The Global Sanitation Fund programme in Ethiopia is centred upon supporting the Government’s National Hygiene and Sanitation Strategy, which seeks “to pave the path for all people to have access to basic sanitation and reach 100 percent coverage by 2015.”
The proposed US$ 5 million programme will focus its activities across four regions, namely: Tigray, Amhara, Oromia and SNNPR (Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region). The GSF support to the Ethiopia Health Extension Programme will reach four million people in total over a three-year period.
The national strategy focuses on three main areas of hygiene promotion: toilet use, hand washing and keeping water safe. It also stresses a zero-subsidy approach toward household sanitation. In the past few years, advances toward the national sanitation goal have included formulation of the regulation for waste management, collection and disposal at the regional level; training and deployment of health extension workers; better networks among health actors; and increased sanitation coverage.
Sanitation is gaining more attention among decision-makers and good practices are being recognized. Open defecation free (ODF) villages are being recognized and rewarded. Communityled Total Sanitation (ClTS) is gaining acceptance among many actors, including government.
The Government of Ethiopia designated the National Hygiene and Sanitation Task Force to develop the Country Programme Proposal (CPP) and to define the parameters for the GSF’s work in the country to be commenced in April 2012.
Some specific programme objectives, amongst others, include to increase access to and use of sanitation facilities at the household level in the programme Woredas from the present 12 percent to 55 percent, and to increase the proportion of schools and health posts with WASH facilities to 50 percent in the programme areas.
