Water and Sanitation: the First Line of Defense

Posted: 13 May 2002

When emergency strikes, Oxfam Great Britain gets a team of engineers and educators on the scene immediately, providing clean water, digging latrines, and teaching people how to maintain sanitation in the difficult conditions of a refugee camp.

Every year, 3.4 million people, mostly children, die from water-related diseases like diarrhea, malaria, and trachoma. Approximately 80 percent of these diseases and over one-third of related deaths are caused by contaminated water.

In emergencies, with people crowded together in refugee camps, injuries, malnourishment, and stress make them vulnerable to disease. The first thing they need is water, but in unsanitary conditions, water can become a source of infection that spreads quickly.

The Oxfam Bucket was developed for use by people living in refugee camps. It contains crucial ingredients such as soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, candles, matches, cloth, and sanitary napkins.

For more than 20 years, Oxfam has represented the first line of defense in humanitarian disasters. Oxfam Great Britain has perfected a system that gets a team of engineers and educators on the scene immediately, providing clean water, digging latrines, and teaching people how to maintain sanitation in the difficult conditions of a refugee camp. Oxfam warehouses equipment to meet the needs of disasters around the world in a matter of hours.

According to Paul Sherlock, Oxfam Great Britain’s senior technical adviser, "All the research shows us that we have to do sanitation and we have to support it with hygiene promotion. We now do not do water without sanitation and hygiene."

OXFAM'S TOOLS
Oxfam's ten emergency engineering teams work with universities and companies, coordinating a unique inter-agency water and sanitation engineering network. The group has developed clear and easily executed sanitation guidelines and a hygiene training book that enable people on the scene to implement proven techniques rapidly.

WATER
Oxfam Great Britain has designed a collapsable water tank that will hold 70,000 liters - enough to provide daily water for 4,666 people. These "bladders" can be flown in and set upin a matter of hours, while truckloads of water are being driven to the scene.

In many emergencies, cultural realities have to be dealt with, such as customs related to toilet facilities for men and women. Oxfam has developed a number of flexible ways to adapt rapidly and sensitively to such problems.

HEALTH PROMOTION
Oxfam Great Britain discovered long ago that health promotion and education have to be part of saving lives in refugee camps. Disease spreads quickly and education is crucial to break the chain. Oxfam trains Health Promoters, themselves refugees, to teach others about hygiene practice. Each family is given an Oxfam bucket, scrubbing brush, and soap. A measuring jug is furnished for making oral-rehydration solution, which is part of a lifesaving treatment for those suffering from dehydration brought on by diarrhea.

Oxfam Great Britain's record of success with their emergency water and sanitation system has placed the team in high demand. Although managed by staff in Britain, funding for emergencies flows in from Oxfam supporters around the world. Oxfam America works closely with other Oxfams, supporting partners working in regions where emergencies demand both immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation work.