All over the world, people are suffering from malnutrition and disease – even dying – due to unsanitary conditions exacerbated by a lack of proper toilet facilities.
When a community doesn’t have proper toilet facilities, the people living in that community are forced to defecate in the open.
In one instance, in a Mongolian community that World Vision partnered with, the toilet facilities in schools were so poor that children often had no choice but to relieve themselves behind school buildings.
In Mongolia, winter temperatures can plunge as low as -35°C, yet the school toilets were no more than outdoor pit latrines. Not only that, but there was no clean water for the kids to drink or wash their hands with.
As a result of these unsanitary conditions, infectious disease spread amongst the children, causing them to become diarrheal. When you’re diarrheal, you can’t absorb and use the nutrients from your food as effectively, resulting in malnutrition.
Fortunately, the community was able to build indoor toilet facilities and supply clean water. Now, the children in that community get to avoid the cold weather, use safe toilets and practice good hygiene.
But there are still billions of people in need of functional toilets and clean water.