Good hygiene, including handwashing with clean water and soap, is critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19 and other viral diseases. But in low-income countries, access to clean water is limited. According to a WHO and UNICEF report, 64 percent of health care facilities in sub-Saharan Africa lack basic water services, and 57 percent do not have alcohol-based hand sanitizer. How can low-income countries encourage handwashing when they don’t have access to basic necessities such as soap and water?

MOMENTUM is partnering with national governments and non-governmental organizations, including faith-based organizations, civil society organizations, and the private sector, to improve essential water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.

Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH), a partner of the MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership project, has brought faith-based organizations like the Christian Health Association of Sierra Leone (CHASL) on board to find ways of improving the country’s limited WASH services. CHASL, which operates 41 health facilities, gathered the information needed to make its sanitizer in-house and worked with MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership to support the effort. As a result, hand sanitizer will soon be available to all CHASL facilities and public and private health facilities, reducing the burden and cost of buying imported sanitizers and helping to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

To find out more about the project, check out the blog on the CCIH website.