For a Clean and Healthy World
August 26th, 2008 at 4:26 pm | posted by Chris.ScottMegan Wilson of Population Services International had a chance to attend the World Water Week Conference in Stockholm last week and was kind enough to share her thoughts and reflections on the event.
Almost one billion people lack access to a safe source for drinking water. Repercussions from this are deadly. Each year, about two million children around the world die from diarrheal disease due to unsafe water and hygiene practices, constituting about 17% of child deaths worldwide.
The 2008 World Water Week Conference was held August 17-22, 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden and brought together key decision makers, implementers, and advocates to raise awareness of the global water crisis and identify partnerships and actions that can be taken to address this life threatening problem.
My name is Megan Wilson and I am thrilled to be working to raise awareness of the water and hygiene needs of the poorest of the poor on behalf of Population Services International (PSI) here at World Water Week 2008.
The conference kicked off on August 17 with dignitaries from around the world highlighting the water and sanitation issues that plague millions worldwide. The speakers included Anders Berntell, Executive Director of Stockholm International Water Initiative, Marc Ravalomanana, President of Madagascar, Prince Willem Alexander, The Dutch Prince of Orange, and many others committed to this cause.
President Marc Ravalomanana of Madagascar spoke about the diverse regions and people of the Red Isle: from the baboubob-spotted deserts of the south to the lemur-filled rainforests of the north. He also described the problems people in his country face on a daily basis. The majority of Malagasy can’t turn on the tap in their kitchen or even find water at a nearby well; they must walk to the closest stream to collect their daily supply of H2O. Although this may seem extreme, it is more typical in Madagascar than you may think. Out of 19 million people on the Red Isle, 12 million do not have access to safe drinking water and 14 million do not have access to sanitation. President Ravalomanana is committed to working to assure that at least 60% of Malagasy have access to improved water sources. To this end he has created a new Ministry of Water and has laid out a vision for how to proceed in the Madagascar Action Plan. PSI is proud to work with President Ravalomanana to realize this dream, through programs which educate and empower the Malagasy people to take the treatment of their water into their own hands. Click here for more information. There is a lot of work left to be done, but the Government of Madagascar and its partners, including PSI, will realize their common goal one latrine, one well, and one capfull of Sur’Eau at a time.
The Dutch Prince of Orange, Willem-Alexander, has been a strong supporter of the safe water and sanitation movement over the last decade. As you may know, 2008 is the International Year of Sanitation, which seeks to raise awareness of the plight of the 2.5 billion people worldwide that do not have access to safe and dignified sanitation sources. Prince Alexander offered his reflections on this year dedicated to sanitation and what our community has accomplished thus far. With the goal to alleviate the sanitation crisis, the Water and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSCC) has announced the development of the Global Sanitation Fund. This fund will support integrated projects to alleviate the sanitation crisis on a country-by-country basis. Madagascar will be the first country to receive support. Prince Alexander noted that world’s struggle for water and sanitation should be a common one throughout the world and that the 2008 Olympic motto of “One World, One Dream” applies this as much as it does to the Olympics.
Population Services International, a ONE partner, works to realize this dream in 29 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, by promoting healthy behaviors though educating individuals about purifying drinking water in the home, practicing improved hygiene and offering treatment for diarrheal disease if a child falls ill. Over the last 10 years, PSI has empowered people worldwide to treat over 46 billion liters of drinking water, ensuring that each sip is safe.
PSI’s programs ensure that families have the tools to maintain the health of their children. PSI combines education to motivate healthy behavior with the provision of needed health products and services, which are attractively packaged and marketed in the local context. Local knowledge, attitudes and practices are integrated into the communications messages through ongoing behavioral research. PSI’s diverse partnerships with governments, international and national implementing organizations, multilateral institutions such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF), and the private sector assure program success. For more information, please visit http://www.psi.org/safewater.
-Megan Wilson, Child Survivor Program Manager, Population Services International
August 26th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Very educational …. I still remember Senator’s Frist’s trip through Mozambique, where the residents of the village near Nampula had a broken water pump. They had to walk 20 km to the nearest town, to use the pump in the neighboring village. When the team arrived to that pump, it didn’t work either.