March 18, 2024, marked a significant milestone in the history for WASH sector in Liberia as five County Councils (Grand Bassa, Lofa, Nimba, Bong, and Rural Montserrado) gathered in Ganta, Nimba County, to collectively review, finalize, endorse, and sign a joint resolution that commits each county to allocate 2-5% of its development budgets towards financing sanitation activities in the county. The allocated fund will be used to provide basic sanitation services for the population which include the provision of toilet facilities for households that cannot afford.
This action does not only symbolize a commitment, but is a breakthrough to one of the barriers hindering access to sanitation and represents a significant stride towards ending open defecation and uplifting the dignity of communities that for a long time have relegated to using the bushes to ease themselves. The event was graced by Lofa County Senator, Momo Cyrus together with a cross-session of organizations represented (WaterAid Liberia, Living Water International), the disabled community, government institutions in the WASH Sector (National WASH Commission, National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and elders representing the five counties who presented a copy of the joint resolution to Senator Momo Cyrus.
The lack of sanitation funding in Liberia continues to detrimentally impact the health and well-being of rural communities, as open defecation remains rampant due to the absence of toilet facilities. Despite the considerable support, at 98% of all WASH projects funded by donors and development partners to aid the government's development agenda on WASH, approximately 85% of Liberians still resort to open defecation. According to the World Bank, investing 8.33% of Liberia's GDP in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) is essential to meeting the Sustainable Development Goal 6.1.2 - By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
That is why the USAID-funded Countywide Sanitation Activity (CWSA) has been working closely with the five County Councils to strengthen sanitation governance to permanently eradicate open defecation in these counties. CWSA represents the largest rural market-based sanitation project in Liberia.
In its engagement with the counties, CWSA supported the city councils in revising city ordinances to align with section 2.2 of the revised public health law, mandating every household to own a toilet. It is this legal requirement, coupled with insights from CWSA's budget analysis and financing option reports that provoked the five County Councils to consider formulating a joint resolution that will enable citizens in these counties to access basic sanitation and own toilets.
In his response, Senator Momo Cyrus promised to deliver the Counties Councils' joint resolution to the Pro-Tempro of the Liberian Senate and Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung who was also invited to grace the occasion.
"I have heard you and I will be your champion at the Legislature, "Senator Momo Cyrus said, "Sanitation being one of the pillars of President Joseph Nyumah Boakai's development agenda, I will make sure your message reaches the President."
As part of efforts to provide guidance to law enforcement officers in performing their inspection duties across the five counties, the CWSA has also supported City Councils in developing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), and standard checklist to easy their problem of collecting data at City and District level.
The signing of a joint resolution by the five Counties Councils to end open defecation has opened business windows for the private sector to invest in sanitation business with the 'Quee' Toilet being introduced through CWSA. Quee Toilet, also branded SaTo, is an innovative toilet made of plastic and comes in two designs - the sitting stool and the squatting type or the pan, which are easy and safe to use. This 'Quee' toilet is designed to reduce the risk of contamination and prevents odors, flies, and cockroaches from interacting with the users. The Stool type of Toilet is being sold for $15US while the Pan type is priced at $10US. CWSA is currently working in the five counties creating more demand through social behavior change messages for communities to buy, build and consistently use their own Quee Toilets.
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As the five counties embark on this transformative journey towards basic access to sanitation, CWSA remains steadfast in its commitment to working with the communities in bringing an end to open defecation.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Abraham Nyorkor
Learning and Communications Manager, CWSA
Email: abraham.n@athenainfonomics.com
Phone: 0775773104 / 0886818736
