Sanitation in emergencies

Lack of adequate safe water and poor hygiene and sanitation for large numbers of people living in internally displaced people (IDP) camps has resulted into appalling living conditions.  The main objective of the Camp Community Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy is to provide simple technology options, mobilization, and organisational guidance, for the sustainable promotion of sanitation and hygiene among the internally displaced people.  The main focus is starting with small and simple improvements but through an integrated approach progressively work towards the recommendations of the Sphere standards.  The strategy paper is a useful document for Local government with IDP camps, and NGOs involved in improving sanitation and hygiene in the camps.

In situations of high population densities per unit area as seen in the camps in Northern and Eastern Uganda, the preservation of sanitation and hygiene is an enormously big challenge that needs careful planning and the use of suitable approaches and technologies.  This proposed strategy provides a brief overview of the current sanitation and hygiene conditions in the IDP camp schools and provides some suggestions on how to address the sanitation and hygiene problems. The strategy focuses on low cost technologies and approaches.  This strategy has been developed as part of UNICEF’s response to emergencies for use by local governments and NGOs.