'Poor sanitation kills 5 000 children a day'

from SABC News

The international organisation, WaterAid, says some 5 000 children die each day across the world because they do not have access to clean toilets.

The non-profit organisation has called on wealthy governments and donors to make sanitation a priority.

WaterAid Spokesperson Lydia Zigomo says she believes it is possible to attain the UN Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of the world's population without sustainable access to basic sanitation by 2015.

Zigomo says this would require a major commitment and the political will to make that commitment. "At the moment we have calculated that we would need an additional $10 billion being invested each year to reach the UN Millennium Development Goals..."

US aid
Meanwhile, Malawi, Namibia and two West African states have officially been selected by the United States government to have access to financial assistance if they submit poverty reduction related proposals.

The West African states are Burkina Faso and Senegal.

The disclosure follows high-level talks between the Malawi government and officials from the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Vice President of the US-based corporation, John Hewko, says Malawi was selected because it is pursuing policies that are aimed at the reduction of poverty and achievement of economic growth.