WORLD TOILET DAY: Time to build better toilets considering the needs of persons with disabilities and women.
“WHEN I have no help and there is no water, when I go to the toilet I always step on feces or urine, and since I live in a rented house, often when the toilet is dirty, then everyone knows that I am the one who made the dirt,” says Christina Paul Chibalua, a blind person who lives in Chamwino ward, Msufini street in Morogoro region.
This woman celebrated ‘World Toilet Day’ still living in an environment where an improved toilet is a big problem for her.
November 19 every year the world celebrates toilet day. The theme for this year’s WTD is ‘Making the Invisible Visible’. The theme hopes to draw attention to how poor-quality toilets and inadequate sanitation systems negatively affect people’s health and pollute the environment, particularly groundwater.
However, this article focuses on environmental sanitation and its effects, especially on women and people with disabilities in Tanzania.
Sustainable Development Goal 6.2, provides an important message that everyone must have access to a clean, safe, and equitable toilet for all, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.
However, that message may not mean much to Christina Paul and others living in a similar environment considering that there are only eight years left until 2030, urging the world to work four times faster to meet this target.
Christina says that it is not only the challenge of cleanliness of the toilet that she faces but also the act of sharing the same toilet with men that criticizes her confidence and lowers the value of her personality as a woman.
“When there are no people, I have to go to the toilet by touching the wall. When I’m there, I always get the feeling that someone must be watching me secretly because the toilet infrastructure is not good,” she says.
Christina who lives alone, says that it is more challenging at night when she needs to go to the toilet for fear of being subjected to violent acts because the toilet is outside.
Various organizations in the world have been making deliberate efforts to end the challenge of sanitation hygiene, among these organizations is WaterAid. WaterAid believes that the lack of toilets affects the privacy of women and girls as well as their safety. To bring change in the toilet service, it is important that access to water and sanitation be a priority along with the availability of good toilets for everyone, everywhere. However, not everywhere people pay attention to the importance of clean water and sanitation, even though it is a human right recognized by the United Nations.
Although the condition of being visually impaired increases the problem for Christina, but there are women and girls who often wait until dark to find a quiet place to defecate, which increases the risk of being harassed or even sexually attacked.
Athumani Ally Kapate, a resident of Mazimbu ward, Modeko B street, Morogoro region is physically disabled. He has been facing the challenge of sanitation facilities his whole life. He says that he has been suffering from stomach pain and has been explaining to the doctors that the situation is due to the lack of enough water for washing hands and cleaning the toilet environment.
“I suffer a lot, especially stomach ache. When asked by the doctor, I always tell him the truth that my disability makes me touch the ground in the toilet, but the available water does not meet my needs,” says Athumani, who is a teacher by profession.
For Athumani, it is not only at home when he encounters the challenge of toilet hygiene, but also where he works.
“There have also been many strategies for constructing toilets in schools. When experts come, they only ask for the number of holes, but they forget whether those toilet holes are friendly to disabled students or teachers with disabilities in certain schools (like me)?” Says Ally
He says apart from schools, he encourages the construction of friendly toilets for all people including the disabled in places with gatherings of people such as bus stands, markets, and even houses of worship.
Today, 3.6 billion people are still living with poor-quality toilets that ruin their health and pollute their environment.
WaterAid country director in Tanzania Ms. Anna Mzinga said, the organization has been cooperating with the governments, development partners, utility companies, community-based organizations, businesses and entrepreneurs, and local people, to improve people’s access to sanitation.
“We address the entire sanitation chain to make sure human waste is safely managed, including transportation or storage, treatment, and disposal or re-use,” she says.
Ms. Mzinga added that, ensuring sanitation for all takes more than building toilets or motivating communities. “Girls are affected by a lack of private toilets, and often drop out completely when they start their periods. This continues to reinforce and widen the gap between boys and girls, holding girls back from realizing their full potential. Decent toilets mean children can go to school and get an education, parents can raise their babies safely, and women and girls can stay clean and safe on their period.” She added
The situation is different for Margaret Peter Kyaulila, a blind person living in Morogoro region. She says, while the world celebrates toilet day, the sanitary condition of the toilet she uses does not meet her daily needs.
Two years ago, she made difficult decisions. She decided to start her own life coming from her parents.
Before she got used to where she moved, she fell more than twenty times while groping her way to the toilet. Now she lives by habits and the help of her neighbors who show her the way when she wants to go to the toilet.
“My room is fifteen steps or more away from where the toilet is, so you will see how difficult it is for me to get there alone, even though by now I have gotten used to the way to pass when my neighbors are not there.” Says Margaret who before going to the toilet she has to fetch water from the well in the yard of the house where she lives.
There is no running water in the toilet, so not only she, but also other people who live there have to draw water from the well and go to the toilet, but for Margaret it is different. It takes longer to get water due to her condition.
“There is no water in the toilet, I have to carry water every time I want to go to the toilet. At night it becomes more challenging. So, before I go to sleep I have to fetch water and put it in a bucket so that when I need to go to the toilet it will be easier.” She says
However, Margaret thank her neighbors for taking her out of the toilet cleaning shift, they have recognized her situation.
She gives an opinion to the government and sanitation stakeholders to help her with sanitation facilities and a friendly toilet according to her condition.
Morogoro Municipality Health Officer, Mr. Ndimile Kilatu believes in equal rights for all when it comes to sanitation. Also, he believes the Nyumba Ni Choo campaign run by the government nationally through the Ministry of Health in Tanzania, will be a savior for citizens who have the challenge of not having good toilets.
“We are continuing this campaign by conducting inspections and regular education is provided in collaboration with the ward health officers to ensure that the toilets are clean for the people to avoid epidemics,” says Mr. Ndimile while emphasizing that awareness is one of their daily work in the community.
The health expert has admitted that his office recognizes the situation of people of special groups, including the disabled, and they always advise the presence of friendly toilets when reviewing the construction map for areas with a concentration of people to bring equality to everyone.
He says that the motivation they give to the community is not only the cleanliness of the toilet but also the entire flow that should be done in implementing the issue of hygiene, including encouraging hand washing using running water and soap.
He advises citizens to involve health professionals when they want to build a toilet in order to advise on the best way to build a good and friendly toilet for everyone, the goal is not to leave people with disability behind.
Delivering Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030 is going to take more than funding, it demands new approaches, huge resourcefulness, and innovation
It has to bring lasting change in people’s lives. All stakeholders must align with strategies and plans agreed upon nationally and locally, and work in a coordinated way.
“Our plans must reflect which group of people are at risk of being left behind and put in place the strategies needed to address such inequalities.” says WaterAid country director in Tanzania Ms. Mzinga.
According to the United Nations, everyone has the right to access sanitation services that provide privacy and ensure their dignity and safety. Lack of sanitation affects the whole community.
That is why world toilet day for the year 2022 highlights the impact of the sanitation challenge on underground water. It reflects poor sanitation systems that spread human waste into rivers, lakes and soil, contaminating the water resources under our feet. Safely managed sanitation protects groundwater from human waste pollution.
Groundwater is the world’s most abundant source of freshwater. It supports drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, farming, industry and ecosystems. However, there are reports of some wells dug in areas that interfere with water from toilets.
It is important for policymakers around the globe to fully recognize the relationship between sanitation and groundwater in their plans so as to protect this vital water resource.
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Writer’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammed-hammie-84404a36/
