Because the Haitian government is so dependent on outside money for infrastructure, "it is very easy for [international donors] to come in and say, 'I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that,' " he explains. The result is that the country's leaders become more responsive to funders than to Haitian voters. "Where is the accountability?" he says, "not to international donors, but to your people?"

good intentions, poor governance and bad luck that contributed to Haiti's current sanitation crisis

On October 20, 2010, the first outbreak of cholera ever confirmed in Haiti was recognized 10 months after the catastrophic earthquake that killed over 200,000 people and displaced over 1 million. At the time, this cholera outbreak was the worst in history, with over 820,000 cases and nearly 10,000 deaths.

Located on the western one-third of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, Haiti shares the island with the Dominican Republic.

AREA: 10,714 square miles (27,750 square kilometers)

CAPITAL: Port-au-Prince

October 2010 - Ten months after a devastating earthquake in Haiti, a cholera outbreak begins. About 800,000 cases and 10,000 deaths in Haiti are later reported. A study of the outbreak indicates that it originated at a camp set up by UN peacekeepers.

August 18, 2016 - For the first time, the United Nations acknowledges its involvement in the cholera outbreak in Haiti in 2010.

1817 - The first pandemic begins in Southeast Asia.

Researchers have estimated that each year there are 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera, and 21 000 to 143 000 deaths worldwide due to cholera (1)

Circular economy: Human hair recycled to clean waterways in BelgiumA Belgian NGO is using human hair clippings to absorb environmental pollutants.The hair is turned into matted squares, which can be used to absorb oil and other hydrocarbons. The mats can be placed in drains to soak up pollution in water before it reaches a river. They can also be used to deal with pollution problems due to flooding and to clean up oil spills.

This start-up has just won £1m for its seaweed-based plastic alternativeLondon-based start-up Notpla believes it has an answer to our plastic waste problem: a plastic alternative made from seaweed and plants.It's totally natural, completely biodegradable and can be used to make a range of packaging from bubbles to hold liquid to linings for food containers.The company's founders have just won the Earthshot Prize in the ‘Build a Waste-Free World’ category, receiving £1 million (€1.2 million) to continue their efforts.