Toilets are crucial for the hygiene, health and sanitation of people, and due to this, the government has put in place a number of efforts to ensure that people have access to good toilets.

Here, local government authorities have worked with communities to assist vulnerable families in rural areas to get decent toilet facilities, as a way of boosting hygiene.

The work includes provision of materials including iron sheets for the roofing of the toilets – by the government, in addition to mobilisation of citizens to come together and build toilets for their vulnerable counterparts.

In Kayonza, for example, such efforts have contributed to better access of toilets, where, according to Alphonse Ngarambe, the District Health Officer, up to 105 toilets were constructed for households that did not have them. This means that currently there is no household in the district that does not have access to a toilet.

Marie Josiane Mukankusi, a resident of Gatoki village, Mukarange sector, Kayonza District, washes her hands after using one of the newly constructed toilets.

"We also counted about 85 households that have poor toilets which can be affected by the rainy season, and we are planning to assist them to build better ones. We work with the citizens to construct these toilets,” he added.

Speaking about the importance of toilets, Ngarambe said they are vital for the health of communities, and thus if households lack them, health problems, for example, diseases arise.

He also talked about the link between poor hygiene and malnutrition and stunting among children, noting that hygiene-related diseases can make children sick, affect their growth and development, and hinder them from reaching their full stature.

Jean Bosco Rwagafirita, a Community Health Worker (CHW), working in Gatoki village, Shyogwe cell, Nyamirama sector, Kayonza district, told the media recently that the improvement in access to toilet facilities in the area has boosted health.

Washing hands has helped residents to fight against several deseases.

"Before, we would have children suffering from diarrhoea, for example. But now, such has really declined, and I think this is as a result of having better access to toilets,” he said.

According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), basic sanitation means that every household has its own toilet and does not share it with another household.

Marie Josiane Mukankusi, a citizen of Gatoki village, Mukarange sector, Kayonza district, one of the beneficiaries of the newly constructed toilets said she had an unroofed toilet that she could not use during the rainy season, forcing her to share a toilet with a neighbouring household during such a time.

"I am grateful that the government provided roofing materials for the construction of a new toilet for me, they also gave me a toilet seat. I am trying very much now to take good care of the toilet in terms of keeping it clean,” she said.

Toilets are crucial for the hygiene, health and sanitation of people. In this regard, the government has put in place a number of efforts to ensure that people have access to good toilets.

Her counterpart Mardarene Mukarutaganda, a citizen of Mukarange sector, Mburabuturo cell, Kinunga village, Kayonza district – also a beneficiary of the support said:

"The problems of poor sanitation and hygiene have been reduced here, due to the construction of these new toilets. We have also been taught more about how to use the toilets, for example, washing hands after visiting them. Before, children would go to the toilets, come out and just eat food without washing hands, but now, they have learned to wash hands. This assists us in the prevention of diseases.”