National WASH Coalition
While individuals have promoted WASH activities for some years, the Kyrgyz WASH coalition is still relatively young and growing in strength. It involves politicians from government departments, national NGOs, institutes and community movements, as well as media representatives.
Focus
The aim of the coalition is to put the community of Kyrgyzstan on track for the sanitation MDG. The objective is the inclusion of WASH issues and hygiene behaviour change in primary school education and the involvement of government, civil society and teachers.
Milestones and achievements
In 2009, the Central Asian Alliance for Water (CAAW) and the Center for the Promotion of WASH in Kyrgyzstan took the lead in organizing a radio WASH campaign. The objectives of the campaign were awareness raising, provoking debate, creating an “info-box” service, motivating journalists to report on WASH issues, and building a tradition among radio stations of celebrating events such as Global Handwashing Day and World Toilet Day.
During 2008, the coalition was engaged in awareness raising activities with schools, universities and official authorities. These included workshops with government staff and lectures in academic institutions in the southern provinces on the link between sanitation and hygiene. The activities placed great emphasis on broadcast media.
An international conference, “Ecological Safety in the International Year of Sanitation,” in November 2008 brought together a range of actors from national ministries to NGOs to village representatives. The Bishkek Resolution calls for the improvement of ecological safety, sanitation and drinking water conditions in Kyrgyzstan, and for the achievement of the MDGs in the region.
Other activities in recent years saw the publication of WASH materials in a national school newspaper, preparation of a hygiene curriculum and teachers’ manual for primary schools, a national competition for journalists, and the organization of annual activities around World Water Day and the WASH Week.
