Reports

Integrating WASH into NTD Programs Bangladesh Country Assessment, 2013. USAID WASHplus.

USAID’s Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) program asked WASHplus to assess the intersection between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and NTD in Bangladesh. As neither trachoma nor schistosomiasis is endemic to Bangladesh, the disease of concern in this assessment was soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH).

The findings show that there is strong evidence to support schoolchildren’s ability to change their families’ WASH knowledge and practice in the context of a school-based WASH intervention. The study showed that pupils utilize techniques like altering their environment, reminding their family regularly and communicating using their homework to influence change at the home level.

What started as an activity to integrate sanitation and hygiene practices into HIV/AIDS care and support programs has grown over the years into a holistic approach to prevent diarrhea among households at risk. USAID’s WASHplus project helped communities and households in Kenya make the connection between improved sanitation, healthy hygiene habits, and positive outcomes for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV), their families, children, the elderly, and other vulnerable households.

Data from this study indicate that certain populations from the municipalities of Cotonou, Porto-Novo, and Abomey-Calavi lack basic hygiene and sanitation infrastructure even though they live in urban areas. The overall acceptability of conditions varies from one municipality to another. The results of the study reveal that nearly seven out of 10 households surveyed use an improved sanitation facility. The problem is less acute in Cotonou (79.9 percent) and Porto-Novo (67.6 percent) than in Abomey-Calavi (51.6 percent).