Two factors drive people with disabilities: a greater need to WASH services and a limited access to WASH facilities. During the World Water Week (WWW) it was recognised that what the WASH sector has been doing to make WASH disability-inclusive hasn't been enough. How can the WASH sector better respond to the needs of people with disabilities? This post presents some of the main discussions on WASH and disability held in Stockholm during the WWW conference.

Traditional leaders hold a great amount of power in many communities especially when it comes to influencing social norms. They are important ‘gatekeepers’ who play a vital role in passing on ideas and information to communities. Social norms around gender can be very ‘sticky’ and difficult to change so finding a way to work with traditional leaders can be valuable.

The AfricaSan 5 Conference was recently held in Cape Town, South Africa. Every three years it reunites policy-makers, development partners, donors and the private sector to discuss some of the most compelling issues of the sanitation and hygiene sector in order to look for joint learning, new opportunities and shared paths forward. This post presents some of the main discussions about financing the sector in Africa that were featured during the week and concludes with some reflections on how the sector can be financed while leaving no one behind.

Last November UNICEF’s West and Central Africa Regional Office, Supply Division and WASH Programme Division convened a regional sanitation industry consultation in Abuja, Nigeria. The consultation brought together 100+ representatives from industry, financial institutions, governments and development partners. This series of three blogs is based on the discussions held on market shaping – including the current thinking, how it can increase uptake of improved sanitation facilities amongst the poorest households, and how it is being considered at the country level.