The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) summarize a list of reasonable global objectives to ensure all people have the opportunity to live healthy, peaceful, and full lives. Opportunity International Canada is an international development charity that works to leverage the power of financial inclusion to help reduce poverty.
n this blog series, I have been discussing how the work of Opportunity International intersects with and supports many of the SDGs and Goal #6 is very practical. Clean water and sanitation are taken for granted in much of the world, yet when not available the impact is devastating.
Many of my Canadian readers will remember the Walkerton, Ontario water crisis in 2000. Heavy rainfall caused bacteria from manure used as fertilizer to enter a shallow well from which town water was drawn. Proper treatment procedures were not followed, and the ensuing e-coli outbreak resulted in six deaths and sickened about 2,000 people. The enquiry resulted in stricter treatment guidelines and even jail time for officials. The episode captured national headlines for months.
And yet, in many of the countries where Opportunity International serves, there is a chronic lack of sanitation infrastructure and access to clean water. I have read estimates that over 600 million people do not have basic access to clean water, more than two billion lack access to properly managed water and sanitation systems, and over 800,000 people die annually from preventable water-related diseases. Water is essential for life, often forcing people to drink untreated water contaminated with water-borne diseases and parasites, a situation made worse by the lack of proper sanitation services and open defecation.
Water is essential for life, often forcing people to drink untreated water contaminated with water-borne diseases and parasites, a situation made worse by the lack of proper sanitation services and open defecation.
Apart from the direct negative impact on health, there are significant economic and lifestyle issues. Millions of people, including many women and children, must walk significant distances to collect and carry home water to be used for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Children, often girls, are unable to attend school regularly because of this chore. And adults, often women, spend several hours each week collecting water — hours that could be deployed for income-generating activities.
At a basic level, the economic empowerment of microfinance gives clients the resources to make water and sanitation improvements including water filters, bottled water, and latrine construction. We have often seen these improvements at the household level over Opportunity’s 50 years of client engagement.
At a basic level, the economic empowerment of microfinance gives clients the resources to make water and sanitation improvements including water filters, bottled water, and latrine construction.
And since about 2013, Opportunity International has been very intentional in addressing this issue through its water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) initiatives. Just as is the case for education, agriculture, and health, the principles of sustainable and inclusive microfinance can be leveraged to bring solutions to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Loans, training, and other supports have helped entrepreneurs launch and grow enterprises that provide solutions to many of these challenges, such as water sourcing and delivery services; the construction and operation of affordable facilities offering clean water, showers, and properly designed latrines; and the installation of gender-specific bathrooms in schools (making it easier for girls to stay in school, especially after puberty).
Through the Community Health Entrepreneur (CHE) network in India, described in an earlier blog post, training is provided for millions around the importance of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, bringing about changes with direct impact on local health. The CHEs also manufacture and sell affordable items such sanitary napkins and toilets to make the changes easier to implement (and make their roles sustainable in the process).
And within our ultra-poverty program in Haiti, clients receive important training about the health benefits of clean water and hygiene and are provided with a water filter and the materials and support needed to construct a latrine.
Parents have a deep desire to provide for their children, including nutritious meals, a safe home, a quality education, as well as the very practical and extremely important access to clean water and sanitation. Opportunity International leverages the simple power of a loan and training to make these possible, one family and one community at a time.
Dan Murray, CEO