World Toilet Day and Launch of Pit Latrines

November 22, 2019

World Toilet Day, celebrated on the 20th of November every year, is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which promises sanitation for all by 2030. Sanitation is a human right and yet 4.2 billion people live without safely managed toilets. 

According to statistics by The Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Children and Elderly in Tanzania East Africa; only 34% of people owned safely managed toilets in 2017, and across 16,088 different schools, only 28% of the schools operated well maintained toilets facilities.

In support of the World Toilet Initiatives, which was made an official UN day in 2013, The Foundation For Tomorrow has joined the world in celebrating this day by donating 10 pit latrines to a primary school in Arusha that is in great need of new toilet facilities. Sinon Primary is among the highest populated primary school in Tanzania, with over 3500 students. Before the support from The Foundation For Tomorrow; Sinon had a shortage of 126 toilets. While working with Sinon Primary School through our Teacher Training program, TFFT realized that Sinon Primary School needed our help with more than just Teacher Training. This realization came following health threats facing students at Sinon Primary School due to a lack of safe sanitation infrastructure. Because of unsanitary toilet infrastructure, The Foundation For Tomorrow started a new initiative to ensure that students at Sinon Primary have safe sanitation infrastructure.

With the financial support of WaterBridge Outreach, and in partnership with Nabaki Africa, Banyule Network of Uniting Churches and The Government of Tanzania, The Foundation For Tomorrow (TFFT) was able to build and donate 10 pit latrines at Sinoni Primary School in Arusha, Tanzania, which hosts over 3500 students.

Thabo, our Country Director asked, “Did you realize that through your last trip to the bathroom you were actually exercising one of your fundamental human rights?” He continued, “This means everyone, everywhere, has a right to a toilet. However, more than a 1/3 of the world population is currently without access to improved sanitation facilities and over a billion people practice open defecation. Lack of sanitation hampers the right to education and providing safe, private toilets may also help girls stay in school which we know can increase their future earnings and help break the cycle of poverty. Access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene underpins nearly all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Without access to these basic human rights, the entire development agenda, stretching across health, nutrition, education and equality suffers. We are elated at our collective efforts to expand access to safe toilets and leave no one behind.” 

We offer a big thank you to WaterBridge Outreach for saying yes to support TFFT initiatives in fulfilling this mission, Banyule Network of Uniting Churches and Nabaki Africa and The Government of Tanzania for playing a supportive role in ensuring this project come to its fruition. Thank you and congratulations to Noah Kayanda and Pippa Lidgett from TFFT’s Teacher Training Program for taking a leadership role in this project. Thank you to our Logistics Officer Deogratius Momburi for working hand in hand with the Teachers Training Department and for making sure all logistics matters were well handled.

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2022-05-20T16:21:44+00:00