Addis Ababa, October 13, 2022) LIXIL has completed the renovation of school toilets and hand washing facilities at Lielte zenbework Primary School and handed over to the school. LIXIL also announced today that it has donated 30,000 SATO Taps, a unique hand washing equipment valued at 70,000 USD, to UNICEF in recognition of Global Hand Washing Day.
SATO, a LIXIL brand that provides innovative sanitation and hygiene solutions to low-income communities, is a user-friendly, water-efficient, and cost-effective handwashing solution that can be attached to most locally available plastic bottles and allows handwashing with as little as 100ml.
In 2018, UNICEF and LIXIL formed the Make a Splash partnership to promote improved sanitation and hygiene. The partnership was reaffirmed at the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic as the need for improved hygiene in the home and public places. SATO was formed as a result of a well-established communication and shared insights of UNICEF on emerging trends and needs for hand hygiene products from over 100 countries.
In Ethiopia, inadequate sanitation and hygiene services, as well as lack of clean water, cause 60 to 80 percent of communicable diseases to be transmitted. Furthermore, factors such as poor hygiene and a lack of access to safe water and sanitation account for roughly half of the consequences of malnutrition. Diarrhea is the leading cause of death among Ethiopian children under the age of five, accounting for 23% of all under-five deaths – more than 70,000 children per year.
Leader of SATO Ethiopia, Africa Eyerusalem Taye stated at the handover ceremony that UNICEF always strives to improve the lives of populations around the globe, and it is a great pleasure for us to support UNICEF’s efforts. This year, we are pleased to support UNICEF in honor of the Global hand washing day by providing UNICEF with 30,000 SATO hand washing device that will be used to alleviate Ethiopia’s hygiene and washing problems.
The Chief of WASH at UNICEF in Ethiopia, Mr. Kitka Goyol said on his part that UNICEF strives to improve the lives of the population across the globe. However, this is only possible with the support of organizations like SATO. We are grateful for SATO’s support and look forward to receiving similar assistance in the future, as Ethiopia’s hygiene and sanitation situation is massive and requires collaboration and teamwork.
UNICEF in Ethiopia works to ensure that the Ethiopian population, particularly women, children, adolescent girls, and vulnerable groups, has equitable access to a safe water supply and sanitation services, that open defecation is eliminated, and that appropriate hygiene practices, including menstrual health and hygiene, are implemented in households, communities, and institutions in rural and urban areas. UNICEF also works hand in hand with the Ethiopian government on the ONEWASH National Program, a sector-wide and multi-sectoral approach to WASH programming.
Notes to the editor
LIXIL is a social enterprise with a presence in 44 countries and working in Ethiopia to provide basic sanitation and hygiene solutions. Its vision is to provide basic sanitation and hygiene solutions to 100 million people by 2025.
