News New funding for much needed latrines

Within the complex mosaic of activities listed by the global goals there are some crucial hidden obstacles which can hamper or even sabotage the most ambitious inputs. One of them we hardly consider in everyday life: Without proper sanitation, you cannot combat poverty.

It is easy to forget that child mortality in Stockholm, only a century ago, equaled the poorest countries of today. When going to the loo is a health hazard, the whole society suffers.

Rural Burkina Faso often lacks even the most basic toilets. Faeces remain where people live and spread when it rains. So do diseases, not least dysentery and other types of diarrhea. Add to that the embarrassment when there is nowhere to go when you really want to be alone.

Yet, what all living creatures produce is a tremendous resource: Manure. Agriculture in the Sahel region is on the fringe, farmers seldom can afford chemicals but depend on natural compost.

Therefore, Yennenga has introduced a cheap form of family latrines. They are clean and both excrement and urine can be used for immediate improvement of the land.

Kyrkorådet (the church council) in Sandviken has once more allocated SEK 50 000 to build more latrines in Nakamtenga.

A unit costs only SEK 3 000 and each family contributes with 20%.

A simple (and cheap!) step to secure more food and less disease.