One thing I love about my job is that no two days are the same.  “Policy and advocacy” means lots of things: listening, persuading, recommending a course of action and—perhaps most importantly—giving a voice to people who haven’t been given the opportunity to speak up for themselves. Advocacy happens when someone engages in dialogue about an issue they care about—and I care about making water and sanitation a reality for people in every corner of the globe.

Water is a women’s issue.

It’s an important adage, one that highlights how we expect governments to prioritize investments in safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and water resource management. It links to the theme of this year’s World Water Day, too.

Ever heard of NTDs? They are the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) whose infamous members include trachoma, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and soil transmitted helminths (STH) or worms.

The legendary Robin Hood patrolled Sherwood Forest with a band of merry men, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. This past September, Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) hoped that a band of merry men and women in Congress would pass H.R. 6411, the Inclusive Prosperity Act. The approach proposed by the bill, known as a Robin Hood Tax or, more technically, a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT), does not steal from the rich, but it does seek to fund the poor.

1961 produced some classics, such as Paul Newman in The Hustler, Ray Charles singing “Hit the Road Jack,” and Barbie’s Ken. It also produced an American vision of foreign aid.

Imagine living with no toilet in your home, village or slum. As a woman, your best option for privacy is to walk to the bush or an open field to urinate, defecate, or manage your menstrual hygiene needs, or to risk dirty crowded alleyways because latrine blocks are unavailable to you. But you know it’s not safe after dark: people are robbed, murdered, and raped. Now, imagine it’s the middle of the night, and you really need to go. What do you do?

Charles Dickens wrote “I hope I have taken every available opportunity of showing the want of sanitary improvements in the neglected dwellings of the poor.”

He couldn’t have been more spot on in his observations of the links between sanitation, poverty, rapid urbanization and population growth in the 19th century.

When you work on global health policy, it’s hard to avoid topics that push the boundaries of “polite” conversation. Lots of things about our bodies are considered private, even embarrassing. Poop is a good example.

Every year, more than seven million children worldwide die before they reach their fifth birthday. This month, the U.S. government will join the governments of India and Ethiopia to host a high-level international call to action that aims to reduce this figure by ending preventable child deaths. Here are three ways safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) will play a critical role.

What if I were to tell you that, this week, the United States government has the chance to contribute to saving the lives of at least 400,000 children by the year 2015?