More than half of the global population lacks a sanitary place to go to the bathroom. Without this basic accommodation, people lack privacy and face indignity.
When her husband passed away last year, Gladys was suddenly alone in the world with six young daughters. The new widow was determined to remain strong for her children but feared for their safety. Water Mission had installed a safe water solution in Gladys’ community of Santa Elena, Peru, which improved overall health and opportunities. However, families still had to go to the fields for their personal sanitation needs. It can be especially dangerous for women and girls to attend to their needs without protection from animals and strangers.
“It is not safe out there, especially in the dark,” Gladys explained. “Sometimes, there are wild animals or dangerous people.”
Life in this remote community is not easy. But because of friends who chose to help those in need—including widows like Gladys—Water Mission’s solutions have lightened the burden. This year, we completed a project to install latrines equipped with pour-flush toilets for every single family in Santa Elena.
“It will be much safer to be inside the house,” Gladys told us as we installed her latrine. ”This is exactly what my daughters and I need.”