World Vision is committed to helping children enjoy life in all its fullness by working with families, communities and partners and gain access to safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene practices, as they form the first pillars towards health and wellbeing of children and families.

As such, World Vision believes that every child deserves safe water. Our community-based approach gives us deep roots in the community, while our more than 40-year history in Ethiopia gives us the longevity and experience to take quality and sustainable interventions to scale.  

What is happening?  

 

• Nearly 39 million Ethiopians, most of them in the rural areas, do not have access to safe water supply.
• Close to 48 million Ethiopians lack access to basic sanitation
• Diarrhea is the leading cause of under -5 mortality in Ethiopia, causing 23% of all under- 5 deaths (73,341 children per year).
• Poor sanitation, lack of access to clean water supply and inadequate personal hygiene are responsible for 90% of diarrheal disease occurrence.
• An estimated 64,540 children could be saved every year by improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in the country.     
• Millions of people are subjected to WASH-related diseases as a result of recurrent droughts and health emergencies resulting from poor sanitation and hygiene.   

Goal

The goal of the WASH Program at World Vision Ethiopia is reducing the prevalence of diarrheal diseases among children caused by poor access to WASH services and reducing the economic and social burden brought about by the lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene on children and families in our project intervention areas. 

WASH at World Vision Ethiopia

The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Program at WV Ethiopia makes up one of the cornerstones of WV Ethiopia’s national strategy. The program principally aims to reach children and families with a holistic suite of WASH interventions, led by its mission; “Every child deserves safe water”.

The strategic focus areas are improved water supply, improved sanitation services, improved hygiene practices and strengthened WASH institutions in rural and urban settings as well as emergencies with WASH needs.

WVE employs low cost and innovative interventions and makes communities the center of its activities.

Impacts and Lives transformed

Between 2011-2018, WVE has provided 2.9 people with safe drinking water, more than 2.4 million people with dignified sanitation and 2.45 million people are practicing healthy hygiene behavior through its three major areas; Rural WASH, Urban WASH and Emergency WASH Response. The program is implemented in an integrated manner in close to 50 Area Programs, funded through sponsorships and grant programs.

Partnership and sector role

The WASH Program strongly believes in the power of creating strong partnerships with key government offices, sector platforms, donors and media. As such it has remained active in engaging partners and taking part in major national WASH sector events and forums, contributing its share as one of the strong actors and opinion makers in the WASH sector in Ethiopia. World Vision Ethiopia is currently serving as the vice chair of the Water and Sanitation Forum (WSF), a common platform, under the Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Associations, where civil Society Organizations operating in the WASH Sector, exchange innovative sector ideas and learn from each other. World Vision along with WaterAid has taken the initiative to revitalize the forum as well as periodically organize learning events.