text: This effort has been led by WaterAid and the Provincial Department of Rural Development, who are responsible for community health, sanitation and hygiene. WaterAid have supported with materials and hiring vehicles with loudspeakers. It builds on their support to the provincial and district water, sanitation and hygiene coordination working groups.
  WaterAid Timor-Leste is assisting the Ministry of Health in their response to health and hygiene promotion activity to #COVID19. The team is also actively sharing WHO messaging on hygiene and preparedness. WaterAid is also creating COVID-19 specific responses by providing information, materials and training on water, sanitation and hygiene to frontline health workers and health posts in rural areas
  The team is also joining the COVID-19 Risk Communication & Community Engagement Group at national level under the Ministry of Health to provide hygiene expertise and support the adaptation of COIVD-19 awareness materials to be inclusive, appropriate and equitable.
  On 23 March 2020 WA TL was involved in establishing a technical COVID-19 taskforce team in Manufahi Municipality. The Municipal Administrator requested to appoint a representative of WaterAid Timor-Leste, to the secretariat for partnership matters.
  The support from WaterAid Timor-Leste together with their partners Strive for the Future (F-LBF), Women for Sustainable Action (FAS) and Strive for Change (LBM) to partner with the taskforce is defined in two parts:
  Human resource support to strengthen the WASH sector in coordination and activity planning, together with budget for the technical working group for prevention of COVID-19 in Manufahi.
  Handwashing infrastructure and awareness are very low in PNG and less than 1% of rural households have handwashing facilities with soap and water. To respond to COVID-19 in PNG, WaterAid is implementing a major national hygiene and COVID-19 awareness campaign. This national campaign will run on billboards, print advertising, radio, television and social media to promote hygiene and COVID-19 awareness. WaterAid will use this campaign to:
  WaterAid is conducting direct community outreach. WaterAid staff have been visiting rural communities to spread World Health Organisation and National Department of Health awareness messaging to prepare locals for COVID-19. WaterAid has been working to dispel any myths related to COVID-19 and provide facts and information on the pandemic, to ensure preparedness.
  WaterAid knows that people who experience marginalisation such as those with disabilities, living with a chronic illness, those who are poorer or lack access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene are more vulnerable to economic and health outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we have created simple COVID-19 messaging on flyers, in collaboration with The Disabled Persons and East Sepik Council of Women to ensure outreach accounts for the needs of women and people living with a disability.
  Read our article on COVID-19: Women, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in the Market Places of Papua New Guinea
  WaterAid Bangladesh is aiming to reach close to 10 million people with their hygiene promotion activities. They are promoting handwashing using social media campaign, awareness videos and placing banners in schools and hospitals.
  Further, they are providing free handwashing devices at public areas such as bus stops, railway stations, markets and shopping malls to reach 100,000 people. They have also launched a campaign called ‘Fight Corona’ reaching over two million people online. Further, they are collaborating with top radio channels to deliver multiple messages during peak hours reaching one million people.
  Additionally, WaterAid Bangladesh has developed a list of technological options for handwashing stations based on geographical context, space, accessibility and costing of materials.