WASH First: Scaling up WASH SDG efforts: the first line of defence against COVID-19 SUMMARY 
In order to prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19, through the WASH First programme, the WASH SDG Consortium partners are scaling up their efforts to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the most vulnerable countries. This is done by supporting local communities and governments through information, awareness raising and improved access to WASH services. The overall goal is the promotion of health-related hygiene practices to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in at-risk countries. The WASH First programme is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS)/Inclusive Green Growth (IGG) department. Plan International Netherlands is implementing the programme in 4 countries: Indonesia, Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique. The programme started in September 2020 and will run until the end of November 2022. As from March 2020 COVID-19 quickly spread and was declared a pandemic. To date, official reports indicate a total of almost 15 million cases worldwide and over 600,000 deaths with many countries underreporting. Until there is a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, there is no better cure than prevention. This pandemic clearly emphasized how deficient hygiene practices and the existing lack of prioritization of resilient, accessible and affordable water and sanitation systems affects everyone and puts global public health at risk. The crisis is further revealing inequities in WASH, between those with and without access to services, and between those with better and worse levels of service. Those without or with low quality services are less able to implement basic mitigation measures such as frequent handwashing with soap, social distancing and cleanliness.  Those suffering most from the containment and other mitigation measures - the at-risk-population, and most likely to be left behind - are usually women, girls and other marginalized groups, such as the elderly, persons living with a disability (PLWD), those living in informal settlements, refugee camps, detention centres, and those in extreme poverty. The WASH First programme focuses on specific objectives targeting high at-risk and most marginalized populations for which a full results framework has been elaborated. Main results in order to reduce the spread of the virus:
• Result 1: Enhanced understanding of individuals, communities, health workers, schools and WASH service providers about mitigation measures against COVID-19 transmission
• Result 2: Population at risk of COVID-19 have sufficient and constant access to commodities and consumables (handwashing facilities, disinfection equipment, soap, hygiene kits including menstrual health products and personal protective equipment (PPE))
• Result 3: Population at risk of COVID-19 have safe (considering safeguarding and security) access to water and sanitation services through the construction of new and repair of non-functional water and sanitation facilities or through temporary/mobile supplies/services

The WASH First programme envisages the following categories of interventions:
1. Awareness raising: awareness campaigns and mass media campaigns that make use of inclusive and targeted messaging and communication channels in order to reach those most at risk 
2. Direct information sharing and messaging: through home visits, courtyard meetings, community meetings where possible and in line with do-no-harm principles
3. Improving access to safe drinking water and water supply for handwashing, as well as menstrual health and sanitation (including safe disposal of waste), following inclusive designs of facilities and services
4. Improving access to safe handwashing facilities, especially for the most at-risk populations
5. Access to hygiene products including soap, disinfectant, PPE and menstrual hygiene products for the most at-risk target groups
6. COVID-related coordination meetings with local government and other stakeholders to highlight and strengthen the focus on the most marginalised and how to reach them to combat the spread of the virus the WASH SDG Consortium partners are scaling up their efforts to access water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the most vulnerable countries, through the WASH First programme. The WASH First programme aims to enhance understanding of individuals, communities, health workers, schools and WASH service providers about mitigation measures against COVID-19 transmission and provides safe access to water and sanitation services to population at risk. The programme specifically targets the poorest of the poor, women, girls and people with a disability. The WASH First programme envisages the following categories of interventions in 4 countries:
1. Awareness raising: awareness campaigns and mass media campaigns that make use of inclusive
and targeted messaging and communication channels in order to reach those most at risk
2. Direct information sharing and messaging: through home visits, courtyard meetings, community
meetings where possible and in line with do-no-harm principles
3. Improving access to safe drinking water and water supply for handwashing, as well as menstrual
health and sanitation (including safe disposal of waste), following inclusive designs of facilities
and services
4. Improving access to safe handwashing facilities, especially for the most at-risk populations
5. Access to hygiene products including soap, disinfectant, PPE and menstrual hygiene products for
the most at-risk target groups
6. COVID-related coordination meetings with local government and other stakeholders to highlight
and strengthen the focus on the most marginalized and how to reach them The following principles are, when applicable,  incorporated in the WASH First approach:
Social sustainability : ensuring that social conditions are realized and sustained so the current and future society is able to create healthy communities. Social sustainable intervention is demand-driven, inclusive (equality), gender equal, culturally sensitive and needs-based.
Institutional sustainability : WASH systems, institutions, policies and procedures at the local level are functional and meet the demand of users of WASH services. 
Environmental sustainability: placing WASH interventions in the wider context of the natural environment and implementing an approach of integrated and sustainable management of water and waste(-water) flows and resources, including the adaptation to climate change. 
Technical sustainability of WASH services : technology or hardware needed for continuous services is maintained, repaired and replaced by local people and it is not depleting the (natural) resources on which it depends for its functioning.
Financial sustainability : continuity in the delivery of products and services related to WASH is assured, because the activities are locally financed (e.g. taxes, local fees, local credit products).