Working toilets and improved sanitation are an essential part of community health. Sanitation is sadly often overlooked by the international community and unequal attention is given to improving access to clean water. However, the consequences of poor sanitation are just as serious; approximately two million children die every year due to diarrhoea and many women run the risk of rape every time they practise open defecation. Tearfund began policy work on water and sanitation in 2000 to advocate for improved sanitation targets to be included in the Millennium Development Goals.
This paper includes a case study on the impact of better sanitation practice on community health in Liberia.
