Water and sanitation

Water and sanitation is one of Plan's core programme areas. We work with communities to improve access to safe drinking water and to raise awareness of the importance of waste management.

More than 2,200,000 children die every year - that is 4 every minute - as a result of diarrhoea caused by poor sanitation and hygiene.

In 2010 Plan helped 90,882 households to improve their sanitation facilities.

We also provide water points in communities and schools, especially in rural areas, and establish community-based organisations to ensure the continued management and maintenance of water points.

Radical approach

Billions of people lack access to basic sanitation and are forced to defecate out in the open, contaminating food and water supplies.

In Asia and East and Southern Africa, Plan is pioneering a radical new approach - Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), which educates communities about the importance of sanitation and helps them to construct and maintain their own latrines. They also gain the confidence to enforce a total ban on open defecation.