WASH stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. WASH facilities in refugee camps include improved sanitation, such as: flush or pour-flush to piped sewer system, septic tank pit latrines, ventilated-improved pit latrines, and pit latrines with slab or composting toilets.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria claim approximately 3 million lives in the region each year. Parasitic diseases, such as hookworm and schistosomiasis, also are prevalent, mostly among children, and cause hundreds of thousands of deaths and widespread suffering.