My experience in Yemen shows progress is possible on water, sanitation and livelihoods – but all of this could be undone if violence returns

Fayad Al-DerwishConflict, Fragile contexts, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Nine years since the conflict in Yemen began, Oxfam Water and Sanitation Lead Fayad Al-Derwish reflects on positive changes he has seen in his two years in the job, calls for urgent action to meet the needs of displaced people returning to devastated homes, and shares his worries for the future if conflict re-ignites.

Water that works: how an alternative management model for rural water supply is proving its worth in Nepal

Anjil AdhikariGovernance, Innovation, Water

Traditional models of managing drinking water have delivered progress – but where these are failing, we now need to look at alternatives, says Oxfam’s Anjil Adhikari. In a blog for World Water Day, he shares a new model that could deliver a significant boost to water system performance and governance in rural Nepal and beyond.

Will growth be enough to end poverty by 2030? It really doesn’t look like it…

Arief Anshory YusufEconomics, Inequality, Research

Our sobering analysis shows the world looks set to miss the UN’s flagship development goals for 2030 by a wide margin. That means millions of lives blighted unnecessarily by sickness, poverty, and death unless we see radical policy changes, say Arief Anshory Yusuf, Zuzy Anna, Ahmad Komarulzaman and Andy Sumner.

How can we manage toilets better in large emergencies? Cox’s Bazar shows us the way

Safwatul Haque NiloyEmergencies, Innovation, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

In a blog for World Toilet Day, Oxfam’s Safwatul Haque Niloy looks at a pioneering project with engineering firm Arup that is pinpointing the best ways to deal with the huge challenge posed by waste from thousands of latrines

I’m proud to be a Yemeni tackling our water crisis – but we need the world to do much more, especially for women

Fayad Al-DerwishConflict, Gender, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Over seven years of conflict, Yemen’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed. Oxfam’s Fayad Al-Derwish sets out the impact on women and girls – and what he and his team are doing to help rebuild

Handwashing innovation

Joel TrotterEmergencies, Humanitarian, Innovation, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Joel Trotter describes how it feels to see Oxfam’s brand-new handwashing kit tested, refined, and ready to go into action. Oxfam’s Promotion and Practice Handwashing Kit is a robust, user-friendly handwashing station that is easily assembled in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. It allows for improved, timely handwashing and reduces people’s health risks in emergency displacement camps. It was …

Reinventing the toilet

Brian McSorelyEmergencies, General, Humanitarian, Innovation, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Brian McSorley on Oxfam’s contribution to ensuring the poorest people on the planet have access to a loo. Earlier this month, Bill Gates stood up to address an international conference holding a jar full of human faeces.  In a sector that has been underfunded and overlooked for decades, The Gates Foundation has been a disruptive and positive force in raising …

Taking emergency water, sanitation and hygiene to market

Esther ShaylorHumanitarian, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Esther Shaylor explains how Oxfam is working with other NGOs to share learning about providing emergency water, sanitation and hygiene using local markets. In recent years there has been a change in how we deliver humanitarian aid. The humanitarian sector as a whole is moving away from distributing food and other items, and, through research and practice, is working out …

Podcast: Emergency sanitation in focus

jamesEmergency, Humanitarian, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

[buzzsprout episode=’2559244′ player=’true’] Esther Shaylor talks to Andy Bastable, Oxfam’s expert on public health engineering, about the challenge of providing sustainable sanitation in emergencies. What happens when toilets in camps are not well planned out? How and why should tiger worms and urine dry diversion toilets be used? Find out more: Our work on water, sanitation and hygiene