Considering the circumstances, let us use National Sanitation Action Week (NSAW) to not only acknowledge our progress, but also more poignantly, to remind ourselves of the need to prioritize water, sanitation and hygiene now and for the long run.Before the earthquake, around 30 percent of the Nepali people had no access to basic sanitation, and this number and impact varied throughout the country. In the Tarai area, pre-existing challenges related to sanitation are greater than in areas most impacted by the quake. This means that when we address the sanitation needs of the country, we should balance the water, sanitation and hygiene demands deriving from quake-affected areas, alongside the long-standing challenges that existed prior to April 25.
The importance of regaining access to hand washing and sanitation facilities has never been more vital and will be made even more evident when the monsoons come. This includes not only focusing on quake-affected areas, but also recognizing the gap in access to water supply and sanitation services among marginalized groups, such as the Dalits based in water-scarce locations.
Time is not on our hands, and the need to address these issues is immediate.
The task is a tough one, and the stakes are high, but the resilience of the Nepali people gives me hope. We're talking, after all, about a country and people who successfully made 'Open Defecation Free' a social movement. Since 2012, when Nepal was classified as one of the top 10 countries in the world with the highest practice of open-defecation, the government of Nepal established sanitation as a national priority.
Embracing the 'Open Defecation Free' movement, the government increased support and monitoring to strengthen access to sanitation services and raise awareness on the issue. Rather than just distributing materials and making services available, the movement focused on changing behavior and habits, encouraging communities to understand and embrace the importance of safe and healthy hygiene and sanitation habits.
For Plan Nepal, a child-centered development and humanitarian organization, NSAW is a timely event to promote sanitation and hygiene practices in the areas where we work, particularly amongst infants and young children. During NSAW, Plan will lead several hand-washing campaigns in our child-friendly spaces and temporary learning centers in Dolakha, promoting safe water treatment, and community cleanup.
Through our community consultations, children have told us that they want toilets to be built as soon as possible. Other children are asking for the government and partners to repair damaged drinking water supply systems and to provide support for accessing clean drinking water.
For us, children and their right to a safe and healthy life underline the work we do. With more than 32,000 classrooms destroyed by the quake, we must ensure that proper hand washing facilities and separate toilets for girls and women are included in the rebuilding and development of temporary learning centers and health facilities. The ability to wash your hands and access to safe and clean drinking water in schools is absolutely crucial to reducing the risk of conditions like diarrhea—the second largest killer of children in Nepal.
While the earthquake has worsened the sanitation conditions in the country, the situation also serves as a valuable opportunity to increase our efforts around water, sanitation and hygiene. We must ensure that we are addressing the gaps that were present before, and have been exacerbated by, the earthquakes. This means that longer-term development programs must continue to be strengthened, including in districts not affected by the quake.
We are using NSAW to call on the government and the international community to ensure that the needs of all individuals are met, and that the community-driven sanitation movement is supported and strengthened.
The author is Country Director of Plan International Nepal
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