November 19 is the United Nations ‘World Toilet Day’, celebrated as a call to action to help alleviate open defecation worldwide. Almost half a billion people in the world do not have access to a toilet in their home or community, and many of them are here in Laos!
What does it mean for a family to have a toilet?….wait, what? Some families don’t have toilets? NO! In rural areas of Laos, 50% or more of the population does not have access to a toilet. They practice open defecation (think camping in the woods….)….but that means leaving your home, walking to the woods or field, every day, rain or shine.
Lack of toilet access leads to contaminated water, disease spreading, and exposure to dangers every time a person heads to the woods or fields to relieve themselves. Life is hard in rural Laos, and lack of access to toilets is an added hardship that is difficult to overcome.
The TerraCare program, with the help of donors, succeeded in the goal of helping poor families get access to clean water by subsidizing water filters for the poor. For 3 years, since 2020, along with the filters came 5 trainings on clean water, handwashing, and the dangers of open defecation. The training included support for families to build low or no cost pit latrines: the first step for many families to have toilets for their families.
During the 3 years of the program, 437 families built toilets! Most were very simple, bamboo lined pits with a bamboo or concrete lid. A few were concrete pit latrines…..but 437 families now have access to toilets! Celebrate! Now these families have a toilet!
