The students at the Bombambili Primary School in Kivule, Dar Es Salaam share the dreams of learners everywhere else in the world; work hard, get good grades to get to a good high school.

However, those ambitions faced daily interruptions due to the shortage of toilets in the school.

The teachers and over 3,500 students were forced to share one toilet or use the toilets of neighboring homes. To make matters worse, the toilet ended up collapsing, leading children to practice open defecation. Not only is this dangerous, in some cases it had students missing school altogether.

New beginnings

The SATO team in Tanzania has built three brand new toilets in the school as to improve the sanitation conditions and have changed for the better. And there are plans to build more.

SATO, which has been involved in such projects in Africa for several years, was made aware of the situation through its network of partners in the country. SATO mobilized the community to build the toilets for the school over a few months.

Unlike many other SATO projects which involve installing SATO solutions in existing toilet facilities, at Bombambili, the project is greenfield which, although makes the process longer, the toilets can be made fit for purpose.

Tanzania is a country in East Africa known for its abundant wildlife as well as Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Like most of its neighbor countries, Tanzania have large populations in its urban centers such as Dar Es Salaam, the largest city in Eastern Africa with nearly 10 million people hence the greater effort needed for public services.

Projects such as SATO are filling the gap in the provision of services such as sanitation. SATO toilets are not only easier to install than traditional units, they are easier to clean and maintain.

They also require less water to flush, which is crucial in a country that is facing its share of climate change challenges.

Community pride and joy

On the day of the handover, community leaders, school authorities, students and residents gathered to witness the momentous occasion. Spokesperson after spokesperson spoke with pride of the efforts of SATO and its partners.

Sanitation is directly linked to better education outcomes. The school can expect better grades in the future.

Many thanks to all our partners, masons, and the teachers and administration at the school who have worked together tirelessly to make this project a success.

#SATO_Toilets #SATOTanzania #SanitationForAll #SATO_AdoptAToilet