Access to Proper Sanitation and Water in Impoverished Communities

The importance of handwashing has recently become a growing topic of interest due to Covid-19, but this has always been an issue in undeveloped countries. Hotels across the world throw out bars of soap which have been seldom used every day. For developing countries, these scraps of soap could mean life or death. According to the World Health Organization, the eighth leading cause of death globally is diarrheal diseases, which occur from disease-ridden water and poor sanitation habits. This problem arises from both lack of potable water and lack of soap. The Borgen Project and the Sundara organization are just two of many organizations that gather used soap and shampoo bottles from hotels then sanitize and redistribute them to developing countries to address the lack of soap (Williams 2020). In addition, in developed countries, homeless and impoverished individuals often lack access to bathrooms and showering facilities which cause an increased risk of disease and illness (Leibler). Catholic Social Services and the Miami Valley Housing Opportunities are organizations located here in the Dayton area that provide these resources to those experiencing homelessness and poverty. This poster explores affected populations in developing countries and homeless populations, possible solutions, and critiques problems found with their proposed solutions. These solutions include increasing access to communal showers and survival kits (including soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, etc.), teaching proper washing techniques, and promoting their services, where these establishments can be found, and how to contact them. These projects would lead to a decrease in illnesses acquired due to living circumstances and would reduce this issue.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/3574/thumbnail.jp