Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. A third of the world’s population lives without basic sanitation infrastructure like a toilet.
Every day 4,000 children die from illnesses like diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera caused by dirty water and unhygienic living conditions. We can’t fight malnutrition without tackling the diseases that contribute to it. As part of our integrated approach to hunger, we’re getting safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services to communities in need all over the world.
What We Do
Provide Access to Safe Water
During emergencies, ACF trucks water into affected areas and installs storage tanks and reservoirs. Where water is scarce or unsafe, we drill and decontaminate wells, install hand-pumps, protect natural springs, tap aquifers, rehabilitate damaged infrastructure, and pipe water into hard-to-reach villages and health centers.
Promote Sanitation & Hygiene
To prevent outbreaks of disease during a crisis, ACF’s teams distribute hygiene kits and build latrines and hand-washing stations. In communities at risk, we construct water filters made from basic materials and teach healthy practices like hand-washing, cooking with clean utensils, and drawing water from protected sources.
Ensure Lasting Change
ACF’s commitment to community participation ensures long-term capacity: we train community-based water committees to manage their water and sanitation infrastructure themselves, and organize village health teams to model good sanitation and hygiene practices for their communities long after we leave an area.
Recent WASH News
May 17, 2013
Since March, severe flooding caused by heavy rains has devastated the usually dry region of Tana River County, Kenya. The lives and livelihoods of more than 82,000 people hang in the balance, as they have lost their belongings, farmland, livestock, and access to clean water.... Read
April 5, 2013
At Action Against Hunger, we help people who face extreme hardships every day to survive. Many lack access to basic necessities like food and water; others are struggling to rebuild after a disaster. On top of these difficulties, some people we serve also have physical limitations that make their situations even more challenging.... Read
March 19, 2013
As World Water Day approaches, we are focusing on the importance of safe water and sanitation around the world.... Read
March 15, 2013
Without a doubt, the key to cholera prevention is clean water. That’s why Action Against Hunger’s teams in South Kivu Province, in eastern D.R. Congo, make providing access to it their priority. This month, noted photographer Jana Asenbrennerova set out to capture our cholera prevention efforts through her lens. In the images below, you’ll see our work in action.... Read
We're a Top Nonprofit
Action Against Hunger has been named one of the top nonprofits of 2012 by reviewers at Great Nonprofits!
