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Ethiopia: Unicef Calls for Action to Achieve Universal Access to Sanitation in Ethiopia Almost Half of Ethiopian Population Lack Adequate Sanitation Facilities
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The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
24 March 2008
Posted to the web 24 March 2008
Addis Ababa
It is possible that Ethiopia can achieve the Universal access to sanitation provided the country's development partners play their part, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) announce on Friday.
UNICEF said attaining the Universal Access required concerted efforts of all stakeholders beyond the traditional health and water sectors including agriculture, education, private sector, and media in Ethiopia where over 35 million people are said to live with poor access to clean water facilities.
According to UNICEF, an estimated US$ 650 million is required to attain universal coverage in Ethiopia.
It said it would be a far cry unless every partner played its part.
Donors, in particular the African Development Bank, the World Bank and The UK Department for International Development (DFID) are also doing their part, as over US$ 50 million has been pledged in the coming years for sanitation and hygiene, according to UNICEF.
"UNICEF calls on all donors to invest in achieving sustainable access to improved sanitation which is essential for the realization of human rights, health and dignity," Bjorn Ljungqvist, UNICEF Country Representative in Ethiopia said.
"The returns are too good to ignore. Achieving access to sanitation has a direct bearing on the achievability of the Millennium Development Goals, including goals on health, child survival, poverty reduction and education," he added.
Ljungqvist said girls, who he said bear the burden of water collecting, are often left with no energy or time for school.
And when they are old enough to menstruate, they become unwilling to attend schools without toilets and their parents are reluctant to send them to school, Ljungqvist observed.
"The good news is that 100% sanitation coverage in Ethiopia is achievable! Ljungqvist added," UNICEF applauded the "positive actions" it said was taken by the Government of Ethiopia to turn the situation around through its Health Sector Development Program.
Approximately 24,000 health extension workers are working at community level to promote do-able actions and behaviors towards sanitation.
Key behaviors which can make a difference for children health and development are hand washing with soap at key times of the day, like before eating, after defecating and after disposing of children's faeces, water treatment and consistent usage of the toilet facility for safe excreta disposal.
UNICEF and partners are using the opportunity of World Water Day to showcase the plight of millions of Ethiopians who are denied access to sanitation and are therefore denied basic rights of dignity and health.
Sanitation is the theme for this year's World Water Day and aims to highlight the need for urgent action on behalf of the more than 40 per cent of the world's population who continue to live without improved sanitation.
Though more than 1.2 billion people worldwide have gained access to improved sanitation between 1990 and 2004, an estimated 2.6 billion people including 980 million children have yet to be reached, according to UNICEF..
Lack of Proper sanitation contributes to the deaths of thousands of children every day from largely preventable causes, including diarrhoeal diseases.
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WHO estimates that 194 million school days could be gained annually Because of fewer incidents of diarrhea.
Studies have shown that children with intense worm infestation perform poorly in school and can delay development by as much as six months. International Year of Sanitation in Ethiopia is being celebrated in conjunction with the African Union Year of the African Youth. A school water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) competition is being launched in selected schools in Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, and Tigrai, to engage youth to sensitize their peers and surrounding communities on the importance of sanitation and hygiene using fun and interactive means.
Achieving access to sanitation has a direct bearing on the achievability of the Millennium Development Goals, including goals on health, child survival, poverty reduction and education, UNICEF contends.
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