Press releases

April 13, 2008
Musician's campaign for clean water wins environmental award

A musician with polio, who has dedicated his life to campaigning for clean water and sanitation, has been awarded the world's most notable environmental prize for grassroots activists.

Feliciano dos Santos is one of six recipients of the international Goldman Environmental Prize, recognized for his commitment to campaigning for better public health through safe water and sanitation in Mozambique.

More than half of the population of Mozambique lives in extreme poverty without access to clean water or basic sanitation. The World Health Organisation attributes 80 percent of all illness in the world to unsafe water and poor sanitation, and over two million people (including 1.5 million children) worldwide die from water-related diseases each year.

The success ofSantos's work is due to personal involvement rather than imposingsanitation systems or behavioral change. He works with villagers inworkshops, helping them understand their sanitation options.

Santos' work

Bornin a remote village in Mozambique's northern province of Niassa, Santosgrew up poor and was disabled by polio as a result of contaminatedwater and poor sanitation. His experiences led him to set up a localNGO, Estamos, where he is now leading a novel program of public healthinitiatives. Estamos is a valued partner organization of WaterAid inMozambique.

Santos has developed a unique approach tocommunicate the importance of clean water and sanitation, using thepower of music to convey public health messages and initiate socialchange. Through his band, Massukos, Santos draws in locals to hearsongs that focus on health, water and HIV/AIDS.

With sanitationas the theme for some of his songs, Santos has turned a taboo subjectinto music with a message that has a direct impact on people's lives.His music inspires people to keep a clean, healthy home and village,and helps them understand how their interaction with the environmentaffects things such as water and food supply.

An innovative approach

ThroughEstamos, Santos began working in Niassa - where many villages lack evena basic sanitation infrastructure - promoting low-cost, environmentallysustainable sanitation that composts human waste into nutrient-richfertilizers. Families that use this model report fewer diseases, bettersoil retention and a 100% improvement in crop production.

Thissanitation model enables villagers to produce enough food for theirfamilies and generate a small income from selling some of theirharvest. Santos's innovative approach has now become the model forsustainable development programs worldwide.

The success ofSantos's work is due to personal involvement rather than imposingsanitation systems or behavioral change. He works with villagers inworkshops, helping them understand their sanitation options so thatthey can choose the best solution and build it themselves.

Havinghelped thousands of people in the villages of Niassa, Santos is nowworking through Estamos in the capital, Maputo, and in three districtsin northern Mozambique.

WaterAid's Joe Gomme described theimpact of Estamos and Santos's work: "Although certain communities havetaken up ecological sanitation enthusiastically, it has not yet spreadsignificantly to communities in which Estamos has not worked. Estamoshas always been strong in community education work, and taking that tomany more communities is now the new challenge."

The prize

Establishedin 1990, the Goldman Environmental Prize is awarded each year toenvironmental heroes from six continental regions. Endorsed by morethan 100 heads of state, the prize allows individuals to continuewinning environmental victories against the odds and inspires ordinarypeople to take extraordinary actions to protect the world.

This year, the prize winners received their awards at the San Francisco Opera House on Monday April 14, 2008.

BBC interview with Santos

Listento an interview with Santos on the BBC World Service and hear himtalk about his efforts to encourage ecological sanitation.his life to campaigning for clean water and sanitation, has been awarded the world's most notable environmental prize for grassroots activists.