Toilets

The programme focuses on supporting households with cement for the building of safe, durable household toilets in close partnership with community members, ensuring ownership, correct use, and long-term maintenance. Improved sanitation plays a critical role in preventing disease, particularly among young children, where illnesses linked to open defecation can be life-threatening.

Beyond health risks, lack of toilets also poses serious safety and dignity concerns for women and girls, especially at night or when facilities are far from home. Improving access to safe sanitation supports health, restores dignity, and creates a safer living environment for entire communities.

It is hard to believe that in the modern day, up to 69% of rural households in Zimbabwe lack access to basic toilet facilities. This was the reality in the communities where Jafuta Foundation works. Through our community-driven toilet construction programme, this figure has already been reduced to less than 15%, with a clear goal of reaching zero households without toilets by the end of 2026.