World Toilet Day 2023: Accelerating Change

As Zambia joins the world in observing World Toilet Day on 19^th November, the focus this year resonates deeply within our nation's landscape - Accelerating Change. Amidst the bustling strides towards progress and development, this day serves as a stark reminder of the critical necessity for improved sanitation practices and facilities across our communities.

In 2015, Zambia joined the rest of the world in committing to Sustainable Development Goal 6 that seeks to achieve access to adequate and equitable toilets and hygiene for all and to end open defecation by 2030. 3 years later, Zambia affirmed this commitment by launching the Open Defecation Free Strategy 2030, the Rural Sanitation Framework for Provision and Regulation and the Urban Onsite Sanitation and Faecal Sludge Management Framework for Provision and Regulation to actualize the country’s sanitation and hygiene development aspirations. The strategies forms part of the government’s National Development Plan and the Vision 2030.

While the Zambian government and its partners acknowledge the profound benefits of sanitation as a prime investment for reducing child morbidity and mortality, enhancing children's cognitive abilities, curbing undernutrition and stunting, and addressing several neglected tropical diseases, along with mitigating risks, anxiety, and psychosocial stress, as well as fostering economic gains, a significant proportion of the population remains deprived of adequate sanitation services. This substantial gap results in a notable segment of the populace lacking safely managed sanitation, thereby amplifying health risks and contributing to environmental degradation. Hence, sanitation stands not only as a fundamental necessity for human health and dignity but also as a critical element for the country's overall development.

With less than seven years to 2030, the scale of the challenge is still enormous, and the pace of change needs to be accelerated because millions of Zambians still don’t have access to toilets and a bigger number don’t have access to basic sanitation service. It is said that we need to work, on average, five times faster and harder to meet the sanitation target of SDG 6 by 2030.

Rapid urbanization and climate change have exacerbated Zambia's sanitation crisis, thus calls for accelerated change.

To accelerate change, individuals’ actions, small yet impactful steps like waste management, support for sanitation initiatives, and advocating for sustainable choices in daily life collectively contribute to the larger goal of improved sanitation access for all Zambians. The UN Water is using an ancient tale of the hummingbird who does what she can to fight a great fire by carrying droplets of water in her beak. The story conveys the idea that each of us can take actions – however small – to help solve a big problem.

To accelerate change, the sanitation crisis in Zambia requires tailored approaches that consider the needs of different groups, including women, girls, vulnerable, marginalized, and rural communities. Innovative, cheap, and quality sanitation solutions, such as community-led total sanitation and investment in sustainable sanitation technologies, can play a pivotal role.

Whilst it has Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) has been successful in increasing demand and access to sanitation in rural areas, there’s need to employ strategies to maintain sanitation gains and instill lasting hygiene habits. To accelerate change, research is crucial to pinpoint the most impactful messages capable of generating interest in sanitation and guaranteeing sustainability of new hygiene practices. Effective monitoring that breaks down data is essential to create evidence that guides planning and resource allocation, ensuring inclusivity and leaving no one behind when implementing interventions.

To accelerate change, the commercial utility companies must be supported by government through funding to enhance infrastructure development, bolster financial practices with transparent systems, improve governance structures, improve sanitation service delivery, implement efficient asset management, provide staff training, foster collaborations, and embrace innovative technology. This will empower the CUs to transform challenges into catalysts for enhancing service delivery and ensuring sustainable water and sanitation provisions for the served communities.

To accelerate change and ensure progress, collaboration between governments and the private sector is crucial to improve investment in infrastructure and technologies that improve access to clean sanitation facilities and promote efficient sanitation practices.

To accelerate change, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Zambia supports the Scaling Up Nutrition Technical Assistant (SUN TA) to increase access to basic sanitation and reducing exposure to environmental pathogens that cause increased risk of diarrheal diseases and intestinal infections. Collaborating closely with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Ministry of Health (MoH), and Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation (MWDS), SUN TA has significantly enhanced sanitation and hygiene accessibility within households and communities in 13 districts: Mumbwa, Chibombo, Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi, Ndola, Kitwe, Samfya, Mansa, Nchelenge, Kaputa, Luwingu, Kasama and Mbala. This concerted effort has led to the certification of five chiefdoms as Open Defecation Free (ODF): Kaputa and Mukupa Katandula in Kaputa, Tungati and Shimumbi in Luwingu, and Nkole Mfumu in Kasama. Additionally, at the time of writing, the certification process for Moono Chiefdom in Mumbwa was underway, marking a substantial progress towards achieving ODF status in the sixth chiefdom.