Down To Earth special issue on the sanitation challenge in Africa released

Down To Earth and CSE released the latest issue of the magazine -- a special Africa cover on the sanitation challenge in Africa -- in Nairobi, Kenya at a media briefing on August 15, 2018. The briefing, on the same subject, is being organised by CSE in association with MESHA-Kenya (Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture) and KEWASNET (Kenya Water and Sanitation Civil Society Network). About 25 journalists from across Africa are meeting with some key experts on water, sanitation and health to discuss where Africa stands in managing the huge challenge of sanitation.

Very soon, Africa would be overtaking India as the region with the world’s largest population that defecates in the open. The region is already struggling with another related problem: it has the lowest rate – among all continents -- of providing access to sanitation. Clearly, the planet cannot become open defecation-free unless regions like Africa and India become so. This would require more than just providing access to toilets – African countries and India need to ensure behavior change to make sanitation sustainable and reduce the disease burden and poverty.