This may seem like a ridiculous post, but the common toilet isn’t so common when we take a step back and reflect on the lives of those less fortunate.
3.4 billion people still live without safely managed sanitation services (UNICEF, 2025) — that’s nearly half the world’s population.
Today, billions of people still live without a safe toilet with the poorest, especially women and girls, worst affected.
At IJI, we believe access to sanitation is a human right as it is fundamental to a healthy, dignified and productive life.
Without clean and safe latrines or toilets, disease and health risks are inevitable but together we can change that.
#WorldToiletDay is a day for collective action – toilets for everyone, everywhere.
The figures above are a lived reality, especially for the most marginalised communities that we serve like displaced families in Maban, close to the northern border of South Sudan.
This year saw the completion of a two-block toilet at St Mark’s Primary School which is one of the extremely few schools in the region home to thousands of internally displaced and refugees fleeing horrendous war crimes in neighbouring Sudan.
The toilet construction has made a tremendous difference to the lives of the Maban community, particularly the 820 pupils and 16 teachers at the primary school.
Lack of access to proper facilities meant students and teachers used this temporary structure.
Previously, the entire school population relied on only four toilets in one block, which led to long queues, compromised hygiene, and discomfort, especially for the girls where 385 girls were sharing one toilet.
One student aged 13, had this to say about the new latrines:
“Before, we used to wait in long lines and sometimes miss part of the lessons. Now we have clean toilets for girls, and I feel safe and comfortable. Thank you so much!”
The new construction provides access for those with disabilities and went beyond health and hygiene but improved studies and attendance at the school:
“The improved sanitation has made a huge difference—not just for the students but also for us teachers. We can focus better on teaching without worrying about hygiene concerns. This grant has truly transformed our school environment.
The first toilets had a very bad odor causing discomfort when in classes but now with two more toilets, things will be better. Thank you to the Jesuits for enabling this” (School teacher at St Mark’s)
Thanks to YOUR help we can continue to support the world’s most vulnerable communities. With the new toilet construction, students and their teachers can study and work in better comfort and proper sanitation can keep children safe.
Your generosity goes beyond just providing a toilet – it gives dignity, safety and allows children to focus on what really matters!
Thank you for supporting us to continue to change lives
If you would like to join in and support displaced children in deprived places like Maban, find out more about our education projects: here
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