United Nations agencies report that 673 million people in the world defecate in the open – for example, in fields, forests, bushes, lakes and rivers – rather than using a toilet.
Our main mission is to help achieve the 6th goal of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG) : ensuring access to water and sanitation to all.
Our work is important, poor sanitation has 4 major impacts:
Health
One gram of faeces can contain 10 million viruses, one million bacteria and one thousand parasite cysts. Washing hands and good hygiene practices prevent severe diarrheas and sometimes death. According to the WHO, 800,000 people die from diarrhoea annually.
Environment
For communities living on the water, open defecation limits and impacts the biodiversity. Invasive species proliferate because of open defecation and oxygen becomes scarcer for other species under water : clams, crabs fish, …
Economy
For communities living on the water, fish and underwater biodiversity is a major source of income. The decrease in fish stocks endangers their financial autonomy.
Social
The personal safety of girls is endangered without facilities for sanitation. Privacy prevents sexual exploitation and give them safety especially when they are menstruating.