Improving toilet use in India, and other news (27 August 2019)

Each week we highlight some of the international development stories from across the globe that have caught our attention.

• Our HABIT study into attitudes and behaviours around toilet use in India have found that women are more likely to end open defecation practices than men, with the open defecation rate in Bihar 3.02% higher for men. The study was conducted as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission to end open defecation in India. Read more in The Economic Times (India).

• Sudan’s new Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, has stated that $8 billion of foreign aid will be needed over the next two years in order to cover the country’s import bill and rebuild the struggling economy. Read more in India Today.

• UK Aid will provide access to clean water, food, and medicine to vulnerable families in Somalia following persistent drought leading to failed harvests. In addition, £30 million will be given to provide livestock with vaccines and to help build longer-term resilience to climate change. Read more in Africa News.