WASH is an acronym that stands for water, sanitation and hygiene. These programs are paired because each one impacts the others. Lack of sanitation through proper latrines or toilets can lead to contaminated water. Lack of clean water can impair hygiene. Lack clean water, sanitation and hygiene leads to health issues like intestinal infections, cholera and other illness than can lead to death. One in nine people lack access to clean drinking water, and over 2.5 million people live without adequate sanitation facilities. Point-of-use water and sanitation technologies reduce the number of deaths caused by waterborne disease, while also freeing women and girls from the work required to transport and store water, allowing them more time to focus on education and income-generating activities.
Making Hand Washing Convenient, Accessible (and Fun!) for Communities in Tanzania
By simply adopting good hand washing practices, however, it is possible to greatly reduce the number of illnesses and deaths caused by preventable diseases and infections.
In partnership with local government, L4T is launching community-based hand-washing initiatives by introducing a simple and practical solution: the Tippy Tap. Built from a basic set of locally sourced components including sticks, string, soap and a water container, Tippy Taps are proven to encourage effective hand washing behavior, while also preserving scarce water resources.
L4T worked with local government to conduct community-based needs assessments, which led to the identification of the Tippy Tap as an appropriate and cost-effective solution. L4t also provide necessary technical information for local implementation. Tippy Tap hand washing stations will be installed within a school and a community health center outside.
Clean Water Communities Alternative for Livelihoods
“Increasing water access for rural families and farmers in the in Tanzania”
Many households in the Tanzania lack regular access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. Low-income households that do purify their water often rely on relatively expensive short-term purification methods. Like many communities in the Tanzania, lacks regular access to water for drinking, and has little-to-no water to spare for irrigating crops. When their drinking water source runs dry, villagers are either forced to purchase costly water or spend hours hauling small quantities of water uphill from distant streams. Much of this labor is often performed by women and children, who are kept from more productive activities such as work and schooling. The L4T looks for a simple and cost-effective, yet robust technology solutions. More than simply a technological intervention, our program trains local villagers as certified technicians to maintain the hardware, while also creating a local committee to fairly distribute water and manage a village fund, paid into by the villagers, themselves.