January, 2011

New tool kit for WASH practitioners
 International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) launched some gorgeous new resources developed to assist programme and field staff involved in water, sanitation and hygiene programs (WASH) to ensure that the needs and contributions of everyone in the community are considered and valued, and that improving WASH provides an opportunity for women and men to learn new skills, try new roles and fairly share workloads. The materials were developed following research undertaken by IWDA and the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at the University of Technology Sydney, in collaboration with World Vision Vanuatu and Live & Learn Environmental Education Fiji, with financial support from AusAID. The resource toolkit developed is aimed at practitioners and is available online at: http://genderinpacificwash.info/guidance-material and http://www.iwda.org.au/au/2011/02/02/new-tool-kit-for-wash-practitioners/

PDFs or printed copies of the manual, case studies, poster and flash cards are available on request.

Improving learning in the WASH sector through RCNs
 IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre in the Netherlands, through PSO support, will continue to assist resource centre networks (RCNs) in five countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Honduras, Nepal and Uganda) for activities that contribute to better understanding and approach to stimulate learning in the WASH sector. IRC has been promoting an agenda of learning in the WASH sector, notably by means of supporting resource centre networks in five countries, since 2008.

Technical assistance for website
 WASH-RCNN provided technical support to develop content of a website for Darechowk Ecosan Resource Centre. The website is being designed and contents have been developed to promote Darechowk Ecosan Resource Centre activities and provide up-to-date information on EcoSan in Nepal. Please review and provide your feedback on the draft website (www.ecosannepal.org.np) content and its design to make it informative and user friendly. To read more, click here.
 
2nd ADB-DMC and Partners Sanitation Dialogue
Making sanitation a sustainable business
23-25 May, 2011, Manila, Philippines
 The 2nd ADB-DMC and Partners Sanitation Dialogue will focus on making sanitation a viable and sustainable service - overcoming constraints and demonstrating benefits from shifting away from the business-as-usual mindset to innovative and cost-effective solution options.

 E-learning course on Governance in Urban Sanitation
 25 April to 1 July 2011
 The Local Development Programme of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) will organise e-learning course on “Governance in Urban Sanitation”.

Details available at: http://www.unitar.org/event/sanitation2011
 
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“Water is the driver of Nature.”
- Leonardo da Vinci

Valley water very unsafe for drinking
The rapid increase in population and haphazard urbanisation process has put pressure on already worsened drinking water scenario inside the Kathmandu Valley. Due to very limited water supplied by the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), the sole water utility inside the valley, most people are dependent on groundwater resources to meet their daily water needs including drinking, washing and cooking among others. Unfortunately, majority of valley denizens are forced to drink the contaminated groundwater which is posing serious health threats to meet their daily water needs including drinking water. According to a new study done by National Academy for Science and Technology (NAST), more than 80 percent of the ground water used for drinking purpose inside valley is contaminated with bacteria and other harmful microbes posing serious health threats on people. The samples of drinking water studied showed that the amount of bacteria detected exceeded the the National Drinking Water Quality Standards 2005 and Implementation Guidelines.

Article by: Nirjana Sharma, The Kathmandu Post. E-mail: nirjanasharma@gmail.com

 Click here, to read full article.
 
Around 100 VDCs declared Open Defecation Free Areas in the country till date 
The government has declared around 100 Village Development Committees (VDCs) as Open Defecation Free (ODF) Areas till date. There are a total of 3,913 VDCs in the country. According to government official, declaration of around 100 ODF Areas is a big achievement for the country in the field of sanitation. However, the success is still below the satisfactory level and the government along with the concerned partners should strive to keep the momentum on. Click here to read more.
The Health Communicator's Social Media Toolkit launched!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a new Health Communicator's Social Media Toolkit that integrates social media into health communication campaigns. The activities allow health communicators to leverage social dynamics and provide networks to encourage participation, conversation, and community - all of which can help spread key messages.

The newly launched media toolkit provides an overview of CDC’s experience with more than a dozen types of social media tools, including blogs, Really Simple Syndication feeds, Facebook and Twitter, and other less well-known applications such as virtual worlds and e-cards.  Click here to open the toolkit.
 
Government to construct girl-friendly toilets in 5500 schools
The government of Nepal is all set to construct girl-friendly toilets in 5,500 community schools throughout the country to enroll more girl students in the schools. The government has allocated Rs. 1.1 billion [US$ 15 million] for this purpose. To read more,  click here.
 
Start-Up Programme for young graduates or professionals launched!
 The International Center for Water Management Services (CEWAS) has launched a Start-Up programme addressing young graduates or professionals to advance their skills related to sustainable sanitation and water management. Start-Ups are supported by CEWAS is based on four main activities: the Start-Up centre, the Think-Tank, the Business Platform and the Training centre. Meanwhile, the CEWAS training centre is also open to individuals or members of an institution independent of the Start-Up programme. Application for Start-Up Programme is now open. Find more information www.cewas.org or contact CEWAS at info@cewas.org.
 
Published by : Water, Sanitation and Hygiene - Resource Centre Network Nepal (WASH-RCNN) Secretariat
WASH-RCNN is an informal network of NGOs and INGOs involved in water and sanitation sector, which intends to facilitate the sharing of information and promote the use thereof to improve the performance of the sector as a whole.

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