Water Access, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)

Safe drinking water and good hygiene and sanitation are essential for children to thrive. 

Help a Child Stay Healthy!

WASH Programs Help Families Stay Safer — and Healthier

Lack of access to clean water and poor hygiene and sanitation are often the root causes of illnesses in the impoverished communities where we work. Unsafe drinking water and inadequate hygiene and sanitation can lead to debilitating consequences like parasites and diarrhea. Diarrhea is the second-biggest killer of children under age 5. 

With the support of sponsors and donors, Holt works in communities and with schools to ensure that children and families have access to soap, clean drinking water, handwashing stations, sanitary supplies for girls and latrines. Holt’s on-the-ground staff provide training for parents, including information about handwashing, food preparation and other ways of preventing illness and infection. Parents pass this information along to their children, and entire communities become cleaner, safer and healthier.

Also in Nutrition & Health

» Child Nutrition Program

» Water Access, Sanitation & Hygiene

» Health & Medical Interventions

» Food Assistance

“Access to water is considered an equalizer. It promotes equity, keeps children healthy and able to continue learning. Nothing is as inspiring and motivating as seeing children rushing to splash at a water point in school.”

Ali Amante, Program Manager in Ethiopia

How Holt Provides Clean Water & Helps to Eliminate Disease

Without clean water and good hygiene and sanitation, children die from preventable causes like diarrhea or malnutrition. With the support of sponsors and donors, Holt helps to alleviate these problems.

graphic of worms in a no circle

215,000+ Doses of Parasite Treatment

Intestinal parasites can have a debilitating effect on children’s health, sapping them of essential nutrients and energy and stunting their growth. To help children stay healthy, Holt sponsors and donors provide more than 215,000 doses of treatment for parasites each year. 

Graphic of water faucet in a circle

4,500+ Children & Families Received Clean Water

Access to clean, potable water is a challenge for many children worldwide. That’s why Holt works with local communities around the world to build water access points at school and to support other clean water programs. In 2021, Holt sponsors and donors provided clean water to more than 4,500 children and families in Ethiopia.

“When a child is free of parasites, the difference truly is amazing. Their body better utilizes the nutrients from their food, and they are able to grow, have more energy and learn better in school!”

Emily DeLacey, Director of Holt’s Nutrition and Health Services

How WASH Initiatives Save Children’s Lives

Simple health and hygiene measures can help prevent many of the diseases that take the lives of children in developing countries.

girl washing her hands

Provide a Handwashing Kit

Children and families urgently need soap, clean water and sanitizers to stay healthy during the pandemic. But both are hard to come by in impoverished communities.

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Holt’s WASH Programs — in Action!

Having access to clean water and good hygiene and sanitation is essential to the well-being of children and families. Meet the families whose lives have been transformed through Holt’s WASH programs.

A child in Ethiopia learns to wash their hands properly, using clean water and soap.
Holt staff in China review kitchen hygiene and sanitation practices at a care center. They receive an A+!
A child in Ethiopia washes their hands in clean drinking water, provided for both handwashing and safe cooking.
Families in Cambodia line up to receive hygiene kits.

“Proper feeding, handwashing and regular health screening have helped us lower the rates of having to bring children to the hospital.”

Merzel Demasu-ay, Nutritionist and Care Provider in the Philippines

A child with disabilities in Ethiopia washes their hands in clean water provided by Holt donors.
A teen in Mongolia practices good hygiene and helps to clean up his cooking utensils after a meal.

Children in Cambodia practice good hygiene before eating lunch, thanks to Holt sponsors and donors providing clean water and soap!

As a child sponsor, you will help provide everything a child needs to reach their potential — from loving care and education to nourishing meals and clean water!

Help a Child in Need