Prone to devastating floods and described as the largest delta in the world, Bangladesh has an abundance of surface water. Yet availability of safe water is a major problem for some communities, with 4.2 million people without access (WaterAid 2004). Contamination, parasites and high levels of arsenic in the drinking water have a serious effect on health, and spread fatal diseases such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery and severe diarrhoea.

A key cause of the water contamination is the low level of sanitation, with only 48% of the population having access to sanitary latrines (meaning a total of almost 73 million people who are without hygienic lavatory facilities and who resort to the use of open areas). Apart from the risk of disease, there are additional risks particularly to women, who are vulnerable to gynaecological infections caused by unhygienic conditions. A lack of sanitary awareness, such as the importance of adequate waste-disposal and of washing hands, also contributes to easily avoidable health problems.

BRIF ensures that the beneficiaries it works with through its programmes all have access to safe water. We help to install tube wells with hand pumps in local villages, providing villagers with a sustainable source of pure water and reducing the time taken by rural women to fetch water throughout the day. Low rate credit is available to help rural people install the wells, and we supply them for free to communities that are ultra-poor.

BRIF runs an ongoing campaign to help people understand the importance of sanitation. We work with schools to ensure children are taught about hygiene, and include lessons on hygiene in adult education classes. Rural people can obtain low-rate credit to install a safe latrine within their homestead, and we supply them for free to the ultra-poor. We also organise meetings with local religious leaders who can use their influence in the community to help raise awareness and educate people about the importance of sanitation and cleanliness.