When Daigo Ishiyama contracted Covid in the spring of 2020, he felt grateful knowing he had the basics in place to keep his family safe. “In the developed world, we tend to take access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for granted,” he says. “But a steep inequity in access means many go without these basic human necessities – I knew I was among the lucky ones.”
The global pandemic was a stark reminder that one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of a virus is also one of the most direct: handwashing. But according to Unicef, 25% of the world’s population – about 2 billion people – still do not have access to basic handwashing facilities at home; in some of the least developed countries, it is as high as 75%.
