FAST - Conference attendance

8th Emergency Environmental Health Forum, Johannes Bousek

The 8th Emergency Environmental Health Forum (EEHF) is the scientific counterpart and follow on of the Global Wash Cluster Meeting. The conference was organised by the London School of Hygiene &; Tropical Medicine and was set in the Berlin Meliá Hotel.

During the two days of the conference faecal sludge treatment was one of the corner stones of the program. Within the FAST project peer campaign, I presented the development of the Microbial Sludge Quality field laboratory, as researcher of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. The presentation was focused on the analytical methodology which was adapted in the MSQ project for field use. The field laboratory sparked several highly interesting discussions with the attendees of the conference. Find out more in the EEHF Abstract booklet and the Event Report.

41st WEDC conference, Magdalena Bäeuerl

As a unique encounter of academia and practitioners in the WASH sector, the 41st WEDC conference was co-hosted by Egerton University in Nakuru Kenya this year. With the overall aim to develop knowledge and capacity for “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient WASH services”, this opportunity was seized to create awareness for the faecal sludge field lab, specifically through an Espresso slot presentation which challenged us to present 4 slides in just a few minutes. Feedback from that session and in several discussions during the conference, confirmed that interest for the field lab is high from various sides. The added value of the field lab is clearly seen for providing a reliable data basis for decision making to ensure public health, especially in emergencies.

The conference itself was not only an excellent opportunity to present the faecal sludge field lab, but also to network and learn about interesting ongoing initiatives such as Solidarites International's OCTOPUS innovation project, or faecal sludge lab needs from South Africa (Zikalala, Thabiso).

Created contacts will surely contribute to a valuable network of faecal sludge enthusiasts and WASH emergency practitioners for further refinement of the lab methods and equipment.

Authors: Magdalena Bäuerl and Johannes Bousek