‘When you preach water and you drink wine’: WASH in healthcare facilities in Kenya

Abstract Access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene, waste management and environment cleaning (WASH) in healthcare facilities (HCFs) is critical for infection prevention and control. The WHO/UNICEF 2019 global baseline report on WASH in HCFs indicates that 51 and 23% of those in sub-Saharan Africa have basic access to water and sanitation, respectively. Guided by the political ecology of health theory, this research engaged with 13 key informants, 16 healthcare workers and 31 community members on their experiences on the implementation, use and management of WASH in HCFs. Interviews were conducted in one informal settlement and three rural dispensaries in Kisumu, Kenya from May to September 2019. Findings indicate improvement in water access, yet water quality and other WASH service components remain a challenge even in newly constructed maternity facilities, thus impacting local health promotion efforts. Institutional challenges such as limited financial resources and ecological factors like climate variability and disease outbreaks compromised WASH infrastructure and HCF resilience. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3, good health and well-being, as well as Sustainable Development Goal 6, clean water and sanitation, the prioritisation of WASH in HCFs is required at all levels, from the local to the global.

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A Review of the SDG 6 Synthesis Report 2018 from an Education, Training, and Research Perspective

Water ◽

10.3390/w10101353 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1353 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Angela Ortigara ◽

Melvyn Kay ◽

Stefan Uhlenbrook

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Primary Sources ◽

Sustainable Development Goal ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Development Goal ◽

Research Perspective ◽

Training And Research ◽

Education Training ◽

Synthesis Report ◽

Sustainable Development Goal 6

In 2015, UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6): “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. Commonly known as the ‘water goal’, SDG 6 went well beyond the limited focus on water supply and sanitation in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and recognized the importance of all aspects of the water cycle in development and that water was embedded directly and indirectly in all 17 SDGs. In 2018, the UN published a report: “Sustainable Development Goal 6 Synthesis Report on Water and Sanitation 2018” (referred to in this paper as ‘the report’) that reviewed progress with SDG 6 at global and regional levels. Overall, the report concluded there was progress, but it was too slow, and the world was not on track to achieve SDG 6 by 2030 without a significant change of gear. The report was written primarily for those working in sustainable development to guide finance and resource allocation, but there was much embedded in the report that was of value to those engaged in research and in developing the much-needed capacity to plan and manage water resources, particularly in developing countries. This paper attempts to distill these issues and to ask how those involved in education, training, and research could contribute to enabling and accelerating progress towards achieving SDG 6. Three key areas of engagement were identified: the urgent need for more data and improved monitoring to assess SDG 6 progress and to enhance decision-making, the need to address the serious lack of human and institutional capacity that was constraining progress, and the challenge of taking research into policy and practice. Note: This paper is a review of selected aspects of the report (in which production the authors were chiefly involved as coordinators and editors), and as such most of the facts, figures, and discussion in this review are taken from the report. For this reason, we have not continually attributed them to the report to avoid repetition. However, in some cases, we have attributed report material to the primary sources where we considered it important to do so. We have also attributed material we have included, and which is not cited in the report. A review inevitably depends, to some extent, on the views of the reviewers and as such we have tried to make it clear where we are expressing our personal views rather than those expressed in the report. The report contains full references to all the primary sources.

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What If Your Husband Doesn’t Feel the Pressure? An Exploration of Women’s Involvement in WaSH Decision Making in Nyanchwa, Kenya

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16101763 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (10) ◽

pp. 1763 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Thelma Zulfawu Abu ◽

Elijah Bisung ◽

Susan J. Elliott

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Male Dominance ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Low Literacy ◽

Sustainable Development Goal ◽

Development Goal ◽

Implementation Processes ◽

Women And Girls ◽

Sub Saharan

Access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) is a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Women and girls suffer the main burden of a lack of access to WaSH because they are primarily responsible for collecting water for their homes. However, they are often excluded from WaSH decision-making and implementation processes. This research sought to explore women’s experiences in participating in WaSH decision-making through a case study in Nyanchwa, Kenya. Twelve (12) key informant interviews were conducted with community leaders and members regarding challenges and possible measures for enhancing women and girls’ participation in WaSH decision-making. From this research, it is evident that economic challenges and cultural factors such as male dominance, greatly inhibit women and girls’ participation in WaSH decision-making and implementation processes. Other factors such as time constraints and low literacy rates also emerged. The paper concludes with a call for collaboration among women’s groups to enhance collective action for improved access to WaSH. This will undoubtedly lead to enhanced community health and wellbeing (Sustainable Development Goal 3, SDG3) through the empowerment of women (Sustainable Development Goal 5, SDG5).

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Environmental degradation and female economic inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa: Effort towards Sustainable Development Goal 5

Development Southern Africa ◽

10.1080/0376835x.2020.1870933 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Zechariah Langnel ◽

George Babington Amegavi ◽

Kingsley S. Agomor

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Environmental Degradation ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sustainable Development Goal ◽

Development Goal ◽

Sub Saharan

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Unlocking the potential for achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 – ‘Zero Hunger’ – in Africa: targets, strategies, synergies and challenges

Food & Nutrition Research ◽

10.29219/fnr.v65.7686 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Prudence Atukunda ◽

Wenche Barth Eide ◽

Kristin R. Kardel ◽

Per Ole Iversen ◽

Ane C. Westerberg

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Eastern Africa ◽

Sustainable Development Goal ◽

Development Goal ◽

State Fragility ◽

Current Topic ◽

Slow Progress ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Zero Hunger

Background: The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (‘Zero Hunger’) aims to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Thus, a range of different strategies are needed to facilitate the achievement of SDG 2 to overcome challenges and enable synergies between various SDG targets. Objective: The aim of this review is to highlight Africa’s progress toward SDG 2, including targets, strategies, synergies and challenges. Methods: We scrutinized published research articles in peer-reviewed journals, UN reports and in-country Africa reports (between 2015 and 2020) that were relevant to the current topic. Results: Several hunger indicators are showing slow progress or even deterioration in Africa. The prevalence of undernourishment in the general population was 19.1% in 2019 and is expected to increase to 25.7% by 2030. Improvements in child stunting in several regions in Africa are slow, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where about 34% of under-fives were stunted in 2012 and 31% in 2019. In Eastern Africa, stunting prevalence decreased from 38% in 2012 to 34% in 2019. Major drivers of hunger are poor governance and state fragility, war and conflicts, increasing inequality, weak economic development, climate change, biodegradation – and now lately the Covid 19 pandemic – factors that all increase food insecurity. Conclusion: Africa is off track to reach SDG – ‘Zero Hunger’ – by 2030. Current efforts and progress are insufficient. Africa must champion the SDG agenda on a national, regional and global level to facilitate synergies to unlock the potential for reaching ‘Zero Hunger’ throughout the continent.

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Influence of Assistive Technology in Attaining Sustainable Development Goal 3: An Indian Perspective

International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology - Regular Issue ◽

10.35940/ijeat.a1122.1291s419 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1S3) ◽

pp. 546-550

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Assistive Technology ◽

Well Being ◽

Disabled Persons ◽

Sustainable Development Goal ◽

Persons With Disabilities ◽

Development Goal ◽

The Disabled ◽

The Status ◽

Development Goals

World now tries to move on sustainable development. This means development of the current generation without affecting future generations’ rights on environment, employability, healthy life. Towards this end United Nations drafted 17 Sustainable development goals to be achieved in the year 2030. Sustainable Development Goal 3, states that countries should “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all persons with disabilities”. Disabled persons will be in the marginal position in the society because of the disability. Disabled can be helped by assistive technology. Assistive technology will help in many ways, such as (i) assisting to live, or (ii) to have improvement in their disability, (iii) to assess the level of disability, (iv) to train disabled to overcome disability. This paper analyses the status of disabled in the India, various types of disabled persons with statistics, their condition in the society and the challenges in utilizing these devices for the upliftment of the disabled

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Sustainable Development Goal 3 Strategies to Take a Leap

10.4018/978-1-6684-3885-5.ch017 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 335-352

Author(s):

Dimpal Vij ◽

Harjit Singh

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

United Nations ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Well Being ◽

Current Status ◽

Sustainable Development Goal ◽

Development Goal ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Development Goals ◽

Health And Well Being

Third of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by United Nations to be achieved by 2030 is health and well-being for all which is the first requisite for the progress of a nation. The countdown to the date sets for the achievement of SDGs has already begun and during these years our government has tried a lot to achieve these targets. This chapter analyses India's preparation for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3. It begins with India's current status on key health indicators as set by SDG 3 and what progress India has already made at nation and state levels. The chapter includes government initiatives taken to achieve goals before the target dates. Finally, it analyses the weaknesses of India's healthcare system and suggests strategies that can help India achieve goals much before the target dates.

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