Did you know…

that some places in the world have more Cell phones per person than toilets?

It is a fact.  A United Nations report says that in India that more people have cell phones than access to proper sanitation. I imagine that might be the case in Kenya too.  The paper goes on to say,

“Anyone who shirks the topic as repugnant, minimizes it as undignified, or considers unworthy those in need,  should let others take over for the sake of 1.5 million children and countless others killed each year by contaminated water and unhealthy sanitation,”

Furthermore, Mr. Ardel says,

““The world can expect, however, a return of between $3 and $34 for every dollar spent on sanitation, realized through reduced poverty and health costs and higher productivity – an economic and humanitarian opportunity of historic proportions,”

Cleaning loos is not as glamorous as having a cell phone but it is one of those basic, simple things  that can make a big different in the quality of everyone’s lives.  Our kids are a least as precious to each one of us as our cell phones and they are worth protecting through having sanitary toilets.

lilian@clkenya.com

I remember, when I was young and going to school, that the loo was the lowest point in my day. I dreaded going for a short or long call because the toliets were so dirty.

One of the reasons I  started CLkenya was because I noticed that children at the school where I worked were always getting sick.  I wondered why this was and finally realized that much of the sickness could be coming from the school toilets.  Doing a little research I found out that many communicable diseases can be transmitted in such unsanitary conditions and so I asked if I could clean and maintain the toilets.

The results were dramatic.   The absenteeism of children from school dropped dramatically.  We found out that many children who regularly missed school were simply  getting sick at school.  Teaching kids to wash their hands properly and having adequate sanitary supplies  for them to use helped reduced the number that were getting sick. Upgrading and keeping the school toilets clear is such a simple procedure but it can have a really big impact on the well being of our children.

Consequently, the schools overall academic performance rose too because kids were not missing so many days of instruction.  The next testing cycle our school performed better than it ever had before.

I believe that doing the simple things very well can help our kids have a better and more rewarding experience in school and I hope that cleaning and maintaining toilets for our children’s heath will become a major focus of every public school.

My organization will clean or renovate, and maintain a schools toilet while providing education to our children about cleanness and good sanitation practices.

If you would like to help or participate you can contact meat at:

lilian@clkenya.com