Society

Poor sanitation affects all segments of society, but is particularly damaging to the most vulnerable:

Women

Poor sanitation facilities are a major factor in the high drop out rate of young girls from rural schools

Lack of public toilets forces girls and women to walk long distances alone to find privacy, increasing their risk of sexual exploitation

Lack of public toilets increases the difficulties women face during menstruation

Children

Continuous exposure to fecal contamination can cause physical and cognitive delays in child development

800 children die every day because of diarrheal diseases linked to poor hygiene

Inadequate sanitation facilities increase risk of exposure to parasites that can cause babies to be underweight and malnourished