How to Integrate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene into HIV Programmes

"Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices are essential for maintaining health, yet most countries and donors have not included WASH in national policies and programmes for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have begun to explore how to integrate WASH into HIV programming. In particular, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed and studied approaches to providing safe drinking water for people living with HIV. Since 2006, WHO and USAID have supported pioneering applications that have integrated WASH into HIV programmes in three countries--Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda. In addition, USAID has promoted the integration ofWASH into different United States Government HIV programmes through various working groups of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Response. Many different donors, organizations and programmes are now considering WASH when developing HIV policies and programmes, and are seeking more guidance on how to integrate WASH practices into their programmes. This practical document is a response to such requests." - p. ix