The Toilet (WASH) Facility Initiative

Access to proper sanitation facilities, including personal toilets, is fundamental for individual and community health worldwide. Shockingly, over 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation, with more than 40% of the global population resorting to open or unsanitary spaces.

In Ghana, according to the 2021 National Housing and Population Census, over 18% of households lack toilet facilities, with rural areas bearing the brunt. Public restrooms are often the go-to solution, but their maintenance is crucial to prevent diseases like typhoid and cholera. For many Ghanaians, especially those without home facilities, standing in long lines at public restrooms is a daily ordeal.

NLS, in partnership with Team CSR-Ghana, is committed to addressing this issue. We are constructing public toilet facilities at Potters Village, home to 130+ children rescued from abuse and abandonment, Ntonso Village in Kumasi (the homeland of adinkra cloth and the only place in Ghana where traditional adinkra is made locally from scratch), and renovating the existing facility at Cape Coast Castle (one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa by European traders).

To effectively manage their menstruation, girls and women require access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, affordable and appropriate menstrual hygiene materials, information on good practices, and a supportive environment where they can manage menstruation without embarrassment or stigma.

Our project focuses on increasing access to safe, affordable, and sustainable water, with a special emphasis on the needs of vulnerable girls and women. This initiatives aligns with our local programings for the Borehole and Menstrual Health Initiatives (Period Poverty/Period Dignity Campaign for 2024).