Despite long-standing investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions, the latest global estimates show that 785 million people do not have access to safe drinking water, and 2 billion do not have access to basic sanitation services.¹  

• Lack of access to or unsafe WASH services can lead to poor health outcomes for mothers, newborns, and children at home and when seeking care at health facilities.²
• Worldwide, more than 1 million deaths each year are associated with births lacking clean practices such as clean hands, clean delivery surfaces, and clean cord care.³ 
• Infections account for 26 percent of newborn deaths and 11 percent of maternal deaths that occur while a woman is pregnant or during or shortly after childbirth.⁴ 
• About 88 percent of diarrhea-associated deaths are attributed to unsafe WASH resources.⁵ 
• In children under the age of five, diarrheal diseases remain one of the leading causes of death.⁶ 

Better WASH interventions and increased access to safe WASH resources improve health outcomes for mothers, newborns, and children at home and in healthcare settings. In health care facilities, for example, improved handwashing and clean surfaces reduced the risk of infections for infants and mothers during and after childbirth by up to 25 percent.⁷ 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, access to safe WASH resources has become more critical than ever. Without appropriate WASH infrastructure and services, women, children, health care workers, and communities are at higher risk of contracting infectious diseases, like the COVID-19 virus.

Promoting proper handwashing with soap and improved cleaning practices support health care workers to perform appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) practices, helping prevent the development and spread of infections.

MOMENTUM’s Approach

MOMENTUM aims to increase access to safe water and sanitation resources and encourage proper hygiene behaviors by working with a variety of partners, including water and sanitation service providers, public, private, and faith-based health systems, local and regional government authorities, donors, and local NGOs. Multisector approaches linking the health and private sectors in addressing WASH are essential to improving conditions and ensuring WASH infrastructure remains operational for the long-term. We also work with other global partners to develop global guidance on essential hygiene behaviors to prevent the spread of infections.