. As part of our mission to bring clean water to all, we help implement WASH in developing countries in all respects so communities can begin to develop in a healthy, sustainable way.
Clean Water for All
WASH starts with clean water accessibility, and so do we. Our engineers develop custom water filtration systems to filter out impurities from a water source and leave clean, drinkable water behind. Our solutions can adapt to a community’s unique needs, including gravity and solar-powered systems to help remote areas without reliable access to electricity.
Health and Hygiene Training
Our staff at Healing Waters doesn’t stop after we implement our solutions. We take leaders in the community and teach them valuable skills on how to stop the contamination of water and the spread of disease. Our techniques include proper handwashing techniques and the importance of keeping water clean by using dedicated sanitation facilities and not polluting water sources used for drinking. These leaders can pass on this knowledge to other members of the community, ensuring this knowledge stays with families for generations.
WASH and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Sustainable Development Goals aim to end poverty and inequality, all while protecting the environment so that health and prosperity are realistic goals for everyone on the planet. Of course, economic growth is more likely if the population is healthy and thriving. This starts with WASH. Without access to clean water, a developing country’s population is already at a huge disadvantage to other areas of the world. Providing clean water is the first step to leveling the field.
Our solutions, like many others, are sustainable both economically and environmentally, costing very little and leaving behind a minimal carbon footprint. We can easily implement our solutions, leaving behind a comprehensive maintenance and business plan. In the event of climate events, we can restore our solutions and rebuild communities in need of WASH the most. We ensure a community’s ability to sustain the use of our water treatment systems and hygiene practices so they can continue their use well after we leave.
WASH and Public Health:
Limited access to clean water brings forth all kinds of water-related illnesses. Unfortunately, children often suffer the most, being the most vulnerable to the spread of illness. Infant mortality rates, dehydration, and malnutrition greatly impact the younger generation, along with the populace as a whole. Public health will continue in this debilitating state without clean water or hand-washing facilities. Luckily, when armed with proper infrastructure and education, the state of a country’s public health can easily improve overnight.