Football organization KNVB informs young African footballers on water and personal hygiene

March 27th, 2012 by nwp

The Dutch football organization KNVB started a water & sanitation project by football coaches advising African students on water and personal hygiene.

The project was launched during a special celebration of World Water Day at Wageningen University on March 22.

State secretary Ben Knapen announced a 13.5 million euro support on behalf of the Dutch government.

The other parties to this public-private partnership are UNICEF, Simavi, Vitens Evides, Aqua for All and AKVO. ‘This is a first-rate example of public-private cooperation,’ said state secretary Knapen.


State secretary Ben Knapen for international cooperation

Teaching not only football
With the initiative ‘Football for water, sanitation and hygiene’, the KNVB has made a flying start. This programme will provide clean drinking water and sanitation to pupils at 1,100 schools in Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya.

Additionally over 700.000 students will be advised on water and hygiene. This is part of Worldcoach project that teaches students in developing countries not only football but also ‘life skills’ such as respect, cooperation and decision making.

Extra chapters Life Skills manual
For the occasion of the water project the WorldCoaches Life Skills Manual .has been extended with five chapters on water and hygiene.

Worldwide over 500 football coaches are involved in the WorldCoaches project.


All photos: Bart de Gouw, copyright 2012 WUR CS/BdG

High expectations
In the case of the KNVB’s public-private partnership, the Dutch government will contribute 3.4 million euro annually in the first four years, and the private partners will double that amount. After that, the project should be able to run without government funding. Knapen is counting on more good pps-projects on water and sanitation (WASH). ‘If I’m right, around 40 parties are already drafting project proposals. I have high expectations of them.’

Secretary of State Ben Knapen endorsed the importance of water management in the future. Netherlands has under him a lot of knowledge on water management. Knapen launched a Sustainable Water Fund, where this year 50 million euro.

Famous Dutch football players
Also present at the celebration of World Water Day 2012, the Prince of Orange and Dutch football personalities Ruud Krol, Ruud Gullit and Ben van Marwijk congratulated the organisations and wished them all the best working together.

The Prince said he was delighted to see two important strong Dutch ingredients working together: Water and Football.

More information
World Coaches
www.worldcoaches.nl/en

KNVB
Oeds-Willem Miedema oeds-willem.miedema@knvb.nl
programma Football for WASH
Zeist, the Netherlands
+31 9008075
www.knvb.nl

Posted in News.

World Toilet Day on Dam square Amsterdam – more clean sanitation

November 23rd, 2011 by nwp

Amsterdam, 19 November 2011 – With a giant toilet on the Dam square in central Amsterdam, the non-governmental organisation Simavi drew attention to the clean water and sanitation crisis on occasion of World Toilet Day 2011.

Over 2.6 billion people still have no access to clean toilets, facilitating the dissemination of infectious diseases such as cholera and diarrhea every day thousands of victims requirements.

Need for more clean sanitation
World Toilet Day is organized annually by the World Toilet Organisation worldwide to raise global awareness of the need for more clean sanitation, as well as the awareness of the health, emotional and psychological consequences the poor endure as a result of inadequate sanitation.

Two protesting toilet ladies
On the occasion Simavi asked the Dutch government – by means of a singing act with two toilet ladies – to continue to play a leading role and keep investing in sanitation projects around the world.

The organisation pointed out that clean safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in the long term cash out in a clear moral and economic efficiency: business-and profiling opportunities for Dutch business and government and at the same time, large health benefits and increased self-reliance of people in poor countries, particularly for women and girls.

More information
World Toilet Day
p/a World Toilet Organisation
Singapore
+65 6352 8921
www.worldtoilet.org

Simavi
Haarlem, the Netherlands
+31 23 531 80 55
simavi@simavi.nl
www.simavi.org

Posted in News.

Chair UNSGAB Prince of Orange: Missing proper toilets for 2.6 billion

July 26th, 2011 by nwp

That 2.6 billion people live each day without a proper toilet is shocking. Despite impressive development gains since 2000, we are simply not making much progress expanding proper toilet coverage. According to current trends, by 2015 – the year when global leaders will assess if we have reached the United Nations Millennium Development Goal target to halve the number of people lacking basic sanitation – more people, not fewer, will lack safe sanitation facilities.”"
The Prince of Orange wrote this in a recently published opinion article.

Launch of new campaign
The prince wrote his opinion article as chairman of United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), on the occasion of the start of the initiative ‘Sustainable sanitation five year drive to 2015’ when the prince spoke at the 16th UNSGAB-meeting in New York on June 21.

In December 2010 the UN has adopted a resolution that urges all Member States to increase investments in sanitation and hygiene education. The resolution was the basis for UNSGAB to take the initiative for a new campaign.

Relucantce to speak publicly about sanitation
In his opinion article the prince of Orange discusses the reasons why this particular UN-goal is lagging behind. “Why it is, in the year 2011, that 2.6 billion people don’t have a proper toilet. Many capable people have tried to answer this question, and clearly there is not one single answer. Certainly, it is difficult to expand sanitation services in pace with rapid population growth. However, the experts all agree on a fundamental reason – decision makers are reluctant to speak publicly about sanitation and, as long as sanitation is stigmatized, the crisis will continue. We urgently need public education, targeted policy and, above all, the political will to tackle this challenge”, appealed the Dutch prince.


The prince of Orange and UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon in 2008 with the launch of the International Year of Sanitation.

Read the full opinion article on the website of UNSGAB.

Read the opening speech of the prince of Orange at the 26h UNSGAB-meeting on the website of the Dutch Royal House.

Posted in News.

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