How to integrate water, sanitation and hygiene into HIV programmes

Bery, R.; Rosenbaum, J. (2010). How to integrate water, sanitation and hygiene into HIV programmes. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization (WHO). 113 p. : 5 boxes, 7 tab. Bibliography: p. 59-70. – Includes glossary
ISBN 978-92-4-154801-4
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This document integrates Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices into HIV care. It draws on experiences from the USAID-funded Hygiene Improvement Project (USAID/HIP) . It contains guidance on implementing priority WASH practices, including WASH in global and national HIV/AIDS policy and guidance, and integrating WASH–HIV programmes.

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the document and some background on the evidence of the importance of WASH, the burden of unsafe water and sanitation, and effective WASH practices.

Chapter 2 provides guidance on the WASH practices that national HIV/AIDS programmes should implement as a priority, and outlines a recommended approach for improving WASH practices. The chapter includes detailed
descriptions of recommended practices such as steps for hand washing, strategies for treating water and methods of food handling.

Chapter 3 describes steps to integrate WASH into key HIV-related reference documents such as policies, guidelines and handbooks, on a national and global level.

Chapter 4 provides examples of specific language that can be used to modify HIV/AIDS policies and related materials, using safe drinking water as an example.

Chapter 5 presents interventions that could be considered for programme approaches for WASH–HIV integration, depending on local priorities and resources. The chapter includes practical case studies to provide snapshots of the types of integrated HIV–WASH interventions that different programmes are trying in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Viet Nam.

The annexes provide practical tools that can be adapted to the local context, and more detailed descriptions of the evidence and literature on WASH and HIV.

Smart hygiene solutions

Roose, S., Spijksma, E., Van Daalen, T. and Singeling, M. (2010). Smart hygiene solutions : examples of hygiene methods & tools and tips. (Smart solutions series). Amsterdam, The Netherlands, KIT Publishers. 56 p. : 8 fig.. photogr. Includes references. ISBN 978-94-6022-127-9. Download full booklet.

The booklet is written for those who seek to help break the cycle of disease transmission by improving the hygiene conditions of communities and households in developing countries. It aims to assist them in developing smart hygiene promotion interventions by offering an overview of different approaches and tools that intend to improve hygiene behaviours and environmental conditions.

Like the previous booklets – Smart Water, Sanitation, Water Harvesting, Finance and Disinfection Solutions – it is not written to serve as a manual, but aims to provide the reader with useful links for further reading. The first part of the booklet provides an introduction on the importance of hygiene and the concept of hygiene promotion. The next part describes several hygiene promotion methods, including participatory methods, social marketing strategies and community (and school) based strategies, and highlights cases in which these methods have been used. The final section of the booklet describes some smart tools and tips that facilitate good hygiene behaviour, such as handwashing, safe excreta disposal and menstrual hygiene.

This publication is the result of a collaborative effort by: Netherlands Water Partnership, Aqua for All, Plan Nederland and IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre with contributions from Simavi, AMREF Flying Doctors, UNICEF and Unilever.

Access and behavioral outcome indicators for water, sanitation, and hygiene

Hernandez, O. and Tobias, S. (2010) Access and behavioral outcome indicators for water, sanitation, and hygiene. Washington, DC, USA, Hygiene Improvement Project, USAID. iv, 81 p.
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This document provides evidence-based indicators to measure hygiene practices that are critical for the prevention of diarrheal disease and the reduction of child morbidity and mortality.

This manual aims to help program planners, managers, and evaluators design, implement, and evaluate WASH interventions. It is intended for use either in programmes and projects with a principal focus on WASH or with a broad child health agenda.

The indicators proposed in this document, including access to household water and sanitation as well as the practice of key evidence-based hygiene improvement behaviors, are grouped into the following categories:

• Access to water supply and use of household water treatment technologies and safe storage
• The practice of hand washing with soap at critical moments
• Access to and use of sanitary facilities for the disposal of human excreta

There are two distinct categories of indicators presented in separate sections: the first one is defined as “Essential Indicators,” which are recommended for all WASH programs. The second category of “Essential and Expanded Indicators” is a more comprehensive set of indicators, which is included for managers interested in tracking a larger set of issues in their programs.

The document begins with a list of all the indicators organized as described above. Descriptions of each indicator contain the following components, commonly found in other monitoring and evaluation (M&E) manuals used by international donors and development assistance agencies:

• rationale/critical assumptions for indicator
• data source
• data analysis
• issues/limitations
• example of target setting
• indicator calculation

Webinar: An online discussion about this publication and how to apply these indicators to WASH programming will take place on 02 March 2010 from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST (USA). Register here

Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done

Johansson, E.M. … [et al.] (2009). Diarrhoea : why children are still dying and what can be done. New York, NY, USA, UNICEF and Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization. v, 58 p. ISBN 978-92-806-4462-3 (UNICEF). ISBN 978-92-4-159841-5 (WHO). Full report

This report examines the latest available information on the burden and distribution of childhood diarrhoea. It also analyses how well countries are doing in making available key interventions proven to reduce its toll. It sets out a 7-point strategy for comprehensive diarrhoea control that includes a treatment package to reduce child deaths, and a prevention package to reduce the number of diarrhoea cases.

The two treatment elements are:

1. fluid replacement to prevent dehydration; and
2. zinc treatments, which decrease the severity and duration of the attack.

The five prevention elements are:

1. immunization against rotavirus and measles;
2. early and exclusive breastfeeding and vitamin A supplementation;
3. handwashing with soap;
4. improved water supply quantity and quality; and
5. promoting community-wide sanitation.

UNICEF TV Video: Diarrhoea is the second leading killer of children