Bangladesh
New latrines
Improving hygiene and sanitation through new toilets for three churches in Bangladesh
Water & Sanitation
The Need
Compassion’s WaSH initiative supports children’s holistic development by improving water, sanitation and hygiene conditions in vulnerable communities. Along with proper medical care and nutrition, hygiene conditions and access to sanitary services are among the most profound factors impacting children’s growth and overall well-being.
Lacking proper sanitary facilities, several of our church partners in Bangladesh were facing a major barrier to the success of their programming. The communities where they serve are in rural, isolated areas, where many residents live in poverty and do not have access to running water, toilets or sewage. Poor hygiene caused by lack of knowledge and the absence of proper sanitation was hindering children’s holistic development in these communities, causing widespread malnutrition as well as serious hygiene-related diseases.
Church staff had been doing everything they could to teach children about proper hygiene and its role in a healthy lifestyle. But without proper sanitary facilities, applying these concepts in a practical way was virtually impossible. The few toilet facilities at each church were dirty and dilapidated and could not accommodate the number of children they are serving. As a result, many children were relieving themselves outdoors. Our partners were extremely concerned about children’s health, as well as their heightened vulnerability due to these conditions.
Our Response
With your support, we were able to provide three churches in Bangladesh with a new, hygienic latrine facility. Each building includes eight separate cubicles that are divided into two blocks to ensure privacy between boys and girls, as well as stations for hand washing.
Funding arrived in Bangladesh in October 2020, but due to a delay in government approval, Compassion’s National Office in Bangladesh didn’t receive the funds until April 2021. Local centre committees, comprised of the church pastor and five to six church elders, met to plan the successful execution of the latrine facility construction. They formed an Implementation and Purchase Committee, which was responsible for planning, designing and monitoring the process from beginning to end, including selecting contractors, completing paperwork and overseeing construction work. The new latrine facilities were built to stand the test of time, constructed with sturdy bricks and concrete, and have doors and proper roofs.
In-person gatherings in these communities have been heavily restricted due to COVID-19, so church staff have been reaching out to families individually during home visits to share important hygiene information, which has been received well. Families have also learned about initiatives through the government and other non-government organizations, which will enable them to receive their own sanitary unit at home.
Activities
Demolition: The old, run-down toilet structures were torn down in advance of the new facilities being built.
Toilet construction: Sanitation facilities were built using bricks and concrete and included secure roofing. Each of the new latrine facilities contain eight separate toilet cubicles each with doors, divided into two blocks for boys and girls.
Improved health: Staff members, beneficiary children, parents and church members are now able to use the new toilet facilities and hand washing stations when they visit the centres or attend church services and events. The churches have noticed that since the installation of the sanitation facilities, the incidents of sanitation-related illness have been decreasing.
Your Gift Provides...
New toilet facilities for three churches, including:
○ 8 separate toilet cubicles for each facility
○ Hand washing stations
○ Bricks, concrete, roofing and other construction materials
○ Contractor fees
○ VAT and taxes
ReportA message from those your gift helped
Before, we had only three latrines at our centre and there was always a long queue. Now we have an adequate number of new latrines and we can use them without wasting any time.
Also, before this intervention there were no specific latrines for male and female children. Now we have separate latrines for males and females, and we have a good quality hand-washing facility.
This intervention has solved a huge problem for all of us. It has made us all happy, including our families. My parents are happy because now they know that I have access to a standard latrine facility at the church. It has removed all the embarrassment that I used to have earlier. It will definitely benefit us in terms of healthy living.
By using a sanitary latrine, we can stay safe from some of the waterborne diseases, and it will also help us to keep our environment free of pollution.
I would like to say thanks on behalf of all my friends at this centre to our beloved supporters who have provided for this intervention. Because of your generosity, now we can use a comfortable facility. May God bless you abundantly.
ReportThank you for your generosity
Your gift of new, sanitary toilet facilities is already having a major impact in these three communities. After analyzing data from the last two years, churches noticed that incidents of diarrheal disease have been gradually decreasing. Furthermore, over the last six months, none of these three churches reported any incidents of waterborne diseases among children or staff.
With children able to access toilets quickly and easily, they are no longer absent from class for long periods of time, enabling centre programming to run much more smoothly. Their families and other community members can access the toilets as well, improving hygiene conditions in the community at large.
During home visits, staff have been able to deliver important information to families about hygiene and its role in maintaining good health. These lessons have brought about a significant change in the behaviour of both children and their parents, who have been putting their new knowledge into practice.
As families pass their new knowledge on to others, good hygiene practices will become more widely accepted and understood, impacting generations to come. Thank you for making such a profound difference in the lives of these children, their families and their communities!
ReportA message from a centre director
Before this intervention, the children were using three old, dilapidated latrines. The low number of latrines was itself a problem, as we serve 227 beneficiaries. After getting the funds, we have built eight new latrines for both male and female children separately, and this will solve the problem of children waiting in a long queue to use the latrine.
The latrines can be accessed by the church members and the community as well, and thus it has improved the reputation of the local church in the greater community.
The new latrine facility has contributed indirectly to the timely completion of program/curriculum activity at the centre. As children do not need to wait a long time to use the latrines, they can come back to the class on time and the classes and activities are being completed within the planned time. Gradually, these small developments are enabling the centre to achieve larger objectives with ease.
I want to thank all those who have provided for this intervention from the bottom of my heart. I pray to God for your good health, protection and prosperity.