Duke University Center for WaSH-AID

Today, more than 3.6 billion people do not have access to safely managed sanitation around the world. It is estimated that 827,000 people in low and middle-income countries die as a result of inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene each year, with inadequate sanitation causing approximately 432,000 of these deaths. More than 130 million girls are not pursuing their education, due in part to lack of safe sanitation facilities. Aging infrastructure, water stress, and urbanization further complicate the challenge. Lack of safely managed sanitation is one of the world's greatest threats to human health and productivity, and an enormous opportunity for meaningful, disruptive innovation. This is where we come in. We are the Duke University Center for WaSH-AID (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Infectious Disease). It is our mission to facilitate the development and sustainable deployment of novel technology-based health solutions for communities around the world. Our research spans rapid blackwater treatment, nutrient removal and reuse, menstrual health and hygiene, and novel sensors and diagnostics for the early detection of disease in individuals and communities. We are a multidisciplinary, intensely collaborative team, working with more than 20 academic, industry, and non-profit partners around the world to create solutions for urban and rural sanitation challenges. We practice user-centered design and engineering, focusing on the cultural norms, preferences, and cost requirements unique to each community, and prioritize gender transformative solutions that empower women and girls. Reach out if you’d like to learn more!