Naomi Hatfield Allen, Outreach Manager at Video Volunteers recently had the opportunity to participate in WSSCC Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene.  The first ever Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene . WSSCC brought together almost 500 sanitation and hygiene professionals and WSSCC members, as well as communicators, educators, health professionals, architects, academics, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, leaders and professionals from other disciplines. Participants came from over 70 countries. Read her account of her experience at the forum:

I have recently returned from presenting our work at the WSSCC Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene in Mumbai. This huge event brought together nearly 500 sanitation and hygiene professionals as well as communicators, educators, health professionals, architects, academics, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and professionals from other disciplines .  It was truly international in flavour with delegates coming from over 70 countries. Though I attended only one day of this week-long conference it was a wonderful sharing and networking event.

I was presenting as part of a session ‘Communications for Change’ and was honored to be sharing a panel with the BBC World Service Trust and Voices of Africa – both of whom are engaged in incredibly important and impactful work. My presentation focused on the importance of bringing marginalized voices into the global discussion on sanitation. A screening of a video made by our correspondent Amol in Mumbai, and was met with rapturous applause. The video documented the filth in Amol’s slum and called on the municipality to clean it up. Women speak out strongly on camera ‘we are human’s too’ says one young girl. Within days of Amol shooting his footage word got out that someone had been filming the filth and the municipality were soon cleaning it up. The power of the camera, especially when in the hands of one of our wonderful correspondents, was palpable and impossible to ignore. I certainly felt proud to be presenting on behalf of Video Volunteers at what was undoubtedly the biggest (and most nerve-wracking) presentation of my career so far! Thanks to the Water Integrity Network for making our participation in the conference possible.