“The toilet is spoilt, what should I do?”
Household Toilet Construction: Improving Sanitation in Rural Ghana
A year ago, Esther Nkansa and her family were challenged with the prospect of defecating openly in the community. The communal toilet they were using was extremely dirty and unusable. However, their concerns and difficulties were significantly reduced after Esther’s enrollment in GHEI’s Mother Mentor for Child Development Program. We constructed a toilet for Esther, thereby reducing financial stress and protecting her and the family from diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera.
Toilets Improve the Health of Communities
To date, we have constructed 41 toilets in Humjibre Village, Ghana. Constructing toilets has helped to reduce the spread of infections especially in pregnant mothers and has also provided them with an access to a private sanitation facility. In 2019, we adopted an eco-friendly approach by constructing bio digester toilets. Bio digester toilets digest organic solids in an ecologically friendly way and is a totally maintenance free system. They prevent human waste and untreated water from contaminating groundwater. Since there are no existing sewage systems in the community, our solution is a good alternative to open defecation.
And the work does not end with the direct supply of toilets. GHEI works with rural women to promote behavior change and empowers them with education and training to advocate for clean and safe sanitation facilities in the community.
Join GHEI this #GivingTuesday and together we will ensure health, dignity and well-being for rural women in Ghana through sustainable sanitation.
Support #RuralWomen — https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/supporting-rural-women-in-ghana-during-covid-19
