Maggie MontgomeryWater and Health Conference, Chapel Hill

Oct 2015

International Network on Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage Regional Workshops

Lessons learned and impact

Regional workshop overview

• Objectives – Provide a platform for diverse HWTS stakeholders

(Government, international organizations, NGOs, private sector and academia) to discuss key issues

– Develop national HWTS strategies and spark focused action

– Support implementation of Network strategy

• Reach – East Africa (2011), Southern Africa (2012), West Africa

(2013), South East Asia (2014)

– 16 countries involved, over 200 participants

– Government representation from both Ministry of Health and Water-Sanitation

MoH Kenya, John Kariuki

3 |

•By 2015, 30 countries have established policies on household water treatment and storage.-Achieved (> 15 countries have targets, > 30 have policies)

• By 2015, strengthened evidence to guide effective and replicable HWTS programmatic approaches to achieve long-term widespread use and public health impact.-Achieved (evidence on health impact convincing; more operational evidence needed)

•By 2020, 50 countries have achieved country-wide scale up of project-based HWTS.-Not-achieved (boiling only intervention that has achieved scale; do we need scale up or effective targeting?)

Reminder: Network Targets

4 |

Key workshop outcomes

• Increased knowledge

– HWTS M&E Toolkit

– Latest research on integration with HIV, emergencies, child/maternal health

– HWT performance

• Draft national action plans presented on final day (East, West and Southern African workshops)

• Proposals for HWTS monitoring or integration work drafted (SE Asia)

• Global tools

National HWTS plan framework

5 |

Key themes-Wordl from East Africa

Tools disseminated and developed through influence of workshops

Does it work? How do we implement? (integration; HIV and Nutrition)

Are we having an impact?

Will launch in Nov 2015

7 |

Post workshop progress-Ethiopia

• Held focused national workshop on HWT evaluation and regulation (Feb 2013)

• Used WHO HWTS performance reccomendations to stop distribution of hundreds of thousands of non-performing product in cholera prone region (2014)

• Hosted training for national laboratories on strengthening HWT evaluation (2015)

• Developing stronger national regulations and labelling (ongoing)

8 |

Post workshop progress-Ghana

• Developed and published national strategy, scaling-up model and private sector collaboration framework (2014)

• Included HWTS in outbreak and national preparedness activities in the North

• Strengthening evaluation and targeted distribution and uptake, especially in cholera prone areas (ongoing)

9 |

Post workshop progress-Kenya

• Established a national technical working group on HWTS to provide leadership on integration of HWTS within health

• HWTS now linked with maternal and child health, cholera prevention and control, HIV and nutrition efforts

• Included HWTS on essential medicines list (enable easier distribution through health centers)

• Held series of national promotion events and supported improved safe storage design

Final note on evidence base: WHO Taskforce on HWTS (2013)

• Basis/Objectives Scaling-up impaired by debate of evidence; review evidence and recommend specific actions

• Participants WHO staff from maternal and child health, nutrition, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, HIV, emergency alert and response

• Recommendations

-Reaching the global HIV target of treating 15 million by 2015 will require addressing safe drinking-water.

-Increase implementation of HWTS to end preventable child deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea by 2025 ( GAPPD)

-Develop preventive interventions to address multiple diseases associated with water storage. (Dengue and Diarrhoea)

“Afya ni bora kuliko mali.”

Thank you.Questions?

Health is better than wealth. (Swahili Proverb)