Linking WASH and nutrition
During the World Water Week 2017 two reports were launched on how the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and the Nutrition sectors can benefit from each other. The report “2+6=17: Linking WASH and nutrition – a blueprint for living SDG17” (PDF) by the German WASH Network aims to contribute to on-going developments and to the better utilization of the potential at the health related link between WASH and nutrition. This will ensure human well-being by increasing the ability of the body to absorb nutrients from consumed food. This publication shows that integration does not happen exclusively at field level; it requires integrated thinking and action from all stakeholder groups and from both thematic areas. “The recipe for success: how policy-makers can integrate water, sanitation and hygiene into actions to end malnutrition” (PDF) by Action Against Hunger, SHARE and WaterAid analyzes the approaches governments and donors are taking to integrate nutrition and WASH. The report aims to provide a toolkit, to stimulate debate and discussion of the options and opportunities to bring together WASH and nutrition policies and programs. The authors highlight ways in which progress is being made, and they call on decision-makers to shift mindsets, change ways of working, and invest now in effective integration to improve child health. Clear entry points to integrate WASH and nutrition include: behavior change promotion; prioritizing women and children; improving provision of WASH in healthcare facilities and schools; and co-locating interventions to areas with lowest WASH access and highest prevalence of undernutrition.