WEST
BANK ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT
An environmental health assessment of the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) Village and Water Sanitation (VWS)
Program in the West Bank has been completed. The field work, carried
out by EHP and Save the Children, was completed over a two-week period
in January 2002 under very difficult conditions.
The VWS program is a two-year initiative funded by USAID and
undertaken by EHP in close collaboration with the Palestinian Water
Authority and other concerned national agencies. The purpose of the
VWS Program is to provide safe and sustainable water and sanitation
services to an estimated 140,000 people living in 50 underserved
communities in the West Bank in areas west of Hebron and south of
Nablus.
The assessment focused on access to and types of water supply and
sanitation facilities, quality of domestic drinking water, knowledge
and practices related to handwashing in school children (6-12 years),
prevalence of waterborne and sanitation-related diseases among
children under five, and hygiene knowledge and behavior of caretakers
of children under five and school-age children. This is the first in a
series of operational research activities that are intended to provide
information for the design phase of the project and to identify
appropriate indicators for evaluating program outputs and impacts on
behavior and possibly health.
The report, �USAID Village and Sanitation Program, West Bank of
Palestine - Environmental Health Assessment Phase I� is now
available from EHP (see �New EHP Publications� below).
For information on the activity, please contact
Craig Hafner at [email protected]
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A
DISSEMINATION WORKSHOP ON SMALL TOWNS� SANITATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND
THE CARIBBEAN
In recent years, there has been a significant and
growing interest in improving water supply and sanitation (WSS) services
in small towns. Small towns are not large enough for a
conventional utility but often too big for community-managed water
supply and sanitation models used in rural areas. Sanitation services in
small towns require formal management arrangements, a legal basis for
ownership and the ability to expand to meet growing demand. In Latin
America, small towns tend to have populations of 5,000-25,000.
Over the past year, with support from USAID�s
Latin America and the Caribbean Bureau, Office of Regional Sustainable
Development (LAC/RSD), EHP has developed a methodology for improving
sanitation in small towns in Latin America and the Caribbean. This
methodology has been field tested in Ecuador, Panama and Jamaica. The
report, �Improving Sanitation in Small Towns in Latin America and the
Caribbean: Practical Methodology for Designing a Sustainable Sanitation
Plan� is now available from EHP (see �New EHP Publications�
below).
To introduce the methodology, develop strategies
for its use and to identify actions for follow-up, two dissemination
workshops have been planned. The first workshop will be held in
Peru, October 1-3, 2002, and will include participants form Bolivia,
Ecuador, Peru and Paraguay. The second is planned for November
19-21, 2002, in Honduras for Central American countries.
For more information on the
workshop or the activity, please contact Fred Rosensweig at [email protected]
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GHANA
URBAN HEALTH ASSESSMENT
The urban population in Ghana currently constitutes
38% of the total population and is growing at over twice the rate as that
of rural areas. Given this rapid urbanization scenario, USAID/Ghana is
interested in achieving a better understanding of urban poor health
conditions.
The Environmental Health Project (EHP) was tasked by
USAID/Ghana, USAID Bureau for Global Health/Office of Health and Nutrition
and USAID Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade/Office of
Environment and Urban Programs to conduct an assessment of the health
needs of the urban poor in Ghana. The assessment information is
anticipated to provide a road map for possible Mission interventions
related to poor health in urban areas and to feed into future urban slum
health programming under USAID/Ghana�s country strategy.
A team of two EHP consultants and two consultants
from Ghana has completed a literature review and on-the-ground assessment
of conditions in the urban slums of Accra and Kumasi. Key findings show
that clean water supply and sanitation, in particular, are the most
critical needs for improving poor health in urban areas and that services
for the urban poor are inadequate. A draft assessment report of findings
and strategic recommendations for USAID/Ghana is now under
preparation.
For more information on the
activity, contact Sarah Fry at [email protected]
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NEWS
FROM THE BANGLADESH, BHUTAN, INDIA AND NEPAL (BBIN) NETWORK
Due to increased population movement across common
borders in South Asia, cross-border spread of vector-borne diseases is on
the rise. The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) network for
vector-borne diseases was conceived two years ago to facilitate regular
information sharing and standardized surveillance approaches. With support
from USAID/Nepal, EHP/Nepal played a major role in the BBIN network
including taking the lead in establishing partnerships, forging the links
between the four member countries, conducting regional workshops and
establishing and managing the BBIN Web site for information sharing.
The BBIN Web site was currently updated with new
features that include: a new country page from �Bangladesh�; a
�Breaking News� section reporting vector-borne disease outbreaks,
epidemics and related actions in the region; an �Events� page covering
�Current Events,� �Previous Events� and �Upcoming Regional
Events� with emphasis on cross-border issues; an �Information
Exchange� page; and a �Library� page with regional news
bulletins/publications and relevant reports.
Check out the BBIN Web site at http://www.bbin.org.
For information on the BBIN and cross-border
vector-borne disease initiatives, please contact [email protected]
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HONDURAS:
DEVELOPMENT OF A SUPERVISORY SYSTEM FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH TECHNICIANS
USAID has been working with the Honduran Ministry of
Health (MOH) since 1993 in the development of an integrated environmental
health program. To date, the MOH has trained 270 environmental
health technicians, with more anticipated to be trained in the future. The
MOH also is in the process of training 50 supervisory staff.
USAID/Honduras has requested EHP to assist the MOH in
developing a framework for the supervisory staff, which includes task
definition, evaluation and reporting. An EHP consultant has carried out a
first visit to assess the status of the current program for environmental
health technicians and make recommendations for improvement. Two more
visits are planned.
For more information on the
activity, please contact Fred Rosensweig at [email protected]
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NEW EHP
PUBLICATIONS!
1. Activity Report on Phase II of the Peru Lead
Project
Activity Report 110, �Support for Phase II of the Peru
Lead Project to Determine Blood and Ambient Lead Levels in Metropolitan
Lima and to Manage the Lead Exposure Problem in Critical Areas�
In 1997, a collaboration was initiated between USAID/Peru
and the Peruvian Ministry of Health�s General Directorate of
Environmental Health (DIGESA) to implement a program to phase out lead
from gasoline.
As part of the program, a blood-lead study was
implemented to obtain baseline data to monitor changes in blood lead
levels associated with the phase-out. The study conducted by DIGESA among
high-risk populations, mainly children and women living in Lima and
Callao, showed severe lead contamination in an area near the port of
Callao. The findings highlighted a need to look at probable sources of
contamination other than leaded gasoline. As a result, DIGESA, EHP and
USAID implemented a follow-on phase of the study. The purpose of the Peru
Lead Project Phase II was to clearly identify all possible sources of lead
exposure and to provide technical assistance and support to DIGESA to
manage the problem.
A 1.12MB PDF version of the report is available at:
http://www.ehproject.org\PDF\Activity_Reports\AR110-PELeadPrj2Final.pdf
For more information or a hard copy of the report, contact [email protected]
2. Strategic Report on Sanitation
in Small Latin American Towns
Strategic Report 3. Improving Sanitation in Small Towns in
Latin America and the Caribbean � Practical Methodology for Designing a
Sustainable Sanitation Plan.
Over the past year, with support from USAID�s Latin
America and the Caribbean Bureau, Office of Regional Sustainable
Development (LAC/RSD), EHP has developed a methodology for improving
sanitation in small towns in Latin America and the Caribbean. This
methodology has been field tested in Ecuador, Panama and Jamaica.
A 1.86MB PDF version of the report, �Improving Sanitation
in Small Towns in Latin America and the Caribbean: Practical Methodology
for Designing a Sustainable Sanitation Plan,� is available at:
http://www.ehproject.org\PDF\Strategic_papers\SR3LACSanSmTwnsCombinedFINAL.pdf
A 2.46MB Spanish version of the report also is
available at:
http://www.ehproject.org\PDF\Strategic_papers\SR3-LACSPANISH.pdf
For more information or a hard copy of the report, contact [email protected]
3. Joint Publication 5. USAID Village and
Sanitation Program, West Bank of
Palestine � Environmental Health Assessment Phase
I
An environmental health assessment of the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) Village and Water Sanitation (VWS)
Program in the West Bank has been completed. The field work was carried
out by EHP and Save the Children over a two-week period in January 2002
under very difficult conditions.
The assessment focused on access to and types of water
supply and sanitation facilities, quality of domestic drinking water,
knowledge and practices related to handwashing in school children (6-12
years), prevalence of waterborne and sanitation-related diseases among
children under five, and hygiene knowledge and behavior of caretakers of
children under five and school-age children.
This publication, in collaboration with Save the Children,
presents the results of this assessment.
A 2.32MB PDF version of the report is available at:
http://www.ehproject.org\PDF\Joint_Publications\JP005WestBankAssessfinal.pdf
For more information or a hard copy of the report, contact [email protected]
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Previous
Issues
The main topics or countries
discussed are given in parentheses.
August
2002 (Improving
the Early Warning Report System in Nepal, Assessing Sanitation Policies, Post-Mitch
Activities in Nicaragua, African Sanitation and Hygiene Conference)
June
2002 (West
Bank Environmental Health Assessment, New Publications)
March
2002 (E-Conference
on Hygiene Improvement Framework, Latin America and the Caribbean, Larva
Control, Nicaragua, Africa Malaria Day)
January
2002 (New
EHP Director; Benin; Monitoring Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Activities;
Malaria and Vector Control)
November
2001 (EHP Handwashing Publication, West Bank, Asia
and the Near East, PAHO�EHP Partnership)
October
2001 (Benin, Sustainable Sanitation in Small
Towns, DR Congo, Peru Behavior Change)
August 2001 (India, Eritrea, Democratic Republic
of the Congo, BBIN Network, information exchange network)
June 2001 (Mozambique, Madagascar, Nepal, Dominican
Republic, indoor air pollution consultation, Nairobi SIMA Conference)
May 2001
(Central America handwashing initiative, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Eritrea, Nepal, Bolivia)
March
2001 (Nicaragua, Madagascar, Africa, DDT cost comparison)
January
2001 (EHP
Activities, E-Newsletter, National Malaria Control Programs in 4 African
Countries, Congo, Decentralization in Latin America, Peru, WSSCC Forum,
Global WS&S Assessment from WHO/UNICEF)
November
2000 (Nicaragua,
Dominican Republic, Madagascar, SANICONN)
September
2000 (Nepal/Regional,
EHP and E-conferences)
July
2000 (Nicaragua, Malaria
Vaccine Development, "Water for the World")
May�June
2000 (Nicaragua, International
Consultation on Indoor Air Pollution)
April 2000
(Nicaragua,
Madagascar, Mozambique)
March 2000 (Benin, South Africa,
Eritrea, Madagascar)
February 2000 (Nicaragua, Paraguay,
Ukraine, Mozambique and Eritrea)
January
2000 (Nicaragua, EHP Lessons Learned)
Previous
Issues by Country
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