Zimbabwe Water and Sanitation Sector HIV/AIDS Response: Programme, Strategies and Guidelines

• Source:

• Zimbabwe. 2004. National Action Committee. Government of Zimbabwe. United Nations Children’s Fund

• URL:

• http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0001030/Water_HIV_AIDS_Respon se_Guidelines_June2003.pdf

• Countries:

• Zimbabwe

• Summary:

• The Water and Sanitation sector, Zimbabwe, acknowledges the need for a multi-sectoral approach towards addressing HIV/AIDS, the direct impact it has in the fight against the disease, and its potential to improve the lives of millions. Access to safe drinking water and a sanitary means of human excreta disposal are basic human rights essential to human development and poverty alleviation. Accordingly, the Government of Zimbabwe and its partners have expended substantial effort towards improving sanitation conditions over the past 20 years. The HIV/AIDS pandemic threatens these gains and the fabric of society. Mechanisms need to be implemented to address water and sanitation directly; as more people fall below the poverty line, more environments conducive to the spread of HIV/AIDS will emerge, increasing the urgency for new strategies to help fight the disease.