Global Handwashing Day

Today is Global Handwashing Day!

GHD Wallpaper1

“The guiding vision of Global Handwashing Day is a local and global culture of handwashing with soap. Although people around the world wash their hands with water, very few wash their hands with soap at the critical occasions.”

There even is a dedicated website for this cause with further information on why we actually need a Global Handwashing Day:

“Handwashing with soap is the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries every year. Together, they are responsible for the majority of all child deaths. Yet, despite its lifesaving potential, handwashing with soap is seldom practiced and difficult to promote. (…) A vast change in handwashing behavior is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.”

Have you already washed your hands with soap today?

free publication on sanitation systems

compendium-2There’s an upcoming “Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies” aimed at planners, engineers, development experts and indivuals who are dealing with sanitation.

The Compendium is a joint production of Eawag/Sandec and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and will be available free as downloadable PDF, or be ordered for US$ 30 from Sandec in due time.

“By presenting an extensive array of available options, we hope that this Compendium helps promote people-centred solutions to real sanitation problems by providing information to those who are looking for alternatives to the most common offerings.” (source)

I had a look at a preview edition of this compendium the other day and have to admit it really is a very smart & handy publication for those who would like to get an overview of existing technologies and approaches. It will certainly become very popular as it is devided into two sections:

  • Section 1 describes different system configurations at the macro scale.
  • Section 2 consists of 52 different Technology Information Sheets, which describe the main advantages, disadvantages, applications and the appropriateness of the technologies required to build a comprehensive
    sanitation system. Each Technology Information Sheet is complemented by a descriptive illustration.

Contrary to many other recent publications in the sanitation sector, it doesn’t focus on the political framework issues, but instead provides an ideal overview on existing technical solutions and those to come.

Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies
158 Pages, 52 Technical Drawings, 29,7 x 21 cm.
Eawag/Sandec and WSSCC, 2008
ISBN: 978-3-906484-44-0

Ecosan Waterless Toilet System

Currently, the pursuit towards sanitation is one of the pressing issues around the world.

Have you ever come to a point where you are challenged with the recent issues on sanitation in the world? Have you ever asked yourself questions like: “How have I contributed to sanitation problems today?; How can I contribute in solving sanitation problems?; Am I an enemy of sanitation? ” Or perhaps you probably had ask more questions than me…

So much for that, I just want to share one video I found on the internet about Ecosan Waterless Toilets:

Ten steps to stop open defecation

WaterAid, an international charity organisation, recently launched a 3D animated film illustrating the disease burden that comes with open defecation, and what communities in Bangladesh are doing to address the issue:

The short film outlines the problems caused by open defecation and specifies ten steps that communities can take to achieve “open defecation free status”, leading to a reduction in disease.

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new toilet facilities at Muyogoro Primary School, Rwanda

Alexandra from Rwanda Village Concept Project (Rwanda VCP) wrote in the other day to inform us of an ecosan toilet that Rwanda VCP built at Muyogoro primary school in Rwanda earlier this year:

“From our work on malaria education in the village of Mpungwe and Muyogoro Primary School, we have noted that the current level of hygiene constitutes a significant danger to public health. We are providing adequate sanitation facilities for children through ecosan toilet construction at their primary schools after seeing that the existing ones can be a danger to the children health and the environment. (…) On Monday, December 17 2007, the construction started at Muyogoro primary school, located in Huye District, Nyakagezi subsector. This construction has been realised in partnership between RVCP, 2 International Participants and BVDA.”


click here to view the complete gallery

The Rwanda Village Concept Project is an international student-run project in Central Africa. This multidisciplinary development project was initiated in 1998 whereas the fieldwork started in 2002. Its aims are to improve the living standards in a Rwandan community by using simple and low cost methods and to develop the capabilties of students in participatory development work.

Dominik of pong.li was invited to cover the construction process with his camera and created these wonderful videos (full playlist on YouTube):

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“People in this area just came together to build that public infrastructure…”