ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD ADDRESS CURRENT SANITATION CRISIS AHEAD OF WORLD TOILET DAY. As Zambia joins the rest of the world in commemorating World Toilet Day (WTD) on the 19th November 2018 theme'' When nature calls'' Nature-based solutions (NBS) to the sanitation and water crisis harness the power of ecosystems:Composting latrines that capture and treat human waste on site, producing a free supply of fertiliser to help grow crops.Human-made wetlands and reed-beds filter waste water before it is released back into water courses.Maboshe Memorial Centre (MMC) calls upon the Zambian Government to urgently address the current sanitation crisis which has had a negative impact on the general populace but more specifically amongst women and girls.World Toilet Day, celebrated on 19th November, is about taking action to ensure that everyone has a safe toilet by 2030. This is part of Sustainable Development Goal 6: sanitation and water.Every November 19, the World commemorates what is known as World Toilet Day. This is part of a global campaign aimed at raising awareness and inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.This day is significant to Zambia too especially that 11 Million Zambians currently have no access to safe lavatory raising, raising public health concerns.Many communities and villages in Western province, Zambia, are still practicing open defecation meaning that people do not have improved access a toilet, hygiene and clean safe water, access to clean and safe water and sanitation is a fundamental human right and essential to life, health and dignity. We noted that lack access to improved sanitation leaving people to practice open defecation with no access to improved sanitation facilities.Maboshe Memorial Centre (MMC) is concerned that a large fraction of Zambia’s population has nowhere to go to the toilet, raising serious public health concerns on one hand and the lack of recognition and fulfillment by duty bearers of the right to sanitation and hygiene on the other. Zambia’s Sanitation statistics are gravely concerning and Maboshe Memorial Centre (MMC) calls upon the Zambian Government to fulfill its promise to deliver universal access to sanitation following new analysis ranking Zambia amongst the worst countries globally for women to find a toilet. Maboshe Memorial Centre (MMC) finds it unacceptable that an overwhelming 11 million people in Zambia have nowhere safe to go to the toilet. This denial of basic human rights contributes to the deaths of nearly 2,000 children every year from preventable diseases such diarrhoea, as well as holding women and girls back from reaching their potential. A community without toilets is particularly hard for women and girls who are exposed to an increased risk of harassment and attach when finding somewhere to safely dispose of faecal matter, find it more difficult to cope during their periods, and spend more time both ill themselves and/or caring for those who are sick. As a country we need urgent action to turn this situation around. Addressing the sanitation crisis requires a deliberate focus on the needs of women and girls in order to lift entire communities out of poverty. Whilst we recognize that the Zambian Government has prioritized water supply and sanitation as one of the strategic areas of the 7NDP, we are concerned that matching resource commitments still lags behind making it extremely difficult to operationalize policies and strategies of WASH in the context of the 7NDP. This means that Zambia must make public financing for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene a priority and ensure that atleast.0.5% of GDP is committed to the WASH sector if Zambia is to change the status quo on sanitation, hygiene and access to water. It is our expert and considered view that access to Water and sanitation services by all segments of the population is a key driver of both sustainable and transformational development and growth. The world has promised that by 2030 everyone will have a safe toilet but, whilst there has been considerable progress made over the last couple of decades, this target will not be met unless there is a step change in ambition and action.”This World Toilet Day, Maboshe Memorial Centre (MMC) is calling for the Zambian Government to:Invest more money and spend it transparently and efficiently, paying particular attention to the needs of women and girls in Zambia. More specifically we ask the Zambian government to commit 0.5% of GDP to WASH and build a more stable and predictable public financing mechanism towards WASH. The benefits here of this are that increased funding to the sector will reduce the current high burden of water and sanitation related diseases.Promote the value of sanitation for gender equality and female empowerment, and involve women as leaders to ensure solutions respond to and address the challenges women and girls face.Improve coordination to create gender-friendly toilets in all schools, healthcare facilities, work environments and public spaces.Combine plans to improve access to sanitation with efforts to redistribute water and hygiene work, which is predominantly the responsibility of women and girls. Maboshe Memorial Centre (MMC) feels that we have to break the silence and build awareness about the fundamental role that ending open defecation plays in enabling people to reach their full potential in living a health life by promoting hygiene. Therefore, ending open defecation is top on the agenda for the Maboshe Memorial Centre (MMC) that is why the Maboshe Memorial Centre (MMC) team wishes to extend its invitation to interested donor partners and persons to take part in ending open defecation program a success by way of partnering, donations and contributions. Issued by the Maboshe Memorial Centre (MMC) Thank you. For any queries and follow up questions, please contact Cell # + 260979997382, +260975077808 and +260954655071 and Email: mmcmonguheadoffice@ymail.com Download the copies of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) on our website page: - http://www.maboshememorialcentremmc.yolasite.com/water-sanitation-hygiene.php
Taxonomy
- Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)