Asha Ali, a 28-year-old mother of six children, is one of the displaced people who benefited from the WASH intervention implemented in Beled-Hawa, Somalia. the toilets restored some sense of dignity during a challenging time. The floods washed away her mud house, and now she lives in a hut shelter on the side of the road. “We now have a facility [in which] to defecate,” says Fatuma. “We have privacy and a feeling of security. Relieving myself within these four walls ensures my dignity as well.” Before the latrines, it was a daily early morning or night ritual to defecate openly, despite the increased risk of contracting diseases. People in flood-affected communities were defecating on the road next to the huts in which they were living. Before the toilets were constructed in our camp, I had to walk long distances from my home to the bushes, searching for a safe place to defecate—exposing myself to possible health risks, animal attacks and gender-based violence, especially at night,” says Asha. “Now there are latrines close to our home, and all the community members are using them.” Thanks to KRD who built latrines in our camp. KRD also conducts hygiene awareness sessions to explain why using latrines instead of openly defecating is so important. In addition to increasing the risk of disease, this practice also created a foul odor and attracted flies. The new toilets solved these problems—and women and girls feel safer. “Now that they have the latrine, local women and girls are no longer worried about privacy and the risk of sexual assault,” says Ali Omer, camp leader. “They are safe now.” My family did not have a toilet in our home or the village,” says Ali Ahmed, a resident of Jiroon camp. “I am grateful to Americares for funding this project to build these latrines for us. Open defecation has stopped entirely. Every resident now uses the community latrines.
“At the community awareness creation session, I learned that exposed fecal substance contaminates food, water and the environment, and can spread serious diseases like cholera,” explains Asha. “Coupled with poor hygiene practices, exposure to fecal substance is a leading cause of childhood illnesses.
” When a drought ravaged Asha Ali’s village, she left her farmland and home behind. Now, she lives in Ajuraan camp for internally displaced people in the outskirts of Beled Xaawo town, Gedo Region, Jubaland State, Somalia. For Asha and other community members, going to relieve themselves meant a walk into the nearby bushes, neighboring camps latrines or open spaces around the camp. Asha acknowledges that the newly constructed latrines means progress for health and protection in the camp. She has seen people in the camp suffer from sanitation-related diseases and protection risks for a very long time now. “I know the importance of having a latrine; it provides security for the women, girls and children while guaranteeing our privacy and dignity. We will use it and stop open defecation in our IDP camp.”