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By Nathan Musonda, communications officer – Southern Africa region

School attendance and performance has increased in a community in Malawi, thanks to community-led advocacy for improved sanitation.


A failure to ensure children’s access to proper toilet facilities during school meant a failure to protect children’s right to learn under conditions that respect, protect and promote their human dignity.


Menstruating girls began skipping school and other children ended up spending their entire school breaks waiting in line to use the toilets, which did not have doors, ventilation, seats, toilet paper or a place to wash hands. Many children used newspaper or rocks to clean themselves.


Toilets were often blocked or full, which attracted animals like snakes and maggots and led the children to relieve themselves in nearby bushes.


“In many cases, the children have to walk to the bushes or to the next village. That can expose them to crime. We had a case where two children were bitten by a poisonous snake while using a pit toilet. Thankfully they survived,” said Alice Tembo, a mother of one of the students.


One student said he has to lie during class just to relieve himself, “I say that I have left my math book at home so that I can go and use my own toilet.”


Through Citizen Voice and Action, community members came together to discuss how to improve education and the lack of toilets was identified as a serious problem.


“We reported the matter to the district education manager, who promised that a new toilet would be built soon,” said one community member. “We also contributed 25 per cent towards construction of the toilet and participated in the actual construction of the toilet by making bricks.”


With the new toilets, teacher and student absenteeism has declined and there is improved performance in school.


“Now the teachers and pupils can concentrate on school work and not worry about toilets. The community also knows where to take their issues,” said one community member.