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Best Practices in Social Marketing Safe Water Solution for Household Water Treatment: Lessons Learned from 20 Population Services International Field Programs

Since 1998 Population Services International (PSI), with the funding and support of the U.S. Agency for International Development and other donors, has been involved in the implementation of safe water programs in 20 developing countries, promoting the Safe Water System (SWS), a household water treatment and safe storage strategy originally designed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in response to cholera outbreaks in Latin America. SWS includes three elements: (1) water treatment at point-of-use with a dilute sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) "safe water" solution; (2) storage of water in a safe container, and (3) education to improve hygiene and water use practices. This paper synthesizes lessons learned, best practices, successes and challenges of social marketing safe water solution, and discusses how these lessons may be applied to planning safe water treatment programs around the globe.