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THE ECONOMIC COST OF POOR SANITATION AND HYGIENE

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  Sanitation related loss of productivity, such as missed workdays, costs some countries over 6% of their gross domestic product (GDP), thereby costing individual countries billions of dollars each year. COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for households already facing multiple hardships. Before the pandemic, the IMF estimated that 44% of low income developing countries were at high risk or in debt distress. The pandemic has put increased strain on ministries of finance and external debt service obligations and many countries have reached unpayable levels, even without consideration of the need for climate adaptation and resilience. Achieving universal access to basic hygiene and sanitation can unlock annualized net benefits of $45 billion and $65 billion respectively. Achieving universal access to safely managed sanitation might even result in annualized net benefits of $86 billion. In Uganda, Mothers walk for hours every day carrying heavy jerry cans, just to provide for basic