German WASH-Network founded

End of June 2011 BORDA and 13 other German aid organisations founded a new network for water, sanitation and hygiene – the “German WASH Network”. All WASH members share the vision that all people have access to sustainable water and sanitation services and practice basic hygiene on their own responsibility. This vision is in line with BORDA's motto: "Improved Sanitation for All!"

Due to latest estimations by WHO and UNICEF about 900 million people do not have access to clean drinking-water and approximately 2.6 billion people do not have access to improved sanitation facilities. About 5,000 children below five years of age die each day because of a lack of hygiene and proper sanitation. They could be saved if the vision became true.
One of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to halve the proportion of the population without sustainable access to basic sanitation by 2015. Therefore increased cooperation, coordination and exchange of experience among actors in the field of development cooperation becomes more and more important to reach this goal.

German federal Minister for Development Cooperation, Mr. Dirk Niebel, welcomes the founding of German WASH Network. "Only by substantial social support Germany can fulfil its international responsibilities. (..) A lot of the MDGs, that were internationally agreed on in 2000 are out of reach without clean water and an improved water resource management.
Therefore improving basic water and sanitation services is a key aspect in German development cooperation."

Additional to BORDA the following founder members of WASH are involved:
ADRA, Arche Nova, Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, AT-Verband, German Toilet Organization, Ingenieure ohne Grenzen, Johanniter Auslandshilfe, Malteser International, Noah Foundation, Solidaritätsdienst International, WECF, German World Food Program and World Vision Germany.