EmpowerHer: Lavatory (WASH) 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. Across 34 countries, one-third of Africans surveyed report having a toilet in their home, and another 37% use a toilet or latrine elsewhere in their compound. This leaves nearly one-third (29%) having to go outside their compound, including 14% who say they do not have access to toilet facilities at all.

In 2023, the Nu Lambda Sigma chapter partnered with Team CSR-Ghana to address this issue. Thus far, our EmpowerHer Lavatory (WASH) has constructed 3 public lavatory facilities with 6 units (2 showers and 4 toilet stalls) in 3 regions:

• Greater Accra Region—the Potters Village in Dodowa, a home to 130+ children rescued from abuse and abandonment, and a Domestic Violence Shelter.

• Ashanti Region—Public School located in Ntonso Village in Kumasi (the homeland of adinkra cloth and the only place in Ghana where traditional adinkra is made locally)

• Central Region—Renovated the existing public bathrooms for men and women at the Cape Coast Castle, one of about forty slave castles, or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa by European traders. This renovation was a poignant and significant contribution made by the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., during the Birthright Journey in 2023.

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 EmpowerHer Lavatory (WASH) Initiative aligns with our four pillars: EmpowerHer Borehole and EmpowerHer Menstrual Health and Hygiene/Education (Period Poverty/Period Dignity Campaign).