From inclusion to empowerment: Transforming WASH and NTD initiatives to advance disability rights, livelihoods and wellbeing

Overview

Targeting inclusive WASH services towards the people most affected by NTDs and other at-risk individuals and groups should be fundamental to NTD control and elimination efforts. This need is even more urgent for people affected by diseases that result in impairment and disability. Such diseases can lead to stigmatization and social exclusion and contribute to a cycle of poverty and lack of access to services. Lack of access to WASH for treatment and care of symptoms can also increase disease severity, further exacerbating exclusion and poverty