Maura O'Neill: WASH for Life: Testing Promising Solutions and Scaling Proven Successes in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

WASH for Life: Testing Promising Solutions and Scaling Proven Successes in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

In 2008, the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire brought the issue of unsafe sanitation to the silver screen. Audiences cringed as young Jamal is forced to jump into the open pit of feces in which he was previously seen relieving himself. But such scenes are not simply fodder for movie-goers and awards ceremonies. Today, 2.6 billion people lack access to safe sanitation. Of these, 1.1 billion people practice open defecation, meaning they have no sanitation facilities at all. Unsafe sanitation is not only unpleasant, it can be deadly. Improper waste disposal can pollute the drinking water supply, spreading water-borne disease. More than 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and those with some access cannot always rely on it being available or clean...