Addis Ababa — Improved sanitation in Ethiopia could save lives of millions of children and raise the status of local women, only if its policymakers and the general public collectively took up the challenge to bring about change, a UNICEF official said here Monday.

Belinda Abraham, sanitation and hygiene specialist with the UN children's agency, said that many children in the country die needlessly daily because of diarrhoeal diseases and lack of sanitation.

Over 17 percent of childhood deaths in Ethiopia result from diarrhea; 60 percent of the national disease burden is attributed to water-borne and sanitation related diseases, according to the Ministry of Health report.

The specialist said 35 million Ethiopians are currently deprived of adequate sanitation and toilet facilities.

One of the many serious concerns in this regard is the threat presented by lack of sanitation and water supply as well as poor hygiene impeding the survival and development of Ethiopian children.

Sustainable awareness creation should be done by concerned bodies and the media towards advocating to sanitation cause, she urged.

Observing 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation (IYS), the UN children's agency Monday challenged the media in Ethiopia to help promote public sanitary habits.

Generating momentum behind global sanitary transformation would lead to better health for children as well as social and economic development, personal dignity and protection of the environment to break the cycle of poverty, according to UNICEF.

In light of commemorating the Year organized by UNICEF's communication and medial outreach activities, a site visit to one of the kebele's of the Addis Ketema sub-city in Addis Ababa was undertaken with the aim of eliciting wide media coverage on the sanitation situation in the capital as well as raising the awareness of communities on related issues.

The UN General Assembly has designated the year to create awareness of the plight of more than two billion people who lack access to sanitation worldwide.

"Lack of sanitation and water is a major issue in human development indicators. It is something that UNICEF holds to the heart because it affects millions of children," said the expert.

Spearheading the International Year of Sanitation, UNICEF along with other UN partners have come together to engage people, decision makers, the media, school children, parents and teachers to discuss the issue.

The Ethiopian government estimates that it would cost US$650 million to provide 100 percent universal access to sanitation in the country.

UNICEF is working to achieve full sanitation coverage and continues to work alongside the Ethiopian Government towards realizing the Universal Access Plan (UAP) for 100 percent sanitation coverage nationally by the year 2012.