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Rose George: Let’s talk crap. Seriously: 2013 TED TALK available now!
Related articles
Mapping Sanitation: a Tedx Talk by Faisal Chohan, a Senior TED Fellow
A quick 90 second video about an effort to map sanitation in Rawalpindi Pakistan
Faisal Chohan, a Senior TED Fellow and TEDxIslamabad organizer, will now continue his mapping work with a related mission: Improving sanitation in order to prevent the spread of cholera—a bacterial infection in the small intestine, primarily caused by drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated by feces of an infected person. The rapid dehydration and electrolyte imbalance that results from cholera can lead to death if left untreated. Read more on TEDx….
Releated links
- pakreport.org The Organization doing this and other work
- Saafpindi project Page for Mapping Project itself
- parkreport blog
- Fasil Chohan profile on wethedata.org
- Excelent source for more details by Faissal on GlobalGiving page
Other useful links
Scaling out Sanitation in Rawalpindi, Pakistan 2009 article by Pakistan Institute for Environment-Development Action Research (PIEDAR).
About TedxCity.2.0
In the tradition of our TEDxYouthDay, TEDxChange, and TEDxWomen initiatives, comes TEDxCity2.0: A day of urban inspiration. 28 TEDx communities around the world participated in TEDxCity2.0 day on October 13, 2012. We will host our next event in 2013 to share the powerful narratives of urban innovators and organizers, stewards and artists, builders and tastemakers. The TEDx platform will harness the power of people across the globe to encourage them to host a TEDx event, themed “City 2.0. source & more…
TEDxAmsterdamWomen Anjali Sarker – Toilet+ overcoming my childhood fear TEDX event
A great presentation by Anjali Sarker of Toilet Plus on their strategy and reasoning for introducing toilets that work based on financial technical sustainable and social criteria. Toilet Plus is in the early phase of it plan.
” DEFECATION! DISEASE! DEATH! In Bangladesh, each year 69000 children die from diarrhea largely because of unhygienic sanitation. 68% of the villagers use unhygienic pit latrines or defecate openly. Though both govt and NGOs are trying to solve this problem, their efforts largely fail because poor villagers- 1)simply lack motivation to change their sanitation behavior or 2)can’t afford the shift to safe sanitation.
TOILET+ /Toilet Plus introduced as A HYGIENIC AND AFFORDABLE SANITATION SOLUTION. It’s a urine diverting dry toilet and is structurally similar to Ecosan. It can recycle 100% waste to produce organic fertilizer and is flood resistant. Toilet+ ($110 value) is made affordable to the villagers through microcredit from partner MFI.
Toilet+ OFFER COLLECTIVE PROFIT & RESPONSIBILITY. Households form cooperatives,apply for microcredit, and become collectively responsible to repay the total monthly installments to MFI. Member households get toilets from Toilet+ and Toilet+ get paid by MFI. Members sell waste (human and other bio-waste) to Toilet+ and Toilet+ convert waste into organic fertilizer for selling to agro firms. By selling waste, a cooperative gets $70 a month (75% of the collective installments) and each household pays only $1.3 out of pocket to repay the collective monthly installments. Members create strong peer pressure on one another to use toilet so that they can repay collective loan easily.
THE MODEL TURNS TO A SELF-SCALABLE AND SELF-SUSTAINABLE SANITATION CHAIN. Cooperatives will continue to earn revenue from sale of waste after repaying the microcredit in 2.25 years. Understanding the high profitability of financing toilets, enthusiastic cooperative members will start lending non-users to purchase Toilet+ just like MFIs. Users will use peer pressure to make other non-users purchase and use Toilet+ with cooperative financing. Thus cooperative will grow and members will earn more revenue from sale of waste from their financed toilets.
Toilet+ IGNITES THE SPARK, COMMUNITY MAKES IT A REVOLUTION. 1)The more a family uses Toilet+, the more it earns 2)Many Cooperatives will finance others’ toilets as a profitable business and thus expand the size of the cooperative. 3)Fewer fatal diseases, cleaner environment, and more income will improve the living standard of community permanently. “
source for quoted content Dell Social Innovation Challenge- Toilets (changed to third person)
About Anjali Sarker from DELL site
Toilet Plus site:
Related articles
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Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA) is the central body to monitor and supervise microfinance operations of non-governmental organizations of the Republic of Bangladesh.
- A Business Model That Will Blow Your Mind & 10 Ways You Can Improve Yours (fireflycoaching.com)
- Canadian-made toilet aims to lay waste to sanitation diseases (ctvnews.ca)
- Toilet Apartheid (counterpunch.org)
- Renewed research call for low-cost sanitation technologies in Bangladesh [deadline18 Feb 2013] (sanitationupdates.wordpress.com)
- UN deputy chief urges action on water rights (sfgate.com)
- ICDDRB – Update on WASH and hygiene practices (sanitationupdates.wordpress.com)
- April Rinne, Where Is Microfinance Most Powerfully Linked with Sustainable Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Water and Sanitation to End Poverty and Mitigate Climate Change? (slideshare.net)
- Farmers in Nepal Use Urine to Boost Crop Yields (scientificamerican.com)
A good read: The roots of inaction: Understanding and overcoming the obstacles to greater investment in scaling-up effective diarrhea treatment
I urge you to read the PLoS Blog post by Oliver Sabot. While ORS is not the the end game, ORS is unquestionably crutial in the ability to get to the end game : WASH /WATSAN for all.
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The roots of inaction: Understanding and overcoming the obstacles to greater investment in scaling-up effective diarrhea treatment
Posted: August 20, 2012
“”In the second of two posts guest blogger Oliver Sabot from the Clinton Health Access Initiative reflects on the challenge and opportunity of scaling-up access to effective treatment for diarrhea, the second largest cause of child mortality globally. The posts …”
Webinar:Why does diarrhea matter? Lessons from Countries
August 7, 2012 — MCHIP
Please join CORE Group and MCHIP for the second in a series of webinars on diarrheal disease.
WHEN: August 21st from 9 – 11 am EST
HOW: Join by registering at CORE Group’s website [2]
WHO: Moderated by Dr. Dyness Kasungami, MCHIP Team Leader for Child Health
DESCRIPTION:
The second leading cause of preventable child deaths, diarrheal disease claims the lives of 1.3 million children under-five annually, mostly in Africa and South Asia. Gains from the introduction of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) and improved water, sanitation and hygiene are have not been sustained in many countries, with global coverage of ORT use being as low as 34%.
The first webinar in February focused on advocating for coordinated approaches to implement a package of effective interventions, and mobilizing resources and multi-disciplinary partners. In this second webinar, Dr. Dyness Kasungami will moderate a panel with three speakers who will present country success experiences from Benin, Ghana and India in addressing low coverage of effective interventions in diarrheal disease.
The panelists will also share lessons learned surrounding promising practices to increase coverage of zinc, changed dynamics around ORS/zinc use, and the links between treatment and key Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices for prevention. The panel presentation will be followed by an opportunity for a Q&A with participants.
PANELISTS:
Katharine McHugh is the WASH Technical Advisor at PSI.
Topics: Diarrhea treatment program in Benin; strengthening linkages between ORT/zinc and WASH
Kate Schroder is the Director of Essential Medicines Initiative of Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
Topic: Demand generation for ORS and zinc in India
Vicki MacDonald is the Child Health Advisor of Abt Associates.
Topic: A public/private partnership in Ghana to address the introduction of zinc
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Related articles
- PATH And Partners Issue Diarrhea/Pneumonia Declaration To Call For Action Against Leading Causes Of Child Mortality (medicalnewstoday.com)
- Uganda: Clinton arrives to fight diarrhea in children (crofsblogs.typepad.com)
- New genetic path to deadly diarrheal disease discovered (news.bioscholar.com)
- Researchers look at the spread of dysentery from Europe to industrializing countries (medicalxpress.com)
- Child survival takes center stage as leaders convene to renew commitments (eurekalert.org)
Rotavirus Vaccine Is Safe, Study Finds
for full story go to http://www.voanews.com/english/news/health/Rotavirus-Vaccine-Is-Safe-Study-Finds-141259913.html
Web cast interview with Epidemiologist Irene Shui,
Excerpts from the story:
“A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association examines the safety and effectiveness of another rotavirus vaccine now being used.”
“Other vaccines have since taken its place. But a manufacturer’s study of one of them, the RotaTeq vaccine, suggested it, too, might cause intestinal blockage after the first dose. Epidemiologist Irene Shui, at the Harvard School Of Public Health, decided to investigate. “
““Because the rotavirus vaccine is given to almost every child in the United States, it’s crucial to monitor the vaccine’s safety,” said Shui.”
“Shui and other researchers examined the records of almost 800,000 babies who received this vaccine, including 300,000 first doses. They were looking for incidents of intussusception, the medical term for this kind of blockage. “
“We did not find an elevated risk of intussusception following any dose of the vaccine, and especially following the first dose,” she said.”
Related articles
Impact of sanitation on survival
worthy of reprinting: Here is the beginning of a great article by Francisca Oluyole in the Daily Triumph
Impact of sanitation on survival
By Francisca Oluyole
UNICEF reports recently indicated that diarrhea prevalence rate in Nigeria is 18.8 per cent.
The rate, according to the report, is “one of the worst in sub-Saharan Africa”.
For many experts, the situation is “just not good enough” for a leading producer of crude oil, especially as children remain the worst victims of such a preventable disease.
Associated mostly with vomiting, purging and dehydration, diarrhea has been identified by the Nigerian health authorities as the second largest direct cause of child morbidity and mortality in Nigeria.
According to statistics from UNICEF, diarrhea accounts for more than 16 per cent of child deaths. That is a total of 150,000 deaths amongst children under five, annually.
Experts trace the disease to a lack of access to basic sanitation facilities and poor hygiene practices.
They say it is closely connected with malnourishment, as undernourished children usually have a compromised immune system and are also at a higher risk of developing pneumonia.
Recent reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) have confirmed that Nigerian children will continue to be victims of diarrhea as the country is said to be one of the seven high-population countries with
total sanitation coverage of less than 50 per cent.
In effect, less than half of the population has access to improved sanitation and the access is as low as 10 per cent in some states with the situation worse in the rural areas.
The situation, according to the reports, has worsened in the last two decades, with environmental sanitation problems resulting in an escalating negative impact on public and environmental health.
Experts say poor environmental sanitation in Nigeria is characterised by the presence of heaps of refuse in cities, indiscriminate disposal of solid and other wastes, blocked drains, overgrown weeds, among others.
The state of food sanitation in homes, markets and abattoirs is equally appalling and unwholesome as food meant for human consumption is exposed to dust, flies, bacteria and other micro-organisms, they say.
The experts say that such probably accounts for the increasing cases of food-borne diseases such as cholera, food poisoning and typhoid fever.
According to Mr Jones Abari, an Abuja-based community health expert, the lack of safe and private toilets and hand-washing facilities in schools has ensured a quicker development of sanitation-related diseases on children. ….
to read full article by Francisca Oluyole in Daily Triumph go to http://www.triumphnewspapers.com/impact1522010.html R/AUWAL 1 1431 A.H. published MONDAY FEBRUARY 15 2010.
WHO’s new report: “Diarrhoea: why children are still dying and what can be done”
While this is being covered everywhere , I thought it is worth mentioning. It seems important that in this report WHO is stressing Zink tablets in conjunction the oral rehydration solution (ORS) The tables and charts provide excellent statistic for fundraisers and agencies wanting to bring help and awareness. For those in the field there are important points to note but ones in the field may ask “tell us something we don’t know”
Recognition of the reality that “WASH/WATSAN” address seems to be following the same slow path of Global Warming (and other critical realities) , taking its time to come to be mainstream and get the energy it deserves. Hopefully the material presented within shall be an effective red flag to wave to get recognition and resources.
the publication Diarrhoea: why children are still dying and what can be done is available in pdf format for viewing
from the press release:
Past success and present needs
Campaigns targeting childhood diarrhoea in the 1970s and 1980s achieved success by scaling up the use of oral rehydration solution (ORS) to prevent dehydration and by educating caregivers. In spite of the promising results of these campaigns, in recent years the international community has shifted its focus to other global emergencies. There is now an urgent need to focus once more on preventing and treating diarrhoea.
Treatment with ORS and zinc tablets
WHO and UNICEF recommend treating diarrhoea with low-osmolarity ORS and zinc tablets, which decrease the severity and duration of the attack. These treatments are simple, inexpensive and life-saving.
Access to clean water and good hygiene practices are extremely effective in preventing childhood diarrhoea. Hand washing with soap has been shown to reduce the incidence of diarrhoeal disease by over 40 per cent, making it one of the most cost-effective interventions for reducing child deaths from this neglected killer.
from the publication:
For a number of years, there was one zinc product that met quality standards for international procurement by UNICEF. Zinc is now procured by UNICEF, governments and
other agencies and is manufactured locally in a handful of countries. However, meeting policy and regulatory requirements for importing a new product continues to present challenges for zinc introduction in many countries. Moreover, changing child health treatment recommendations nationally can also be difficult.
Compounding the problem is the fact that initial start-up funds for these new treatments can be significant, and beyond the scope of regular health budgets. In addition, many countries are hesitant to buy zinc because they have little experience with it as part of diarrhoea management programmes: They are unsure of the demand and are reluctant to devote funds to one-time start-up activities, such as developing training materials. ….
The challenges of scaling up zinc and increasing usage rates of ORS are steep, but not prohibitive. A renewed call to action is needed to ensure that increasing coverage
of diarrhoea treatment interventions becomes an international
priority.
pulications Sources: Global Zinc Task Force, 2009; UNICEF Supply Division, 2009.
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Yale School of Medicine gets $1.8 million from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for oral rehydration solution ( ORS) study
New Haven, Conn. — http://media-newswire.com/release_1100879.html
To improve treatment of acute diarrhea, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently gave a two-year, $1.8 million grant to the Yale School of Medicine to design clinical trials to test the effectiveness of a major modification of oral rehydration solution ( ORS ) in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children in developing countries.
After working together on various aspects of this project for more than 15 years, a team of scientists — Dr. Henry J. Binder, professor of medicine and of cellular and molecular physiology at Yale, and his two collaborators Dr. B.S. Ramakrishna, professor of gastroenterology at Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, and Professor Graeme P. Young, head of the Flinders Centre for Cancer Prevention and Control, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia — have proposed a modified ORS, based on the addition of a starch that reduces fluid loss.
“The development of ORS to treat diarrhea more than three decades ago has been considered one of the most important milestones in therapeutics during the last century,” says Binder. But although oral rehydration therapy has been responsible for a substantial reduction in infant mortality in the developing world, Binder says, “It is not used as much as it should be for many reasons, including the failure of mothers and caregivers to appreciate its effectiveness. Although ORS corrects dehydration, it does not reduce diarrhea.”
Since diarrhea can be caused by bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, an improvement in current therapies will have far-reaching impact, say the scientists. The primary objectives of this two-year planning grant are to establish a network of sites to collaborate in a series of clinical trials in developing countries, and to identify the most effective starch to be used in these trials.
background
Resistant starch – 0verview
Amylase – overview
related articles
- Amylase-Resistant Starch plus Oral Rehydration Solution for Cholera NEJM
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Glucose versus Amylase Resistant Starch Hypo-Osmolar Oral Rehydration Solution for Adult Acute Dehydrating Diarrhea PLOS




