Photo credit: United Nations
SANITATION FOR NUTRITION AND CHILD HEALTH
19 November 2013
SANITATION FOR NUTRITION
SANITATION FACTS
Photo credit: water.org
• 40% of people in the world still do not have a toilet
• Undernutrition is associated with 35% of child deaths globally
SANITATION FOR NUTRITION
NUTRITION RELATES TO ALL MDG S
• MDG1 is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger as indicated by:
• The proportion of children <5 in low-income countries who are underweight
has declined since 1990, but not at a rate that will reach the MDG target by
2015
Photo credit: IARC
• The prevalence of underweight children under five years of age; and,
• The proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy
consumption
SANITATION FOR NUTRITION
SANITATION RELATES TO NUTRITION
Photo credit: United Nations
• Open defecation practices contaminate water supplies and food crops in
fields
• Associated poor hand washing causes faecal contamination at meals
• Contamination can result in gastrointestinal infections
SANITATION FOR NUTRITION
SANITATION RELATES TO NUTRITION
Photo credit: Gates Foundation
• Gastrointestinal infections can cause intestine damage leading to
malabsorption and loss of nutrients
• Infections can cause diarrhoea which also leads to loss of nutrients
• Over time, these lead to lower absorption of nutrients and malnutrition
SANITATION FOR NUTRITION
SANITATION IMPROVES NUTRITION
Photo credit: United Nations
• Sanitation could prevent 560,000 deaths associated with undernutrition
• High quality sanitation is necessary to reduce incidence and spread of
disease
• Ecological sanitation can increase crop productivity
SANITATION FOR NUTRITION
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Photo credit: United Nations
• End open defecation
• Create wealth and improve nutrition through waste
• Support local food production
www.sanitationdrive2015.org
Leanne Burney, UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation
Email: burneyl@un.org
Therese Dooley, UNICEF
Email: tdooley@unicef.org
Amanda Marlin, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council
Email: amanda.marlin@wsscc.org
Corinne Schuster-Wallace, United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health
Email: corinne.schusterwallace@unu.edu
SANITATION FOR NUTRITION
Improve your family’s lives – Stand up for your right to a toilet!