WaterAid with funding from Wimbledon Foundation, Water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is implementing a 36months project from July 2020 up to June 2023 aimed at addressing inadequate and poorly managed WASH infrastructure and week hygiene and infection prevention control practices in health care facilities (HCFs).
The Wimbledon Foundation project has contributed to the WaterAid Malawi’s flagship program tittled “The 150 HCF challenge and it has managed to reach out 317,069 people at Ntchisi District Hospital, 19,024 at Kangolwa, 19,341 people at Nkhuzi and 33,042 people at Khuwi HFCs.
WaterAid Program Officer Laston Zungu told journalists at Khuwi and Kangolwa during a five days media tour to Wimbledon project sites that the challenges have been addressed through provision of new and rehabilitation of existing WASH and waste management infrastructure.
He said capacity building and resource planning for operation and maintenance of the infrastructure and hygiene behavior change and infection prevention and control promotion have been conducted.
Khuwi HCF Facility Incharge, Joyce Ngulube and Kangolwa HCF Facility Incharge Sestino Kamkulukuta Arkangelo thanked WaterAid for the project saying “WASH in HCF is crucial for infection prevention and control (IPC), quality care especially for the management of child birth, patient safety and to curb the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
“Provision of WASH in HCFs is paramount for upholding dignity of vulnerable populations, including people living with disabilities,” says Kamkulukuta.
WaterAid is working in partnership with Ntchisi District Council through its technical arm, the District Executive Committee (DEC), and District Health Management Team (DHMT) to enhance collaboration and promote ownership that will support sustained project gains.
While WaterAid began it’s work in HCFs in 2014, the 150 HCF Challenge was conceptualized in the year 2018 when WaterAid partnered with Nations Publications Limited (NPL) to support public hospitals in Ntchisi under their annual corporate social responsibility program tittled, “Mothers Fun Run”.
Through the Mothers Fun Run, NPL mobilizes support for public health care facilities to improve maternal and child health services.
The partnership with Wimbledon Foundation has contribute to the effort to achieve 100 percent coverage of WASH in HCFs in Ntchisi district.
Watcoll Kamphonje who is Senior Group Village Headman Khuwi says the project has brought comprehensive WASH package which includes an incinerator, ash pit, reticulated water supply system, disability friendly latrines and bathrooms and this has improves service delivery as well as uptake of services and no pregnant woman delivered at home since inception of the Wimbledon Foundation project.
