Stockholm/Berlin - 24 August 2022. At the Stockholm World Water Week, the German Network together with the German WASH Network and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH reported from practical work:
Pauline Mwinzi, Technical, Expanded Special Project for Elimination of NTDs (ESPEN), World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa WHO underlined the uniqueness of the data collection on WASH in the ESPEN-NTD portal. The data presented there on water, sanitation and hygiene, fill an important data gap.
Veterinarian Eiman Ahmed, Programme Manager of Veterinarians Without Borders Germany in Sudan spoke about the WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) approach in a multi-sectoral project on food security and livelihoods, WASH, income generation activities and protection of women and children.
Ahmed Bekere, Team Lead, German Leprosy and Relief Association (GLRA) Ethiopia described that the multi-sectoral work of One Health, WASH and NTD response needed to be much better aligned. He said his work shows that cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary One Health coordination is needed to achieve interruption of ongoing transmission, diagnosis and treatment of current human and animal cases.
Baridueh Badon, Project manager Access to water, Global Health Institute Merck, described a programme in Ghana that seeks to strengthen health systems and reduce infections, including waterborne diseases such as schistosomiasis, in different districts. Research, access to water and training of health workers are important components.
Wolfram Morgenroth Klein, Head of the Department of Pandemic Prevention, One Health, Animal Health, Biodiversity, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), underlined that combating NTDs and promoting WASH are clearly defined objectives of the Ministry's One Health Strategy. The event ended with Daniel Eibach's (BMZ) appeal to coordinate WASH and NTD activities even more closely.
Nadja Münstermann, Advisor, Sector Project One Health, GIZ, referred to the One Health Platform PANORAMA.
