Healthy Village Ethiopia aims to reduce stunting and water- and faecal-borne diseases in four districts in Ethiopia in a sustainable manner, together with Plan International Netherlands and the Government of Ethiopia. It is an integrated water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food and nutrition security programme, developed together with Plan International. We focus on  the most vulnerable people, without  sufficient access to clean water, sanitation, and nutritious food.

To create a healthy living environment for children, we strive for community-wide behaviour change from a WASH and food & nutrition nexus lens. This means facilitating access to nutritious food and ensuring that people have a diverse diet, improved sanitation, safe drinking water, and good hygiene practices and products. Many programme elements link to maternal and child health, such as breastfeeding, pre- and post-natal care, and medical attention for children when undernutrition is severe.

Through learning, gathering evidence and engagement the Healthy Village programme is an innovative ‘speedboat’ that supports ongoing and emerging ‘tanker’ programmes, e.g. large-scale government programmes. We aim for impact at national level but also on the ground, targeting  areas with high need prioritised by the government.

To read more about our Healthy Village programme in Ethiopia, find our two-pager here.