World Water Day: Tapping the private sector to increase access to clean water

On World Water Day, SHOPS Plus highlights the importance of increasing awareness, building sustainable markets, and expanding access to home water treatment products in order to achieve the goal of clean water and sanitation for all. 

Declared as one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, access to potable water remains a challenge in many communities around the world. SHOPS Plus works with private sector companies and manufacturers in Afghanistan and Haiti to increase access to and the use of home water treatment products that, with proper and consistent use, could save the lives of millions of people every year. 

Haiti: Building sustainable markets to ensure access to safe drinking water

A history of hurricanes and flooding has made Haiti vulnerable to cholera and diarrhea, two preventable diseases. However, with 70% of water sources contaminated and only 14% of the population having access to potable water in their homes, the country struggles to control these epidemics. SHOPS Plus aims to increase overall demand for home water treatment products as a way to ensure a sustainable supply. Read more

Afghanistan: Increasing access to safe drinking water

In Afghanistan only 6 percent of households use appropriate water treatment practices. To increase the number of people treating their water correctly, SHOPS Plus supported a partnership between the Afghan Social Marketing Organization (ASMO) and Medentech the global manufacturer of Aquatabs, the world’s most recognized and largest selling brand of water purification tablets. Together they have introduced Aquatabs in Afghanistan with the aim of increasing availability of high quality water treatment products. Read more