Raising Awareness of Sanitation Issues

An important component to successful and maintained sanitation projects and facilities is a sound understanding of sanitation. It is almost benign to implement improved sanitation facilities in an area without providing the people with the tools and understanding of how to use and maintain such facilities.

There are many NGO's which aim to raise awareness of sanitation issues in developing nations and strive to help better these conditions. An example of an NGO who does this through providing knowledge to those in developing nations to allow them to make better sanitary decisions is Amref Health Africa. They have installed numerous latrines and bathrooms alongside local residents, in conjuction with setting up 'wash clubs' within schools, to provide children with a better understanding of hygiene, which they can teach to their family at home. Methods of working with the community whilst providing them with the basic needs for sanitation have been proven to reduce cases of diarrhoea by around 70% in schools.

World Toilet Day (Image Source)

An event to raise awareness of sanitation issues globally is World Toilet Day (WTD). Established in 2001 by the World Toilet Organisation, this day takes place on November 19th each year. The current overarching aim of the day is to ensure that everyone has safe access to a toilet by 2030 - coinciding with the Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 6). Organisations supporting and contributing funds to raising awareness on this day include, but are not limited to: the World Health Organisation, UN Water and unicef. In order to create more public engagement, each WTD has a designated theme. The most recent topic being nature, bringing attention to how nature can be incorporated with the disposal of waste, such as through composting faecal matter (as discussed in my posts regarding Peepoo and Sanergy).

One of the most famous NGOs for raising awareness about all water issues across Africa and the developing world is WaterAid - their slogan being 'Clean Water, Decent Toilets and Good Hygiene' (WaterAid, 2018). They are established in 18 nations across Africa, working with groups such as the Water Research Commission to provide low-cost technologies to provide and improve sanitation and hygiene.