SHARE Masters Programme takes off in Bangladesh

The SHARE Masters Research Fellowship Programme in Bangladesh has today been announced to potential students in the country.  With the support of SHARE, WaterAid Bangladesh is inviting research proposals on Sanitation and Hygiene issues from current students of a Master of Public Health (MPH) and relevant disciplines (e.g. Development Studies, Environmental Science, Gender Studies, Population Sciences, Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work). 
 
 
 
SHARE Researchers contribute to a new high-profile report on sanitation and hygiene in Africa. 
SHARE Researchers have contributed to the new report on “Sanitation and hygiene in Africa: Where do we stand? Analysis from the AfricaSan Conference in Kigali, Rwanda”. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SHARE Researcher Val Curtis speaks at the inauguration of World Toilet Day as an official UN day   
The UN officially celebrated World Toilet Day for the first time this year, and SHARE Researcher Val Curtis spoke at the official inaugural event.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
SHARE researchers present their findings to DFID to mark World Toilet Day 
To mark World Toilet Day last Tuesday, SHARE-funded researchers had the opportunity to present their work to a varied audience at the UK Department for International Development. 

The researchers presented their work at DFID’s Whitehall offices to London-based staff, as well as staff based in Scotland and country officers from across the globe. 
 
 
Discussing sanitation financing on World Toilet Day with guests John, Sophie and Sandy 
On this World Toilet Day, 2.5 billion people across the globe still don’t have access to a basic toilet. This is holding back development, not only due to the associated health impacts. Substantially increased investment is crucial. What type of investment model is most likely to work in resource poor settings?  
 
 

UK Launch of Cochrane Review on WASH and Childhood Undernutrition 
 
The UK Launch of the Cochrane Review on WASH and Childhood Undernutrition was held yesterday at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Lead author Dr Alan Dangour, Senior Nutrition Lecturer at LSHTM, presented the findings, followed by comments from a distinguished panel including Ms Anna Taylor, Senior Nutrition Advisor at the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Mr Girish Menon, Director or International Programmes and Deputy Chief Executive at WaterAid and Professor Sandy Cairncross OBE of LSHTM. 
 
 
 
SHARE-funded collaboration on maternal health in Zanzibar gets off to a great start 
A recent visit by SHARE partner WaterAid to Zanzibar marks an important first step in the jointly funded collaboration between SHARE, WaterAid, the SoapBox Collaborative and key national stakeholders. The proposed collaboration has the firm support of the Minister for Health and Social Welfare, pictured here, and aims to support the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare's plans to improve quality of care in maternity units through appropriate WASH services in healthcare facilities. 
 
 
The Fifth South Asian Conference on Sanitation - renewed focus on hygiene and first time mention of nutrition 
The Fifth South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN-V) took place last week, from 22-24 October in Kathmandu, Nepal. As well as reaffirming the principles of policy and good practice set out in the SACOSAN declarations of the last decade, the Kathmandu Declaration was the first to recognise nutrition as one area where sanitation unlocks measurable benefits. The evidence showing a link between sanitation, hygiene and water and childhood undernutrition is growing, as shown in the recent SHARE-funded Cochrane Review on WASH and Childhood Undernutrition, so it is heartening to see the link being affirmed in this a high-profile Declaration. 
 
 
Landlords and tenants: a vital relationship for improving sanitation in Tanzania 
The relationship between landlords and tenants was highlighted by Keko Machungwa (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) community members as a critical challenge in improving sanitation standards. The Tanzania Urban Poor Federation and Centre for Community Initiatives have been exploring ways of improving this relationship, with a view to improving sanitation in informal settlements. This report discusses an example of these initiatives, in Keko Machungwa settlemennt, Dar es Salaam. 
 
 
 
Dr Alan Dangour: Can WASH interventions improve the growth of children? 
Dr Alan Dangour, Senior Lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and lead author of the SHARE-funded Cochrane Review on WASH and Childhood Undernutrition, discusses whether, and how, WASH interventions can improve growth in children.
 
 
 
 
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development visits SHARE-funded projects in Uganda 

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development Lynne Featherstone visited two projects that are part of the SHARE-funded Undoing Inequity programme in Uganda yesterday. The visits to the projects - Wera Primary School and Bobol Village - were chosen as part of a wider visit by the Minister to Uganda to look at innovative work on disability in developing contexts.  
 
 
Jo's blog: What do Global Handwashing Day and World Food Day have in common? 

Jo Esteves Mills, Research Uptake Officer at the SHARE Research Consortium, talks about the importance of WASH interventions in programmes that tackle undernutrition, as we celebrate Global Handwashing Day and look ahead to World Food day, tomorrow.
 
  
 
Om's blog

 
Om shares reflections and photos on the food hygiene intervention trial, having been in the field with limited connectivity for the last three months.  
 
 
 
New video suggests that low-cost interventions for inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene service delivery are possible in Uganda  
 
The SHARE-funded research project “Undoing Inequity: Inclusive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programmes that Deliver for All” has just produced a video that investigates the cost of inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene service delivery in Uganda.
Remarkable progress has been made over the last decade in access to water and sanitation, which are Millennium Development Goal 7 targets. Nonetheless, huge disparities in access remain. For example, older people, disabled people, or people with chronic illnesses have difficulty in accessing these basic services. While people remain excluded, universal access cannot be achieved.
 
As James Kiyimba, the Programme Coordinator for Communications at WaterAid Uganda, explains, cost is often cited as one of the main barriers to providing facilities that are accessible to all. WaterAid and its partners have produced a video that investigates the cost of having in place inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene services in Uganda. It demonstrates that, in terms of the hardware costs, simple low-cost adaptations do exist that provide inclusive solutions.
 
When asked what could be achieved with this video, James said: “I hope that WASH practitioners and key policy and decision makers, as well as the general public, watch this video and that it brings to life for them the real challenges that some people face each day to access services that most of us absolutely take for granted. Most of all, I hope it illustrates how low cost interventions can help overcome the physical barriers to such access, and that it really drives home the difference that improved access to WASH can have on a person’s health and dignity and their ability to participate more fully in society”.
 
  
Open Defecation and Childhood Stunting in India: An Ecological Analysis of New Data from 112 Districts 

SHARE researcher Oliver Cumming recently co-authored a paper with Dean Spears at the Delhi School of Economics and Arabinda Ghosh (IAS, Goverment of India) in the journal PLoS ONE entitled Open Defecation and Childhood Stunting in India: An Ecological Analysis of New Data from 112 Districts. The paper adds to a growing body of evidence linking poor sanitation to childhood undernutrition in India with the authors finding that a 10 percent increase in open defecation was associated with a 0.7 percentage point increase in both stunting and severe stunting. The recently published Cochrane Review on sanitation and childhood undernutrition authored by Alan Dangour and funded by SHARE offers more information on this important area of research.
   
 
Om's Blog: Launching of the food hygiene intervention in Nepal 

Following on from the design of the intervent

Nepalese mothers learning about the 5 behaviours

ion and the baseline study, Om updates us about the long-awaited launch of his Food Hygiene Intervention Trial in rural Nepal.
 The intervention draws on a variety of behaviour change techniques to improve food hygiene in the home, with a focus on weaning foods.
 
 
 
 
WSUP call for expressions of interest in research on urban sanitation in Bangladesh 

wsup logo

 
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) are seeking a world-class research team to design and implement a research project in Dhaka (Bangladesh), around the effectiveness of large-scale sanitation promotion strategies to improve usage and maintenance of existing communal toilet facilities in low-income urban communities. The fund is GBP 220,000 and the timescale is late 2013 to late 2015. 
 
 
Om's Blog: Finalising the intervention and conducting the baseline study 
 
child with branded bib, Nepal
In the latest updates from Om Prasad Gautam's food hygiene intervention study in Nepal, he outlines the framework and content of the food hygiene promotion package he has conceived. He also goes into detail about the baseline study he has conducted before proceeding with the intervention itself. 
 
 
 
 
SIT - a new Sanitation Investment Tracker mobile app 
 
SHARE has funded Trémolet Consulting to work with Akvo.org to develop the Sanitation Investment Tracker (SIT) mobile app. SIT is a suite of applications that can be used to track investment and associated expenditure in sanitation at household level. Learn more about SIT and start using the app. 
 
 
Dr Val Curtis
 
Setting Research Priorities to Reduce Mortality and Morbidity of Childhood Diarrhoeal Disease in the Next 15 Years 
SHARE researcher Dr Val Curtis recently co-authored a paper in the journal PLOS Medicine: Setting Research Priorities to Reduce Mortality and Morbidity of Childhood Diarrhoeal Disease in the Next 15 Years.
 
 
 
 
FREE IDS CLTS Sharing and Learning Workshop, 30 June in Nakuru, Kenya 
 
The CLTS Knowledge Hub at IDS is hosting a one day CLTS Sharing and Learning workshop on the 30th June, ahead of the main WEDC Conference in Nakuru, Kenya.   
 
Women with toilet, India

Sanitation microfinance: a solution to the household sanitation cash trap? 

SHARE recently published two case studies on sanitation microfinance in India and Tanzania, based on original research by Trémolet Consulting and MicroSave. Author of the case studies Sophie Trémolet identifies lessons learned from the research and a way forward for making microfinance part of the solution for reducing the sanitation access gap.  

 

Download the India case study and Tanzania case study 

Read Sophie Trémolet's reflections on the research

Resources

ADVERT: Bangladesh SHARE Masters Research Fellowship Programme

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With the support of SHARE, WaterAid Bangladesh invites research proposals on Sanitation and Hygiene issues from current students of a Master of Public Health (MPH) and relevant disciplines (e.g. Development Studies, Environmental Science, Gender Studies, Population Sciences, Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work). To qualify for this research fellowship, students must be affiliated with any Public or Private University/Institution of Bangladesh. Furthermore, their chosen area of research must be in the field of sanitation and hygiene. SHARE is offering four Fellowships, each worth 90,000 BDT.

REPORT: Mainstreaming Disability and Ageing in Water Sanitation and Hygiene Programmes

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This report presents an overview of the extent to which disability and ageing is mainstreamed in WASH programmes. Drawing on experiences from WASH organisations around the world, it is evident that disability and ageing have received increased attention in the WASH sector over the last decade, but there is still a long way to go to achieve genuine mainstreaming. The current picture is of a ‘continuum’ of progress towards mainstreaming. This continuum provides a framework for WASH implementers to analyse their own equity and inclusion activities. With further refinement, it could also provide a practical tool for use by implementers in reviewing progress, and planning next steps in mainstreaming disability and ageing within their organisation and programmes. The thought provoking report provides a starting point and structure for discussion of ways forward.

JOURNAL ARTICLE: Impact of Indian Sanitation Campaign on Latrine Coverage and Use: A Cross-Sectional Study in Orissa Three Years Following Programme Implementation

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This research paper is linked to the Orissa Randomised Controlled Trial that SHARE is partially funding. It aims to investigate whether government sanitation campaigns that use subsidies focused on latrine construction to overcome income constraints may be hindered by their attempt to rapidly expand coverage due to sub-optimal compliance (use). The research concludes that "A large-scale campaign to implement sanitation has achieved substantial gains in latrine coverage in this population. Nevertheless, gaps in coverage and widespread continuation of open defecation will result in continued exposure to human excreta, reducing the potential for health gains."

PRESENTATION: Undoing Inequity: Presentation to DFID on World Toilet Day 2013

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To mark World Toilet Day last Tuesday, SHARE-funded researchers had the opportunity to present their work to a varied audience at the UK Department for International Development. This presentation on SHARE-funded research into how to ensure water, sanitation and hygiene programmes that deliver for all in Uganda and Zambia was delivered by Principal Investigator Jane Wilbour.

PRESENTATION: Sanitation Microfinance: Presentation to DFID on World Toilet Day

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To mark World Toilet Day last Tuesday, SHARE-funded researchers had the opportunity to present their work to a varied audience at the UK Department for International Development. This presentation on SHARE-funded research projects around sanitation microfinance was given by Principal Investigator Sophie Tremolet.

PRESENTATION: Violence, Gender and WASH: Presentation to DFID on World Toilet Day

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To mark World Toilet Day last Tuesday, SHARE-funded researchers had the opportunity to present their work to a varied audience at the UK Department for International Development. This presentation on the Violence, Gender and WASH toolkit for practitioners was given by lead toolkit author Sarah House.

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