Toilets and Education

Three of many girls receiving TEMBO sponsorship.

No matter where you travel in Africa, the same thing is true:

Adequate sanitation encourages children to be at school, particularly girls. Access to latrines raises school attendance rates for children: an increase in girls’ enrolment can be attributed to the provision of separate, sanitary facilities.

World Health Organization (WHO) 

In the news this week we learned how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is taking action to fund a solution that addresses a problem affecting the health of so many people throughout the world. They held a Reinvent the Toilet fair and awarded a grant to the California Institute of Technology for coming up with a winning design that met these requirements: it runs without the use of water, electricity, or a septic system; it operates at a cost of no more than 5 cents a day; and it captures energy or other resources. This is part of an impressive larger strategy the foundation has set out. The fair has stimulated a lot of conversation that shows the widespread interest in finding realistic alternatives to both the lack of toilets and adequate sanitation in developing countries. 

Some UN statistics

As an organization that sponsors so many girls and young women for education and micro-business opportunities in rural Tanzania, TEMBO is keenly aware of the difficulties girls face. Toilet facilities are lacking in traditional settings like Kimokouwa. It's a sensitive enough issue for girls in the developed world to sometimes go to school when they are menstruating. Try managing this where there are no toilet facilities or where toilets are shared with boys. At the impoverished and resource-lacking Kimokouwa Primary School, where many of our sponsored girls come from, facilities are very poor. Many other rural schools throughout Tanzania find themselves in the same situation. As a result of very poor hygiene, sickness abounds. This contributes to absenteeism that results in very poor grades.

I am delighted to see that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding so many different initiatives related to overall health and sanitation around the world, including in various districts in Tanzania. They are working through the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program and the winning design in the 2012 Reinvent the Toilet fair is already being tested in South Africa. 

It's so important to see the connection between things like basic sanitation and education. And it's crucial to work with the local residents to come up with a design that meets their needs if we want to be successful. The Community-led Total Sanitation model that originated in Bangladesh 10 years ago, and is now being used by the Gates Foundation, involves villagers, entrepreneurs, and governments working together. You can read more in the strategic overview, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. It's worth the read and our support.