sanitation for nutrition and child health

SANITATION FOR NUTRITION AND CHILD HEALTH

19 November 2013

Photo credit: United Nations

• 40% of people in the world still do not have a toilet• Undernutrition is associated with 35% of child deaths globally

SANITATION FACTS

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Photo credit: water.org

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TRITION• MDG1 is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger as indicated by:

• The prevalence of underweight children under five years of age; and,• The proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy

consumption• 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

NUTRITION RELATES TO ALL MDGS

Photo credit: IARC

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• 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 RELATES TO NUTRITION

Photo credit: United N

ations

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• 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 RELATES TO NUTRITION

Photo credit: Gates Foundation

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• 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 IMPROVES NUTRITION

Photo credit: United N

ations

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• End open defecation• Create wealth and improve nutrition through waste• Support local food production

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Photo credit: United N

ations

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Improve your family’s lives – Stand up for your right to a toilet!www.sanitationdrive2015.org

Leanne Burney, UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and SanitationEmail: burneyl@un.org 

Therese Dooley, UNICEFEmail: tdooley@unicef.org 

Amanda Marlin, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative CouncilEmail: amanda.marlin@wsscc.org

Corinne Schuster-Wallace, United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health Email: corinne.schusterwallace@unu.edu