Highlights
- Leaders from around the world will declare their commitment to ensure that all healthcare facilities throughout the developing world achieve access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services
- At the gathering, they will pledge financial resources and other support
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 19, 2019) — On Wednesday, June 19, World Vision will join philanthropies, healthcare delivery organizations, governments, financial institutions, corporations, universities, and more to declare a bold vision: that every person, no matter where they live, can receive treatment at a healthcare facility that has safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.
World Vision and partners commit to providing basic water, sanitation, and hygiene service in 800 rural health care facilities. This will serve an estimated 7.2 million people, at a cost of approximately $100 million dollars between 2019-2021. Key partners of this commitment will include charity: water, Grundfos, the CDC, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Dornsife Family, Golf Fore Africa, Midmark Corporation, Robert and Laura Abernathy, the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Wells Bring Hope.
In low- and middle-income countries, 50 percent of healthcare facilities lack piped water, 33 percent lack access to improved sanitation facilities, and 66 percent lack access to handwashing soap and running water. The lack of access undermines the quality of care, endangers patients, and puts healthcare workers at risk. “Because of the lack of basic water, sanitation and hygiene services in health care facilities, all too often what should be a joyous occasion, the miracle of birth, instead becomes a death sentence for the baby and/or mother. This commitment will change that risk in the next few years for millions of people by ensuring adequate services for the people in the least developed countries,” said Greg Allgood of World Vision.
As part of the initiative, organizations will pledge significant financial resources, while others will commit to the expansion of programs and adoption of WASH in healthcare facilities. This includes prioritizing and planning for the coming years in the form of advocacy, training and technical guidance, project monitoring and evaluation, donations of products and services and more.
The move comes alongside a historic United Nations Call to Action announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2018. The call envisions universal and sustainable access to WASH in all healthcare facilities by 2030, and is embodied in a formal Resolution of the World Health Assembly. The resolution was adopted May 25, 2019, committing countries to meet global standards for adequate (and sustainable) WASH in healthcare facilities. It will go into effect January 1, 2022.
World Vision is the largest non-governmental provider of clean water in the developing world. World Vision reaches one new person with clean water every ten seconds and every day three more schools receive clean water thanks the organization’s efforts. World Vision and its partners have committed to reach 20 million people with clean water from 2015 to 2020, having reached 12.7 million people with clean water in the last 3 years.
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Editor’s note: Photos and b-roll are available upon request. Contact Perrise Thomas ([email protected]; cell: 770-842-6188)
About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.