World Vision is leading the push for safe and dignified sanitation services in TZ

Every year on November 19, the world pauses to recognise a simple truth: toilets matter. They are traditionally known for providing a basic level of privacy, which is crucial for people’s dignity. World Toilet Day is not merely a symbolic observance.

It is a global call to action, reminding governments, communities, and development partners that safe sanitation is a fundamental human right and an essential driver of health, dignity, and development.

This year’s theme, “We’ll Always Need a Toilet,” underscores the universal and permanent need for sanitation systems that function, endure, and serve all people.

In Tanzania, the message resonates deeply. Thousands of children still attend schools without safe toilets or reliable water. Girls often stay home during their menstrual periods because school toilets lack privacy.

Some schools have collapsing pit latrines, no handwashing stations, and no facilities for children with disabilities. These gaps undermine children’s health, confidence, and ability to learn.

At the centre of efforts to change this reality stands World Vision Tanzania, whose Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme has become one of the country’s most influential drivers of school sanitation transformation.

“World Toilet Day reminds us that sanitation is not a luxury or an afterthought. It is a permanent and essential need that shapes every child’s dignity, confidence, and potential,” says Eng. Japhet Mjee, WASH Technical Team Lead.

“When we invest in toilets, we invest in health, learning, and national development.”

A Day That Speaks to Tanzania’s Realities

The 2025 theme stresses that toilets are an enduring need, yet many schools in Tanzania still struggle to provide safe, private, and inclusive facilities.

In overcrowded schools, dozens of children may share a single latrine. Some toilets lack doors, making privacy impossible. Others lack handwashing stations, exposing children to diarrhoea, worms, and other preventable illnesses. According to Eng. Mjee, these conditions create hidden barriers.

Children avoid using dirty or unsafe toilets, which harms their concentration and well-being. Girls miss valuable learning time every month. Children with disabilities often have no choice but to stay home.

He notes, “World Toilet Day is a wake-up call. It tells us that sanitation is not something we can postpone. Toilets must be safe, private, inclusive, and sustainable because children need them every single day.”

World Vision at the Forefront of Sanitation Change

World Vision Tanzania’s Integrated Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IWASH) programme places children at the heart of its interventions.

Beyond constructing toilets, the programme strengthens systems that ensure safe, inclusive, and sustainable sanitation. Engineer explains that providing sanitation is not merely about a structure.

It is about a system that includes reliable water, good drainage, privacy for girls, disability-friendly designs, hygiene education, menstrual hygiene management, and maintenance plans that keep facilities functional.

“A school without safe toilets is a school where learning is interrupted,” he says. “When we provide private and inclusive sanitation, we give children the dignity and freedom they need to learn.” IWASH interventions follow both national and global standards.

Toilets are designed to last, and students, teachers, and parents are trained to maintain them. Privacy, safety, gender sensitivity, and disability inclusion are not added features—they are foundational principles.

Five Years of Impact Across Schools

Over the past five years, according to Engineer, World Vision Tanzania has transformed the sanitation landscape in 152 schools across 31 districts.

The organisation has constructed more than 1,283 gender-separated and disability-inclusive toilets, benefiting over 107,000 students nationwide.

Clean water points, handwashing stations, and menstrual hygiene management rooms have been added to ensure dignity and health for every child.

The results speak for themselves. Attendance among children aged 7 to 13 increased from 85 percent in 2020 to 92 percent in 2025, according to a recent evaluation. Girls, who often miss school due to a lack of private facilities, are now attending more regularly and participating more fully in class.

Teachers report improved hygiene awareness, reduced disease outbreaks, and stronger academic performance.

World Toilet Day and the Promise of Inclusion

Inclusion lies at the heart of World Toilet Day and is one of the pillars that guide World Vision’s work. Toilets must serve every child—boys, girls, children with disabilities, and those with special needs.

In Tanzania, this remains a challenge, but World Vision is helping to shift the narrative. Eng. Mjee states that: “No child should stay home because they cannot access a toilet. Inclusion means designing sanitation that respects every child’s dignity. That is what World Toilet Day challenges us to do.”

Facilities constructed through IWASH include ramps, wide doors, handrails, bright lighting, and support structures that enable safe access for learners with disabilities.

Schools also receive training on how to manage the needs of all students, ensuring an environment where every learner feels valued and safe, he clarifies. Children themselves contribute to the planning and design of new facilities.

Their feedback ensures that toilets are practical, private, and child-friendly. This participatory approach strengthens ownership and leads to better use and care of the facilities, elaborates the WASH Technical Team lead.

Sustainability Through Community Ownership

Engineer establishes that one of the strongest lessons tied to World Toilet Day is that toilets do not maintain themselves. Without community ownership, even the best facilities deteriorate.

World Vision Tanzania’s approach ensures sustainability through strong engagement with parents, school committees, civil society groups, faith leaders, and local government authorities.

Teacher associations and School WASH committees receive training on operations and maintenance, financial planning, and monitoring.

Faith leaders reinforce positive hygiene messages during community gatherings. Parents help supervise cleaning schedules and mobilise resources for repairs, he substantiate further and adding:

“World Toilet Day reminds us that sanitation is not the work of one actor. It is a collective effort. When communities take charge, toilets remain functional and children continue to benefit.”

Partnerships That Amplify Impact

World Vision Tanzania’s leadership in WASH is strengthened by partnerships with ministries responsible for education, water, health, and social welfare.

Local government authorities help align interventions with regional and district priorities, he reveals. World Vision Tanzania partners with other organisations like the Anglican Diocese of Masasi (DMDO), RUWASA, Absa Bank, Eco Soap Bank, and the media to expand WASH access in schools, health facilities, and communities, while amplifying advocacy and behavior change messaging to strengthen public commitment to hygiene and sanitation.

According to him, “We achieve more when we work together. World Toilet Day shows us that sanitation requires partnerships. Government ministries, civil society, faith groups, the private sector, and local communities all have a role in ensuring every child learns in a safe and dignified environment.”

Progress Achieved, Challenges Remaining

Despite progress, Engineer says that Tanzania continues to face sanitation challenges. Funding shortages hinder construction in some districts.

Social norms still limit the adoption of hygiene behaviours. Maintenance systems are inconsistent, leading to the rapid deterioration of facilities. In rural areas, access to water remains a barrier.

World Vision responds by advocating for increased investment in sanitation, strengthening local government capacity, and promoting behaviour change.

The organisation emphasises that addressing these challenges requires ongoing commitment, collaboration, and accountability from all stakeholders, he explains.

Hayedesh Primary School: The Spirit of World Toilet Day Nowhere is the meaning of World Toilet Day more evident than in the transformation of Hayedesh Primary School in Karatu District, Arusha Region.

Before World Vision’s intervention, pupils fetched water from distant rivers, toilets were unsafe, and girls were forced to cut school during menstruation. Diarrhoea was common, and teachers walked to nearby homes to relieve themselves. In 2021, the school’s story changed.

World Vision installed a reliable water system, built disability-friendly toilets, added a menstrual hygiene room, and created handwashing stations with soap and water.

The school also launched SWASH clubs that empower pupils to lead hygiene awareness sessions. Attendance rose from 60 to 90 percent. Academic performance climbed from 70 to 88 percent. Handwashing practices reached 95 percent.

“The story of Hayedesh Primary School shows what becomes possible when children have access to clean water and safe toilets,” says Engineer.

“Hope grows, confidence returns, and learning thrives. That is the spirit of World Toilet Day.”

A Call to Action on World Toilet Day 2025

As Tanzania joins the world in marking World Toilet Day, World Vision urges policymakers, communities, and citizens to recognise toilets as investments—not expenses.

A toilet can determine whether a child attends school, whether a girl completes her education, and whether a community thrives or stagnates.

“World Toilet Day tells us that toilets are more than infrastructure,” says Eng. Japhet. “They are investments in children’s futures, in national progress, and in a healthier, more prosperous Tanzania.”

Sanitation stands as one of the strongest pillars of development—one toilet, one school, and one empowered child at a time.