During the COVID-19 pandemic, handwashing with soap has emerged as one of the simplest and most effective ways to contain the spread of the disease. In celebration of Global Handwashing Day on October 15, the latest podcast from Global Waters Radio takes you to South Sudan and Indonesia to hear from two USAID water, sanitation, and hygiene experts: USAID/Indonesia’s Trigeany Linggoatmodjo and USAID/South Sudan’s Amuda Joseph. Among other topics, they describe the ways USAID has been elevating the role of handwashing in response to COVID-19 in recent months, and share some of the challenges they have been facing as they work to create sustainable handwashing behavior change during the pandemic. Having trouble accessing this episode? You can also stream this podcast by searching “Global Waters Radio” on iTunes, Google Play, or your preferred podcast platform. To view or download this interview transcript: * Global Waters Radio – Global Handwashing Day 2020 Transcript For more information on subject matter discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: * Global Handwashing Partnership * USAID/Indonesia * USAID/South Sudan

The latest podcast from Global Waters Radio features a conversation with Jeff Albert and Jesse Shapiro about their involvement with the USAID-supported Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability program, better known by its acronym, WASHPaLS. Jesse Shapiro is a senior WASH advisor at USAID and Jeff Albert is WASHPaLS’ Deputy Director, and both have been closely involved with the program since its launch in 2016. They share insights on how this initiative has been identifying, researching, and sharing best practices for WASH service delivery and sustaining WASH behavior change, with a special emphasis on the program’s work related to sanitation. Having trouble accessing this episode? You can also stream this podcast by searching “Global Waters Radio” on iTunes, Google Play, or your preferred podcast platform. To view or download this interview transcript: * Global Waters Radio – Jeff Albert and Jesse Shapiro Transcript For more information on subject matter discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: * Designing Viable Sanitation Enterprises: A Market-Based Sanitation Game * Globalwaters.org: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability (WASHPaLS)

The latest podcast from Global Waters Radio features a conversation with Bruce Gordon, Coordinator for Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health at the World Health Organization (WHO), and Oliver Subasinghe, Communications and Data Advisor with the USAID Water Office. Earlier this year, Bruce and his team at the WHO collaborated with U.N. Water to release the 2019 Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) Report, an encyclopedic resource revealing the quality of water and sanitation performance around the world. In this year’s edition, more than 100 countries were surveyed. Bruce shares key takeaways from this year’s report with listeners and discusses some of the factors shaping countries’ progress—or lack thereof—when it comes to water and sanitation improvements. Adding a donor perspective, Oliver Subasinghe talks about how GLAAS report data help inform the Agency’s approach to WASH investments. To view or download the following Global Waters Radio transcript, click here. For more information on subject matter discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: * 2019 GLAAS Report * World Health Organization: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene * U.N. Water To listen the podcast, click below.

Under the terms of Kenya’s 2010 constitution, all of the country’s nearly 50 counties became responsible for providing water supply services to local residents. But that task has often not been an easy one in a country experiencing significant population growth and coping with the impacts of climate change, among other challenges. To help improve the quality and consistency of Kenya’s water service provision, the USAID-supported Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership (SWS) has pooled the resources and expertise of UNICEF, Oxford University, and many other international and local partners to make a lasting difference in the lives of everyday Kenyans and provide a blueprint for a healthier and more water-secure future. In the series’ latest podcast, Global Waters Radio takes you to Kenya’s Kitui County, home to more than 1 million people, to hear from two veteran development practitioners, Cliff Nyaga and Pauline Kiamba, as they share insights, best practices, and lessons learned from SWS efforts to create and sustain rural water supply improvements. They not only talk about the importance of preventative infrastructure maintenance, but also spotlight the key role that water, sanitation, and hygiene forums, or WASH forums, play in improving governance accountability, strengthening WASH service delivery, and cultivating relationships with county governments and the residents they serve. To view or download the following Global Waters Radio transcript, click here. For more information on subject matter discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: * Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership * A Water Infrastructure Audit of Kitui County * Adopting a Risk-Based Approach to Rural Water Supply Sustainability in Kenya * USAID/Kenya To listen the podcast, click below.

Did you know that more than 2 billion people—or nearly one out of every four people on the planet—deal with high water stress in their lives, according to the U.N.? The impacts on everyday life are considerable. Water insecurity weakens public health, slows economic growth, and too often diminishes young people’s academic and economic potential. With competition for limited water resources set to intensify in the coming years, what role can sustainable water resource management techniques play in bolstering the resilience and economic growth prospects of water-stressed communities? To answer that question, Global Waters Radio recently spoke with water expert and engineer Eric Viala, who shares examples from Africa’s Sahel region to Cambodia about the powerful ways that strengthened water security contributes to environmental sustainability and improves communities’ resilience in the face of natural disasters. Eric also discusses best practices and lessons learned from his recent tenure directing USAID’s Sustainable Water Partnership, and shares his excitement about his current role directing a new USAID-supported water security and resilience initiative to promote sustainable water- and land-use practices in Burkina Faso and Niger. To view or download this interview transcript: * Global Waters Radio – Eric Viala on Strengthening Water Security For more information on subject matter discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: * Sustainable Water Partnership * Globalwaters.org: SWP * USAID Water Office To listen the podcast, click below.

Pipes, treatment plants, and other infrastructure are key pieces of any well-functioning water supply system. But good governance and, the topic of today’s podcast—financing—are just as important as infrastructure to guarantee the successful delivery of water and sanitation services. The World Bank estimates that $114 billion per year of capital investment will be required to provide universal access to safely managed water and sanitation services by 2030—about three times the current investment levels. And while seven of every 10 countries say they’ve identified an approach for extending WASH infrastructure and services to low-income populations, eight of every 10 countries also say they don’t have enough funding to reach those goals. How can better financing help extend water and sanitation services to those most in need? To answer that question, Global Waters Radio speaks with two experts: Ella Lazarte, Senior Water and Sanitation Advisor at USAID, and Barbara Kazimbaya-Senkwe, Global Knowledge Management and Communications Lead with the USAID-supported Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Finance program. To view or download this interview transcript: * Global Waters Radio – Ella Lazarte and Barbara Kazimbaya-Senkwe on How Improved Financing Enhances Water and Sanitation Service Delivery For more information on subject matter discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: * Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN) Program * Globalwaters.org: Governance & Finance * USAID Water Office To listen the podcast, click below.

Sanitation is one of the world’s most pressing public health challenges. Three out of every five people on the planet, or about 4.5 billion people, face every day without access to safely managed sanitation, while more than 890 million still practice open defecation. With such a daunting level of unmet need for improved sanitation facilities and services, what does the path forward look like? To wrestle with this difficult question, this special World Toilet Day edition of Global Waters Radio features two thought leaders in the water and sanitation sectors: Rolf Luyendijk, Executive Director of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), and Portia Persley, Deputy Director of the Water Office at the U.S. Agency for International Development. In this podcast, Rolf and Portia discuss the scope of the world’s current sanitation crisis, highlight promising innovations for scaling-up sanitation solutions globally, and talk about the financial commitments needed to lay the foundation for a healthier future for all. To view or download this interview transcript: Global Waters Radio – Rolf Luyendijk and Portia Persley Transcript For more information on subject matter discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: World Toilet Day * Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) * USAID Water Office * WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme * Globalwaters.org: Sanitation and Hygiene To listen to the podcast, click below.

The latest podcast from Global Waters Radio features a conversation with both Dr. Canisius Kanangire, Executive Secretary of the African Ministers’ Council on Water, and Richard Rapier, Chief of Party for the USAID-supported Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support program. Dr. Kanangire has served as Executive Secretary of the African Ministers’ Council on Water, better known by its acronym AMCOW, since September 2016. AMCOW is a Specialized Committee for Water and Sanitation for the African Union, and Dr. Kanangire has used his position to help align the efforts of more than 50 top water officials from across Africa in their push for improved water and sanitation. Our second guest, Richard Rapier, has over 15 years of experience in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector, as well extensive experience with regional and national water institutions across Africa. Today, he leads the Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support program, better known by its acronym WALIS, which has recently collaborated closely with AMCOW to help create its continent-wide strategy for improving water and sanitation between now and 2030. To view or download this interview transcript: Global Waters Radio – Canisius Kanangire and Richard Rapier Transcript To view or download the extended version of this interview transcript: * Global Waters Radio – Canisius Kanangire and Richard Rapier Extended Transcript For more information on subject matter discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) * Globalwaters.org: Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support Program (WALIS) To listen to the podcast, click below.

Sylvia Cabus serves as Senior Gender Advisor for USAID’s Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. In this podcast, Sylvia speaks with Global Waters Radio about some of the many ways the Agency integrates gender into its water, sanitation, and hygiene programming, and talks about how gender mainstreaming contributes to improved livelihood opportunities for women, better educational access for girls, and greater sustainability for WASH development interventions. The strong connections between WASH improvements and girls and women’s empowerment received prominent mention in the U.S. Government’s first-ever Global Water Strategy, released in 2017, which notes as part of its first Strategic Objective that “access to sanitation for women and girls is particularly crucial to preserving basic dignity, improving access to education and economic opportunities, and reducing gender-based violence.” To view or download this interview transcript: Global Waters Radio – Sylvia Cabus Transcript For more information on subject matter discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: U.S. Government Global Water Strategy USAID Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment * Globalwaters.org: Gender Equality and Empowerment To listen to the podcast, click below.

Jim Peters serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator and Acting Global Water Coordinator in USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3). Jim’s career with the Agency has spanned more than 20 years, and prior to his current role with USAID, he served as Deputy Mission Director for USAID/Pakistan. In this podcast, Jim speaks with Global Waters Radio about his recent experiences in Kenya, where he saw first-hand how USAID and local partners are making improvements to the country’s water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector. Jim also shares his thoughts on the U.S. Government’s first-ever Global Water Strategy, released in 2017, and discusses the role USAID will play in its implementation. This podcast was originally published in March 2018. For more information on the projects and documents discussed in this Global Waters Radio podcast: * U.S. Government Global Water Strategy To listen to the podcast, click below.