USAID and Partners Form a $5 Million Alliance for Safe Drinking Water
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
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2004-014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2004
Contact: USAID Press Office
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Global Development Alliance (GDA), has awarded $1.4 million over 18 months to an alliance devoted to ensuring safe drinking water in three countries, Haiti, Pakistan, and the Sudan. The Safe Drinking Water Alliance - made up of USAID, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs (CCP), CARE, Population Services International (PSI), and Procter & Gamble - will implement these safe drinking water projects.
"USAID's GDA has built a unique public-private partnership that pools resources to attack a problem responsible for the death of an estimated 5,000 children per day around the globe," said Holly Wise, director, USAID Global Development Alliance. "We are delighted to be supporting the Safe Drinking Water Alliance in order to effectively provide safe drinking water in Haiti, Pakistan, and the Sudan."
The Alliance members belong to a global network of more than 20 organizations the International Network to Promote Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage that recognizes that simple, low-cost interventions at the household level can dramatically reduce the risk of diarrhea disease and death. The Alliance plans to use one of these treatment technologies, a combination coagulation/flocculation/disinfection system developed by the P&G Health Sciences Institute in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its field work.
New water treatment technologies, however, do not ensure their use by those most in need. The Alliance will use the following three strategic behavior change communication approaches in each country to encourage use of these new technologies.
Pakistan
A commercial market approach will be implemented in Pakistan. This approach leverages the technology innovation and distribution and marketing infrastructure of the private sector with the advocacy, education, and research efforts of collaborating groups to build awareness of the need to properly treat and store water. Specific activities will include the creation of a local Safe Drinking Water Council to build awareness of the causes and consequences of unsafe drinking water as well as building awareness of effective approaches to provide safe drinking water.
Haiti
CCP will use behavior change communication combined with PSI's social marketing approach to provide safe drinking water in Haiti. This social model approach is more appropriate in countries where economic and infrastructure constraints limit the commercial model. The social model involves the use of established social marketing distribution channels by non-profit organizations as well as a social network approach with local NGOs and Ministries of Health.
Sudan
CARE will test and refine a package that can be easily and rapidly deployed in the event of an emergency to ensure access to safe water for those affected. This approach will be used first in Sudan. Recent developments have focused on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, but at present, no action has been taken.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
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