hands4health
Hand hygiene, water quality and sanitation in primary health care facilities and schools not connected to functional water supply systems
Current situation
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are central to the ability to maintain hygienic environments and prevent disease transmission in both health care facilities and schools. Proper and frequent hand hygiene is one of the most important measures that can be taken to prevent the transmission of diarrheal diseases, respiratory diseases and (re-)emerging infections.
In 2019, the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Global Baseline Report estimated that over 45% of primary health care facilities and 50% of schools in LMICs do not have access to handwashing facilities, basic hygiene and water supply systems. Moreover, administrators and staff of health care facilities and schools often lack the capacity and knowledge to manage WASH services adequately. This holds particularly true in a context where functional water supply is lacking, rendering the provision of adequate WASH services intractable.
Our Vision
To join our experiences and efforts to establish a systemic approach to hand hygiene and WASH in primary health care facilities and schools serving the most vulnerable populations.
Target Population
Off-grid schools and health care facilities with poor WASH services, located in conflict-affected areas, refugee and internally displaced camps, informal settlements and remote rural areas.
10 Partners
NGOs, academia and private sector entities
8 Work Packages
Four-year project timeline: 2021-2024
4 Countries
Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Palestine
Latest news
- World Hand Hygiene Day 2023
SAVE LIVES – Clean your hands! May 5th marks World Hand Hygiene Day – a campaign led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with a focus on improving hand hygiene in health care… Read More »World Hand Hygiene Day 2023 - World Water Day 2023
An opportunity to accelerate change for hand hygiene World Water Day 2023, which is celebrated on March 22nd, is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. At current rates of progress,… Read More »World Water Day 2023 - Mise à jour hands4health Mali
Que pensent les utilisateurs maliens de la station Gravit’eau pour le lavage des mains ? Au Mali, une enquête a récemment été menée pour déterminer la satisfaction des utilisateurs des Gravit’eau – les… Read More »Mise à jour hands4health Mali - World Water Day campaigns in Nigeria
About World Water Day 2023 World Water Day 2023 (WWD) celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle… Read More »World Water Day campaigns in Nigeria
Consortium partners
Funding
The hands4health initiative is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), through a project and programme contribution of CHF 4’700’000. More information is available here.