Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene gives children and their families a chance to flourish. We believe every child deserves – and has the right – to use safe water and live in a clean environment.Clean water, a clean environment, and good hygiene practices are essential for children and families to thrive.
ADO's Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Programs
The Agricultural Development Organization (ADO) is dedicated to addressing the critical issues of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in communities. WASH (Water, Sanitation and Health) program is aimed at improving public health through sanitation and conservation of pure natural resources. These include conducting activities like village awareness programs on health and sanitation. ADO emphasized meeting the WASH cluster objectives for delivering life-saving WASH assistance to the needs of communities and ensuring access to safe services in a dignified manner to affected people. Poor sanitation, hygiene services, and droughts have caused communal diseases and health problems, particularly in women and children.
Safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are crucial to human health and well-being. Safe WASH is not only a prerequisite to health, but contributes to livelihoods, school attendance and dignity and helps to create resilient communities living in healthy environments.
The objective of WASH is to reach out and sensitize communities. The aim is envisaged to bring a better understanding to communities about the appropriate utilization of existing resources and build appropriate services where they are needed. The overall purposes of sanitation are to provide a healthy living environment for everyone, to protect the natural resources (such as surface water, groundwater, soil), and to provide safety, security and dignity for better results. A systematic engagement methodology is adopted in order to achieve the appropriate results.
Programs and Activities
ADO’s WASH programs encompass a variety of initiatives aimed at improving the overall health and well-being of communities, particularly those living in rural and marginalized areas:
- Water Source Development: ADO works to develop and improve access to clean and reliable water sources, including wells, boreholes, and water catchment systems. The organization prioritizes the establishment of sustainable water infrastructure to ensure communities have access to safe drinking water.
- Sanitation Facilities and Infrastructure: ADO focuses on the construction and improvement of sanitation facilities, such as latrines and sewage systems, to promote proper waste management and hygiene practices. The organization also emphasizes the importance of access to safe and private toilet facilities, especially for women and girls.
- Hygiene Promotion and Education: ADO implements hygiene promotion and education programs to raise awareness about the importance of handwashing, personal hygiene, and safe water handling practices. These initiatives aim to instill behavior change and promote hygienic habits within communities.
- Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS): ADO supports the implementation of CLTS programs, which empower communities to take collective action to end open defecation and improve sanitation practices. This approach encourages community ownership and behavior change through participatory methods.
- Water Quality Monitoring and Treatment: ADO engages in water quality monitoring and treatment efforts to ensure that the water sources accessed by communities are free from contamination and safe for consumption.
ADO distributing hygiene kits to four villages of Ceeg, Boodhlay, Jameecaadka, and Dhooba-weyne in the Odweine district For health promotion. The Project “Provision of Emergency WASH to Drought Affected Households in Odweine District, Togdheer Region.” is funded by the
Strategies
ADO’s WASH initiatives are guided by strategic approaches that prioritize sustainability, community empowerment, and behavior change:
- Community Engagement and Participation: ADO believes in the importance of involving community members in the planning, implementation, and maintenance of WASH interventions. By engaging with local stakeholders, the organization ensures that its programs are culturally appropriate, sustainable, and reflective of community needs.
- Behavior Change Communication: ADO employs behavior change communication strategies to promote the adoption of hygienic practices and positive sanitation behaviors within communities. This approach involves using participatory and culturally sensitive communication methods to influence habits and attitudes related to WASH.
- Capacity Building and Training: ADO invests in building the capacity of local stakeholders, including community leaders, health workers, and water committee members, to take on leadership roles in managing and maintaining WASH infrastructure and promoting good hygiene practices.
- Gender and Social Inclusion: ADO recognizes the importance of addressing gender disparities and ensuring social inclusion within its WASH programs. The organization promotes the active participation of women, girls, and marginalized groups in decision-making processes related to water and sanitation, acknowledging their unique needs and vulnerabilities.
- Partnerships and Collaboration: ADO collaborates with local authorities, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to leverage resources, share knowledge, and coordinate efforts to achieve sustainable and impactful WASH outcomes.
ADO is aware that access to safe water and sanitation is a human right. But right now, 780 million people worldwide do not have access to safe water, and 2.5 billion people cannot access the sanitation services they need. Due to the WASH situation existing in Somaliland/Somalia, the ADO is at the forefront of responding to Somaliland/Somalia’s water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs. ADO specializes in WASH services to protect the public health of displaced people and local communities and help protect their right to safe water and sanitation. Our WASH programs seek to save lives, prevent diseases, promote dignity, and support access to better living conditions and livelihood opportunities. We do this through direct interventions, collaboration with our shelter, education and livelihoods, food security experts, and partnerships with UN Agencies, INGOs, and other organizations. The mode of operation we choose depends primarily on the WASH needs of our targeted beneficiaries and the quickest and most effective way to meet those identified needs.
We recognize that the need for water and sanitation goes beyond public health concerns. The absence of functioning, safe, and sex-segregated latrines or toilets can discourage children and youth, especially girls, from attending school. We actively support the right to education by ensuring safe WASH facilities at schools are accessible to all students and teachers. Our work in WASH involves both a ‘hardware’ and ‘software’ approach: On the hardware side, we build WASH infrastructures such as toilets and community water pumps. We also repair or build water storage and water treatment facilities. We run hygiene promotion and behavior change activities on the software side to improve people’s knowledge of good sanitation and hygiene practices (such as proper handwashing). We also support communities to effectively manage and maintain their water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities. ADO also integrates WASH activities into other long-term and emergency work areas—from nutrition to protection, food security, climate change, environment, gender, and inclusion. And we constantly research and innovate new WASH technologies and tools to better serve our communities.
ADO works to ensure that people in Somaliland/Somalia have equitable, sustainable, and affordable access to water and sanitation services. We supported our 192 villages in Awdal, Togdheer, Odweine, Sahil, Sool, and Sanaag regions and delivered effective emergency, recovery, and long-term WASH programs. Improving Somaliland WASH access and awareness is an integral part of our overall work in health and care, building healthier and more resilient communities. We collectively reach over 19,886 households and 139 202 people with quality water, sanitation, and hygiene activities, including constructing latrines, Berkads, digging and rehabilitation of boreholes, and constructing and establishing and maintaining shallow wells every year in rural and IDPs populated areas. Moreover, ADO has delivered water trucking to 89,654 HHs of the vulnerable, marginalized pastoralists and agropastoralists in Burao, Erigavo, and Odweine districts since 2011. For the last five years, ADO interventions had left rehabilitation of 368 Berkeds and constructed 71 new berkeds; 32 shallow wells had been rehabilitated, 45 shallow wells were established in Burao, Erigavo, and Odweine districts, whereas six strategic boreholes were reactivated in Burao and Erigavo during this critical period based on prioritization of Somaliland Ministry of Water Resources Development. Besides, ADO conducted four hydrological surveys in Burao and Odweine districts; rehabilitated dams are also part of the water-related tasks done by ADO in Burao and Odweine, notably in aggregated 19 dams were extended, fenced, and installed with solar energy to provide irrigation and drinking for the crop, and livestock in Burao, Odweine, and Erigavo Districts.
All improved water infrastructures directly benefited 19,886 HHs; along with improved water infrastructures, 18 water management committees were established and trained for the management and maintenance by developing plans maintenance and operational plans, including financial plans for maintenance and linked with the Ministry of Water Resource Development regional office to register and report to the national level. ADO water assistance targets the most vulnerable communities, mainly women, people with disability, the elderly, and minority communities, to have access to clean water from created and reactivated water sources within a short distance to fetch as much as possible.
For the past decade, ADO has remained an active member in the WASH Cluster and WASH working groups. Further, ADO has a close working relationship with the Ministry of Water Resources Development and has signed MoU with Ministry. The ADO has long experience with Odweine communities at the village level and has implemented dozens of projects. Our staff has developed good relationships with Odweine villages and people, including the pastoralists, agropastoralists, PwDs, and IDPs.
ADO has a thorough understanding of the working environment, climate, and sociocultural dynamics, including clan structures, and has the conflict and risk management knowledge that makes it easy for ADO to operate and deliver WASH activities in Odweine. ADO has a presence and office. The aforementioned are justifications for the ADO competencies in the WASH sector and cluster. Our WASH programs focus on five thematic areas:
We supply safe water for drinking, cooking, personal hygiene, and household cleaning
- We provide and maintain latrines or toilets segregated by gender or family units that are safe for women, girls, men, and boys to use.
- During disease outbreaks, there is active disease surveillance and increased vigilance on water quality and sanitation practices.
- Hygiene promotion and community mobilization promote safe hygiene and health-seeking behaviors and empower rurally and displaced people to take an active role in WASH operations.
Impact and Achievements
ADO’s WASH programs have made a significant impact on the health and well-being of the communities they serve. By improving access to safe water, promoting hygienic practices, and ensuring proper sanitation infrastructure, the organization has contributed to the reduction of waterborne diseases, improved overall hygiene, and enhanced the quality of life for community members.
Through its community-centered approach and strategic interventions, ADO has empowered communities to take ownership of their WASH needs, leading to sustainable and long-lasting improvements in water access, sanitation, and hygiene practices.
In conclusion, ADO’s work in water, sanitation, and hygiene reflects its commitment to promoting the fundamental right to clean water and sanitation for all. Through its strategic programs and collaborative efforts, the organization continues to make a tangible difference in ensuring that communities have access to essential WASH services, contributing to improved health and well-being worldwide.
About Us
The Agricultural Development Organization in Somaliland is a dynamic and dedicated organization working towards the improvement and advancement of agriculture in the region. We are committed to enhancing agricultural practices, promoting food security, and fostering economic growth in Somaliland.
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