Water, sanitation and hygiene
Every child has the right to clean water and basic sanitation facilities.
The challenge
In The Gambia, 90 per cent of households have access to safe drinking water and 60 per cent of the population has access to improved sanitation. Unfortunately, only 31 percent of households have a handwashing facility, and 73 percent of households are at risk of Escherichia coli fecal contamination, indicating poor water quality in The Gambia.
Environmental degradation, regular flooding and drought conditions continue to expose more children to health and sanitation deprivations, including water-borne diseases.
Inadequate water supply and improved sanitation in schools, health care facilities, and public places remains a challenge. In spite of 89.5 per cent of primary schools having WASH facilities that met national standards, there are significant disparities exist between the urban and rural schools. Ensuring provision of gender separated facilities that meet the specific needs for girls remains a key focus for the country office.
The solution
UNICEF supports the Government of The Gambia and collaborates with Civil Society Organizations, Non-government organizations, and other United Nations Agencies, to ensure universal access to safe drinking water, affordable sanitation, and hygiene for all. This partnership strengthens institutional capacities for planning, implementing, and monitoring sustainable WASH programs, with special attention given to the needs of women, girls, and vulnerable populations.
Increasing the population’s access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation dramatically reduces their susceptibility to water-borne diseases, and the likelihood, especially for women and children, of incurring additional expenses related to treatment and missing school days due to lack of dignified sanitation facilities.
Going forward, UNICEF will focus on sustaining the gains registered through several measures and strategies, including:
- Scaling up the campaign to end open defecation in urban areas, while consolidating and sustaining open defecation-free achievements in rural areas.
- Enhancing sanitation around public places, markets, and garages through the construction of public latrines, capacity building within community structures to maintain hygiene and upkeep.
- Improving access to safe potable water in schools and health centers, while paying attention to water quality.
- Improving access to basic sanitation in schools and riverine communities.
- Enhancing the capacity of partners to implement WASH services.
- Exploring innovations and initiatives to provide appropriate sanitation solutions to riverine. Communities and areas with difficult soil formations.
- Mapping of sanitation and water points in the country.
- Scaling up the last mile campaign using our Ñsa Kenno (We can do it) approach to achieve 100% open defecation-free status.
- Improving awareness to Menstrual Health and Hygiene for schools and communities
- Exploring new innovations and initiative to migrate the risk of climate change