Sanitation

The first step out of poverty

It may seem strange that we consider sanitation as the first step out of poverty, but our experience shows that it is crucial if we want to provide a long-term sustainable solution.

It is difficult to convey in words the indignities suffered by billions of people around the world because they don’t have access to a toilet. It is particularly difficult for women, especially young girls. Women run the risk of being attacked or raped, and young girls can be withdrawn from school when they reach puberty, and all because there are no adequate facilities.

Among the estimated 24,000 poverty stricken children under the age of five who die every single day, at least 25% of those deaths can be directly attributed to diarrhoea. It is also estimated that 3.5 billion people suffer from intestinal worms and using open fields as a toilet is the main cause.

Poor health is a major issue among people without toilets and if we really want people to lift themselves out of the poverty trap, how motivated do you think they are if they are ill most of the time? Or how good will they feel about themselves if they are watched while going to the toilet in an open field or in an alleyway?

To find out more download our sanitation leaflet (1.17mb PDF)

One side of the good health coin is sanitation, and the other is water.