USAID launches High 5 clean water program in Surabaya, Makassar, and Medan

USAID launches High 5 clean water program in Surabaya, Makassar, and Medan

On December 22, 2011 the United States launched the High Five urban water, sanitation and hygiene improvement program in Surabaya. The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is partnering with the Government of Indonesia to support its national community-based sanitation strategy and development program to improve health and hygiene practices in both rural and urban Indonesia. The High Five Program is part of the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership, which advances cooperation in the environment, promotes prosperity, strengthens democracy, enhances understanding and ensures security.
“Under our Comprehensive Partnership, the goal of this new USAID program is to improve safe drinking water and sanitation facilities along with behavior change on health and hygiene among the urban poor” said USAID representative Ms. Roma Manurung.
Surabaya, as the second largest city in Indonesia, faces challenges in providing access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities and in changing the behavior of its citizen toward individual health and hygiene. A Basic Health Survey in 2010 showed that approximately 28% of Indonesia’s urban population practice free-range defecation or use unimproved sanitation in comparison to Cambodia (32,4%), Philippines (7,6%), and Vietnam (3.8%) (WSP-Water Sanitation Program, 2008). A later study in 2010 revealed that US$ 6.3 billion of economic opportunity is lost annually to poor sanitation – which means that every Indonesian household contributes US$ 143 per year to the loss.
The USAID program, in cooperation with Cipta Cara Padu Foundation-Indonesia, emphasizes partnership and encourages participation along with involvement at the community level. Women, through the community working group, play a central role in promoting behavior change related to environmental and sanitation practices in their area. The local media also plays a strong role in disseminating information on better hygiene practices through community-based discussion forums.
The High Five program, covering 48,000 people over the next three years, intends to decrease diarrheal disease prevalence among children under five in the three cities of Medan, Surabaya, and Makassar. In Surabaya, the project will target two districts: Wonorejo Kecamatan Tegalsari and Petemon Kecamatan Sawahan.
For further information, please contact Ratih Astati Dewi, High Five Project, Cipta Cara Padu Foundation-Indonesia, at  +6231-5019295 or email: ratih_adewi@yahoo.com