This week Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, are in Antananarivo, Madagascar, for the 2016 Francophonie Summit.  WaterAid Canada’s CEO, Nicole Hurtubise writes about the water and sanitation crises in Madagascar and the opportunity the Summit presents for Canada to to champion the human right to water and sanitation.

Fara (red shirt) and her older sister on their way back home with a bucket and jerrycan full of dirty water on their heads in Fenoarivo village, Madagascar. On average, girls spend around six hours a day collecting water. This is a familiar image across the rest of the country, where nearly half of the population lives without access to safe water and a decent toilet.Photo credit: WaterAid/ Ernest Randriarimalala

Fara (red shirt) and her older sister on their way back home with a bucket and jerrycan full of dirty water on their heads in Fenoarivo village, Madagascar. On average, girls spend around six hours a day collecting water. This is a familiar image across the rest of the country, where nearly half of the population lives without access to safe water and a decent toilet. Photo credit: WaterAid/ Ernest Randriarimalala

Read the full article on The Globe and Mail website