East African Water and Sanitation Inequities: Activism for Maternal and Child Health

Abstract

In developing countries, one of the current issues for populaces
in both urban and rural areas deals with the percentage of people
who have access to quality water and sanitation facilities. Research
suggests that there is a major disparity in the distribution
of improved water and sanitation facilities based on geography
and the effects that it has on its’ people. This research considers
the existing socioeconomic, political, and environmental state of
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in relationship to the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). Through an extensive literature review,
meta-analysis and comparative analyses across countries
using Demographic and Health Surveys and World Health Organization
statistics, this paper will focus on water and sanitation
technologies in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Here it is argued
that childhood morbidity and maternal health disparities cannot
be fully understood without the inclusion of research regarding
their health and environmental resources. Through an Africana
feminist lens, the benefits and drawbacks of the present water
and sanitation technologies in East African countries are analyzed
for further insight to health and environmental anomalies.
Finally, the goal is to unveil suggestions for future policy implementation
and possible variables affecting maternal and child
health.