Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Our Goal:

We want all children to enjoy access to clean water and improved sanitation facilities close to their homes so that they can stay well. We are working towards this by:

• Improving the water, sanitation and hygiene conditions of Lesotho’s most vulnerable children
• ensuring safe and equitable access for all 
• ending Open Defecation.

What is the problem?

Lack of access to clean water and improved sanitation facilities plague families in Lesotho, especially those in rural areas.

• 80% of the rural population in Lesotho still collects their drinking water from unprotected sources. And, that the majority of them must travel more than 30 minutes to collect this unsafe water.
• 66.2% of the rural population lack access to improved sanitation facilities.
• 33.8% of rural families continue to rely on open defecation.

How is World Vision addressing the issues?

We are partnering with communities to increase easy, reliable access to clean water through the drilling of new boreholes and the restoration of non-functioning water systems. And, we are working with schools and health centres to ensure children and their families have access to clean water while they are studying or at a clinic by installing water points.

To address the sanitation and hygiene issues, we are educating communities about the risks and negative impacts of Open Defecation and poor sanitation processes and we are equipping families to build their own improved sanitation facilities.

And, to improve hygiene processes, we are training children and their families at school and through community meetings about the importance and the steps of proper hygiene practice.

Is what World Vision doing working?

Yes! Although there is still more work to be done, we are excited that 76% of families in the areas where we work are drinking clean water and that 39% of families now have access to improved sanitation facilities. We have also seen a significant increase in the number of families who have installed facilities, such as hand washing stations, to promote proper hygiene.

What’s the impact?*

• -14 educational facilities and 5 health facilities were supplied with access to clean water; giving 5,000 children access clean water while at school
• -33,874 people gained access to clean water sources
• -28 boreholes were drilled
• -7,809 people gained access to improved sanitation facilities
• -18,780 people are benefiting from improved sanitation facilities
• -600 improved sanitation facilities were built at schools, benefiting 18,780 children
• -42,246 people learned about proper hygiene processes
• -7,399 families installed hand-washing facilities near their latrines

*Numbers from 2016 and 2017