Poor sanitation is a major contributing factor to high levels of child mortality occurring in developing countries
WECF present at international Workshop „Water and Sanitation in International development and disaster relief“, organised by the University of Edinburgh and UNESCO, 28-30 May in Edinburgh, Scotland
30.05.2008 |Margriet Samwel
Prof. Andreas Schäfer and on the video the keynote speaker Ernesto Sirolli, author of `Ripples from the Sambesie Passion"
More than ever actions are needed to reduce the yearly ten million children dying before reaching their fifth birthday. Poor sanitation is a major contributing factor to high levels of child mortality that occurs in the developing countries. Malnutrition is an underlying cause of five million or 53% of children’s death. Diarrhoeal diseases spread by a lack of sanitation are linked to half of these deaths (water Aid).
A Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target was set to reduce by half the population lacking access to basic access to water and sanitation by 2015. At current rates of progress this global target will not be reached. In order to contribute on reaching the aims of the MDGs on water and sanitation, this workshop brought together international experts from academia, industry, aid organisations, government and non-governmental organisations, e.g. WECF, on water and sanitation related disciplines sharing and discussing during 3 days their experiences and knowledge.
During the workshop a broad range of issues was discussed in order to develop new strategies and sustainable as well as appropriate technologies to solve this complex and multi disciplinary problem. It was recognised that water and sanitation is not the priority on the national and international agenda of the policy makers. World wide the main budget is allocated for military purposes. In many countries little or no budget is allocated for the improvement of sanitation or for research.
Prof. Andreas Schäfer and on the video the key not speaker Ernesto Sirolli, author of `Ripples from the Sambesie Passion" with his message: you can work in a community only on invitation. Every body has a dream and should realize his dream: we can only facilitate.
In order to increase the access to safe water and sanitation no common and general solution is possible. The support for the developing countries should be demand driven and with involvement of the local communities be adjusted to the local conditions and needs. More research has to be done for the development of sustainable, affordable and suitable water and sanitation supply systems for the developing countries
Papers of oral and poster presentation are refereed and published in the conference proceeding with more than 100 articles on e.g. water and sanitation needs, water supply technologies, sustainable sanitation approaches, integrating water and sanitation, new technologies for water treatment of industries and case studies are published in a edited book.
WECF contributed to the conference with poster and article “IMPROVING SCHOOL SANITATION IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY FOR A BETTER HEALTH OF SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE EECCA AND IN THE NEW EU MEMBER STATES“.
