How a coalition of government, business and NGOs came together to tackle Covid-19

On March 11, 2021, a new water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facility was opened in City Carton, an informal settlement in Majengo, in the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. 

Wanja, who lives in the community, was over the moon to hear the news. "During this Covid period, things became challenging; we all had to manage with the little water we got. We also had just one toilet so people would have to queue for ages. Some people would use the drains as their toilet and you’d then find children playing in the waste, then getting diarrhea and vomiting - and sometimes even dying from cholera."

Thanks to the Hygiene Behaviour Change Coalition (HBCC) - created by Unilever plc and the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office - women like Wanja can now more easily access water to wash, clean and protect themselves from Covid-19. 

Wanja is just one of many people who benefitted from the work of HBCC after it launched in April 2020, in immediate response to the emergence of Covid-19.

As the Covid crisis escalated around the world, the coalition gathered 21 non-governmental partners including ActionAid to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. Running 78 projects across 37 countries, the coalition's aim is to reach 1 billion vulnerable people in countries in the global south. 

Today Wanja is grateful for the new facilities in her neighbourhood - 'Now we have enough water and more toilets so there is no more queueing; you just fetch your water then have enough time to get on with your hustle.'"

ActionAid's role in the Hygiene Behaviour Change Coalition

As part of the coalition, ActionAid has been distributing hygiene products and delivering information about handwashing and other hygiene practices through media, digital and face-to-face workshops.

Barsha, 23, is a volunteer working on the frontline of ActionAid’s coronavirus response in Nepal. Photo: Uma Bista/ActionAid

In Nepal, Barsha, 23, is volunteering on the frontline of ActionAid’s coronavirus response in Kathmandu. She teaches people how to wash their hands and how to wear a mask, and created a list of the most vulnerable people in her community so they could receive food, menstrual products, sanitisers, face masks, and other support from ActionAid.

Barsha has been a volunteer with ActionAid for three years and joined the coronavirus response after attending an ActionAid Nepal leadership programme for young women in February, shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic began to badly affect the country.

"I feel very good from inside my heart. Playing such a role [and] serving the community makes me feel good. It makes me realise I can do more, that I can help more people, and [this] has boosted my self-strength."

Embedding long-term solutions in Nepal and Kenya

The HBCC was novel in its combination of government funding with in-kind support and management from a private sector partner with a total of £100m in contributions to alleviate the pandemic's worst effects. 

With ActionAid’s allocation of the funding, between April 2020 and July 2021, we reached more than 28 million people across Nepal and Kenya through this work. Most importantly, we made sure to embed sustainable solutions in the communities we worked with and will apply the same practices to support communities if and when any future waves of the coronavirus are experienced.

Today Wanja is grateful for the new facilities in her neighbourhood: "Now we have enough water and more toilets so there is no more queueing; you just fetch your water then have enough time to get on with your hustle."

ActionAid is passionate about finding new ways to bring businesses and NGOs together to tackle large-scale problems such as this. For a conversation about how ActionAid might be able to work with your business, be that in emergency response, sustainable development or an advisory capacity, please reach out to our team at uk.corporatepartnerships@actionaid.org