WINDHOEK, Oct. 3 — A severe shortage of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure in Namibia‘s schools and households is fueling a public health crisis that costs the country billions of Namibian dollars each year, a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) official warned on Thursday.
“Each year, Namibia loses over 3.8 billion Namibian dollars (about 219 million U.S. dollars) due to insufficient WASH services,” said Samuel Kweku Ocran, UNICEF representative to Namibia, at the official commemoration of the 2025 Health and Hygiene Promotion Month, hosted by Windhoek, the country’s capital.
Ocran said 10 percent of Namibian schools — 224 in total — still lack proper sanitation facilities, while 101 schools, or 5 percent, have no access to drinking water.
The lack of infrastructure, he noted, undermines students’ health and ability to learn. The problem extends into households, where only 45 percent have access to handwashing facilities with soap, he said.
“As a result, every year, Namibia faces more than 184,000 cases of diarrheal disease, and tragically, we lose 719 children under the age of five to these preventable illnesses.”
The crisis extends beyond human health, imposing a heavy economic burden on the nation due to inadequate WASH services, Ocran said.
“These alarming statistics are a clear call to action,” he said, emphasizing that handwashing with soap remains the single most effective and affordable way to save lives and prevent disease.
Windhoek Mayor Ndeshihafela Larandja echoed the call, saying this year’s theme, “Be a Handwashing Hero,” empowers citizens to protect their own health and that of their communities.
The mayor stressed that clean hands are a vital defense against the spread of infections, illnesses, and harmful germs. (Xinhua)
