National WASH Coalition
The NGO MAMA-86, representing WSSCC in Ukraine, and its partners have focused their efforts on building a strong national level WASH coalition in order to consolidate stakeholders’ efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on water supply and sanitation and in promoting public involvement in policy-making processes.
Partners of the WASH coalition are the Ukrainian Water Association and the Water Informational Centre in Kiev, as well as local NGOs and national and local water authorities.
Focus
The coalition seeks to:
- promote better availability of and access to information on water supply and sanitation in Ukraine, especially in schools;
- improve awareness among pupils, teachers, the wider public and government of sanitation and hygiene problems in Ukraine;
- put sanitation higher on the national and local political agendas.
Milestones and achievements
Because Ukraine has been engaged in the Protocol on Water and Health to the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s Water Convention, the WASH coalition has played a very active part in awareness raising, empowerment and mobilization at local level to support the Protocol, through national and regional meetings. Coalition representatives also participated in the Protocol coordination mechanism on target setting. Through this, they were able to present public recommendations at the target setting meeting. In September 2011 the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has adopted the Protocol.
Since 2011 the ccoalition has actively promoted the Human Right to Water and Sanitation. One major output was the collection of information around the HrtWS and adaptation to the local Ukrainian context by production of a booklet " Human Right to Water and Sanitation - Legal framework and situation in Ukraine "(here) that was distributed to members and NGOs in the country.
The second activity in 2011 was the organisation of a seminar on "Water Safety Plan" , supoported by 2 ministries and invited WHO and European experts and national professionals and experts from all over the country.
The year 2010 focused on a school WASH programme. Activities include a research study in 29 settlements questioning 2,000 children and 31 experts. Also important are the training sessions on sanitation and hygiene for students and for decision-makers as well. The activities included awareness creation of sanitation and hygiene for and with children and students, teachers and doctors, and especially to ensure the active involvement of women.
During the National Sanitation and Hygiene Week in March 2009, some of the children involved contacted mayors and representatives of public utilities. Their efforts paid off: in three regions, the authorities say they have started to improve methods of pollution prevention.
The celebration of the Ukrainian World Water Day 2009 included seminars, conferences, training sessions and practical actions, such as cleaning river beds and monitoring surface water and well water quality.
Further highlights from recent activities are the production of a short TV documentary on sanitation, and an exhibition on sanitation problems worldwide and in Ukraine in the popular Water Museum.
The coalition makes a special effort to promote sanitation alternatives and wastewater planning for areas without centralized sewer systems by:
- holding seminars on planning methods and on wastewater treatment for rural areas;
- building dry toilets for households and schools in 10 regions;
- using showcase constructions combined with awareness raising for organic and human excreta recycling, composting methods and the safe use of such eco-sanitary products.
