WASH Program

Executive Summary
Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are important areas that need to be addressed in
refugee camps. The health of refugee is grounded on the quality of water, sanitation, and
hygiene. The WASH program proposed seeks to ensure that every refugee has access to water
and latrines to improve both sanitation and hygiene. While the project has various costs, it has
the potential of improving the quality of life of the refugees. The project will be funded through
the partnership of non-governmental and governmental organizations. The performance
measures of the project are both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The current state of affairs
means that many refugees are suffering. Children and adults are at risk of contracting various
diseases, including cholera. Implementation of the project needs to be prioritized to guarantee the
dignity and rights of refugees in the refugee camp.
Population Health
Promoting refugee health remains a challenge. The main reasons behind the challenge lie
in the fact that refugee camps have certain restrictions and complexities. Operational conditions
in a refugee camp also remains a significant challenge (WHO, 2017). Refugee camps are located
in marginalized areas, and this poses an operational challenge. However, it is important to
promote good health in refugee camps. The WASH program promotes population health by
ensuring access to safe water and promoting hygiene in refugee camps. The quality of water used
by individuals has a major impact on health outcomes. Poor quality water can result in various
disease outbreaks. Additionally, poor quality of water can result in diseases spreading in refugee
camps, and this can cause suffering and death to refugees. Managing the quality of water is

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geared towards supporting public health. Initiatives that promote the provision of good quality
water also result in socio-economic development. Through the provision of safe water to the
refugees, the WASH program will promote better health outcomes in the refugee camp.
The World Health Organization (WHO) works closely with the Center for Disease
Control (CDC) to promote safe drinking water (WHO, 2017). The cooperation between the two
underlines the importance of safe water systems. The United Nations Sustainable Development
Goal 6 seeks to ensure that sustainable water and sanitation are implemented by the year 2030
(UN, 2019). The aim is to ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable drinking water
by the year 2030 (UN, 2019). In addition, by 2030, the UN seeks to have achieved equitable
sanitation and hygiene for every individual (UN, 2019). The WASH program is in line with the
goal of provision of affordable and safe drinking water by 2020. Global water and sanitation
standards provide the guidance required when implementing water and sanitation standards. The
first standard relates to program design and implementation. All programs must be designed to
reflect the needs and preferences of the target population (Billig, Bendahmane, & Swindale,
2017). The water supply standard indicates that all people must be given access to sufficient
drinking water. The water supplied must also cater to other needs, including cooking and
hygiene. The excreta disposal standard dictates that people must have access to a sufficient
number of toilets (UN, 2019). The toilets must be close to the places that they dwell and must be
usable both during the day and at night. The program is aligned to the global water and sanitation
standards.
Scope
Implementing the WASH program requires effective planning through various
assumptions. The UNHCR estimates that each individual uses approximately 20 liters of water

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on a daily basis. The implication is that for a refugee camp that accommodates 5000 refugees,
daily water supply equates to 100,000 liters daily. The immediate critical step that needs to be
implemented is the improvement of the water supply to meet the required capacity of
approximately 100,000 liters daily. Proper water storage facilities need to be implemented to
guarantee the health of the population in the long term. Water storage facilities seek to ensure
that the water supply is not affected immediately by water shortage. The individuals also need to
be given water containers. Every family in the refugee camp needs to be given water containers
that can hold approximately a hundred liters of water.
The UNHCR documents that the ideal number of people using one latrine is 20 (Thomas,
Holbro & Young, 2013). The implication is that the refugee camp should have approximately
250 latrines. The location of the latrines should be strategically placed. The distance from the
dwelling to the water point and latrine should be less than 200 meters (Thomas, Holbro &
Young, 2013). Water points should be designed to accommodate 50 people per tap. Using the
assumption of a tap catering for 50 people, the camp should have approximately 100 taps. In case
the water supplied is not treated, the refugees should be given chlorine to disinfect the water. The
critical assumption is that every litter is treated using 0.5 mg of chlorine (Thomas, Holbro &
Young, 2013). However, to guarantee the health of the population, the water needs to be treated
before it is distributed to the refugees.
Costs
The costs of implementing the WASH program can broadly be categorized into two,
namely system related and management related. System-related expenditure includes capital
expenditure and operational expenditure (Schwemlein, Crank, & Bartram, 2016). Capital
expenditure is the capital invested in purchasing fixed assets. Fixed assets include pumps pipes,

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drilling boreholes, and installing water systems. The approximate budget of installing water
systems and drilling a borehole is approximately 200,000 dollars. On the other hand, operational
expenditure integrates operating and minor maintenance. Emergency management cost factors
include costs include emergency repairs and capital replacement. Operational expenditure for the
refugee camp is estimated to be 50,000 dollars per year. Management related costs are costs that
need to be factored in the long run. The plan needs to include a provision for hiring staff
members that will oversee the implementation of the program as well report to the headquarters
of the funders. The management cost can be estimated to be 60,000 dollars yearly.
Funding
Longer term support should integrate organizations such as the WHO and the UNHCR.
The partnerships between the two organizations and the government can help in ensuring that the
project is sustainable. Implementing a WASH program requires a partnership between non-
governmental organizations and governmental organizations. UNHCR is concerned with the
welfare of refugees. The organization has, in the past, been involved in the creation of support
services in a refugee camp. As a result, the organization can greatly aid in the quality and
improvement project. The WHO is concerned with the health of individuals across the world.
The project seeks to improve health outcomes for the refugee population (WHO, 2013). The
WHO can, therefore, fund the project since it falls under the area of health. The government has
the responsibility of taking care of the welfare of refugees. The implication is that the
government can help in funding the project in an effort to enhance the welfare of refugees.
Performance Measures

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The performance of the program can be qualitatively evaluated based on the quantity of
water used per capita on a daily basis. The measure involves evaluating the quantity of water
used and weighing the quantity of water used against the set standards of approximately 20 liters
per individual every day (Billig, Bendahmane, & Swindale, 2017). The method is effective
because it ensures that the project meets internationally accepted standards. On the other hand,
qualitatively, the project can be evaluated through the quality of sanitation standards in the
refugee camp (Schwemlein, Crank, & Bartram, 2016). The quality of the hygiene and sanitation
standards include the percentage of the population with appropriate hand washing behavior and
the percentage of the population actively using the latrines constructed (Billig, Bendahmane, &
Swindale, 2017). The measure is effective since it is goal oriented, and this means that the focus
is on the goals of the project.
Summary Call to Action
In the refugee camp, lack of water and sanitation facilities has resulted in various costs.
The implication is that diarrheal diseases such as cholera can easily affect the people living in the
refugee camp. These diseases kill more than 801,000 young children annually (CDC, 2018).
Young people are likely to die due to diarrheal diseases compared to other diseases such as
malaria. The diseases also result in significant healthcare expenditure as government and non-
governmental agencies attempt to treat those affected (CDC, 2018). Maintaining the status quo
will result in more deaths and suffering of refugees. However, implementing the proposed plan
will result in several benefits. The cost of treating sick people will reduce significantly. In
addition, human suffering will be alleviated. Improvement of hygiene and sanitation will prevent
the disease burden and prevent deaths in the refugee camp.

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References

Billig, P., Bendahmane, D., & Swindale, A. (2017). Water and Sanitation Indicators
Measurement Guide. Retrieved from
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/evaluation/watsan2005/annex_files/USAID/USAID1%20-
%20Water%20and%20sanitation%20indicators%20measurement.pdf
CDC. (2018). CDC and the Safe Water System. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/safewater/PDF/SWS-Overview-factsheet508c.pdf
Schwemlein, S., Cronk, R., & Bartram, J. (2016). Indicators for monitoring water, sanitation, and
hygiene: a systematic review of indicator selection methods. International journal of
environmental research and public health, 13(3), 333.
Thomas, J., Holbro, N., & Young, D. (2013). A review of sanitation and hygiene in
Tanzania. DFID, London.
UN. (2019). Goal 6. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. Retrieved from
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6#targets
WHO. (2013). Water Quality and Health Strategy 2013-2020. Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/2013/water_quality_strategy.pdf
WHO. (2017). Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/JMP-2017-report-final-
highlights.pdf?ua=1