Did You Know AIDF Summit Puts Spotlight on Safe Water and Sanitation in Kenya

The AIDF have a wonderful event coming up in February 2017, which looks into latest policy and project updates, best practice and innovations to improve humanitarian aid operations and infrastructure resilience in sub-Saharan East Africa. Through their event, and communications throughout the year, they shed light on innovations that are assisting Africa. Today they are discussing the importance of safe water and sanitation in Kenya to socio economic transformation in Kenya.

In much of the continent, safe drinking water is very rare, with people relying on bottled and sachet water, that is not always that safe. Sanitation also causes problems, with gutters full of rubbish and dirty water, a safe haven for mosquitos and other diseases. Read on to see more about what AIDF have to say about the issue and how it will feature at their “must go to” event!

3.5 million people in Kenya were identified by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation in June 2017 as urgently requiring safe drinking water. Universal access to clean and safe drinking water and basic sanitation systems are key to achieving socio-economic transformation in countries, such as Kenya.

Access to clean water and sanitation can significantly reduce maternal and infant deaths. Safe drinking water and well-developed sewage services reduce the growing spread of communicable diseases, as well as increasing school enrolments and the productivity of working adults.

The Kenyan government has introduced a variety of initiatives to improve the sanitation and cleanliness of water in the country. The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Cleopa Mailu, reinforced the importance of robust and innovative financing models, in conjunction with political initiatives and investment in appropriate technologies. Accordingly, Kenya’s new water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) policy is forecasted to positively impact the economic and health status of communities across the country.

Many other innovative solutions to the issue of water sanitation have been identified around the globe. Zero Mass Water extracts water moisture out of the air through their inventive technology, Source Hydropanels. LifeStraw, another global company, produces innovative filtration and purification products, which were distributed to 629,000 school children in rural parts of Kenya.

A solar-powered water pump installed by Griftu Primary School in Kenya provides a constant supply of water to a newly built water tank. With this innovative, long-term solution allowing for the school to build segregated toilets for boys and girls, greater school enrolment and better hygiene education
have been facilitated.

To discuss innovative solutions for water treatment and the best practice in WASH programmes across Africa, join the 3rd annual Aid & Development Africa Summit on 27-28 February 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya. Organised by the Aid & International Development Forum (AIDF), the Summit agenda will include an evaluation of the success of current hygiene awareness and education initiatives, as well as new approaches to advancing water and sanitation access in the region.

Quality guidelines for safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene will be deliberated by a variety of expert speakers, including Alison Stone, Deputy Country Director for Innovation at Poverty Action Kenya, Patrick Paul Onyango, Programme Component Manager at GIZ Water Sector Reform Programme, Rage Adam, Head of M&E at Ministry of Public Works Reconstructions and Housing (Somalia) and Alberto Ibanez Llario, WASH & Solar Specialist, International Organization for Migration (IOM).

For more information about topics and speakers, see http://africa.aidforum.org/agenda
To register your participation at the Aid & Development Africa Summit, click here.
Find out how you can get involved, get in touch with Alina O’Keeffe, Head of Marketing, Aid & International Development Forum (AIDF) at marketing@aidforum.org.

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