The UN declared water and sanitation a human right yesterday. Politically this is a big move. A report from the UN is expected soon on the... challenges facing the sector to implement this right. This will be welcome, because the rights debate is complex, contentious and confusing at times. For me it’s not about rights in isolation of responsibilities. And importantly, few understand this better than Bolivia, whose Ambassador to the UN, Pablo Solon, was clearly a key role player in...moreless

A study is now circulating about how more people in India have access to cell phones than latrines. This lit up the blogosphere and Twitter – sector... professionals and advocates are both dumbfounded and outraged that something so central to health and development as a toilet is being numerically lapped by something so trivial/consumerist as a cell phone. This affront has led to yet further calls for "action": more money for toilets and greater commitments to sanitation provision from aid...moreless

Water For People Country Directors, Regional Managers and senior staff are in Guatemala this week for our annual International Programs meeting. ... This is a critical time to share lessons across country programs, find ways to become a better organization and ask hard questions about the work that we do. We set direction, make sure we are making wise investments and clarify organizational priorities. My favorite part is when we look at monitoring results and explore ways in which country...moreless

"Sustainability" is the most overused and abused term in the water and sanitation sector. Water For People is proud of our efforts over the past few... years to dramatically expand the number of people we support. This is a testament to the strategic and impactful ways our field staff and partners continue to work throughout the world. We report numbers of "beneficiaries" every year so that it is clear how many people have partnered with Water For People around the world to solve their water and...moreless

Water For People is a proud member of the international advocacy network End Water Poverty (http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/). End Water Poverty has done an exceptional job of campaigning for the end of both water and sanitation poverty in a wide variety of venues. The... coalition writes letters to key legislators, UN officials, and government leaders worldwide. They organize demonstrations, develop manifestos and calls to action, and have built a broad coalition of individuals and...moreless

The water and sanitation sector is a particularly popular cause for good reason. The need is immense—officially 880 million people lack access to... clean water and 2.5 billion people do not have a safe toilet. Children die worldwide because of preventable water and sanitation-related diseases, and estimates abound on the lost productivity in developing countries that can be attributed to the lack of access to water and sanitation. Efforts to push forward legislation, increase finance and get...moreless

Ned Breslin introduces us to Mrs. Thombo in Malawi. She's the proud owner of a Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine. Mrs. Thombo's latrine is a... successful example of "Sanitation as a Business," a Water For People and Hygiene Village Project initiative. Mrs. Thombo will end up being a customer for an entrepreneur to empty the pit, which increases the entrepreneur's business and gives Mrs. Thombo the ability to make this a lasting solution. Trouble viewing this video? View a lower...moreless

Meet Theoneste, a boy in the orange jersey who claims he is nine years old but probably closer to six, in rural Rwanda. Theoneste’s family were... beneficiaries of an international NGO who came in to help this village, installed this handpump and left. They reported Theoneste’s family, and his neighbors, as beneficiaries – people the NGO claimed to help with “sustainable” water supplies. Within two months the pump broke and the water was trapped inside. The community needed water so...moreless