NYEMKAMBO, Harper District – No investment brings more “bang for buck” than toilets. Experts say every dollar invested in access to toilets delivers a $4 return in health, education, economic outcomes. Water and Sanitation is one of the US government’s top priorities in Liberia for this reason.
By Moses Geply with New Narratives
So when National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Commissioner Bobby Whitfield claimed the Weah government had “made huge progress under our leadership” in open defection it made headlines. But World Bank data shows otherwise.
Liberia had made steady progress on the issue from 2000, reducing the overall number of people who defecate in the open from 55 percent in 2000 to 39 per cent when the Weah administration took over in 2018. But for the first time since 2000 progress then stalled. From 2019 to 2020 the number stayed at 38 per cent.
At 38 per cent Liberia has the highest rate of open defecation by far in the Mano River Region and far higher than the sub-Saharan average of 20 percent, according to a WHO/Unicef 2017 study. While Whitfield claimed the Open Defecation rate was at 42 per cent when the Weah administration took over, World Bank data puts the number at 42 per cent way back in 2014.
The situation is most dire in rural Liberia where three in every five people practice open defecation. When contaminated fecal matter enters waterways used by people for drinking and cooking it allows the spread of diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and dysentery with severe health impacts, particularly for children.
“Progress with sanitation coverage and access has been stagnant,” said Chuchu Selma, Executive Director of Water Aid Liberia. “The current Open Defecation status is slightly below 40 percent. Access to basic sanitation was 17per cent since 2013 and is now 18per cent. More than 28,000 communities in Liberia are yet to be reached.”
More than 3,200 have been reached, and at least 2,300 have achieved the benchmark status of “Open Defecation Free” according to Selma. But even where there is progress it is often an illusion, he said. Where toilets have been constructed many are not durable. And few are built near farms where rural Liberians spend their days.
“In spite of the progress through these interventions, we still have an issue because most of the communities have slipped back to their open defecation status,” Selma said.
Commissioner Whitfield says the World Bank data is wrong.
“Most of the figures out there are not very scientific,” Whitfield said in a phone call. He claimed the data from the WASH Commission, established in 2018, is more reliable. “From our indication, though it’s not very scientific – a sampling of our data we’ve been getting out of the field and with our partners – we can tell you that open defecation was around about 42% when we took over, when the government under His Excellency, President Weah took over. Some put it at 40%, some at 42%. Based on our findings we sit currently around 37 to 38 percent. I want to dispute the argument that we have been stagnant. We are increasing access to basic sanitation to our people.”
The World Bank did not respond to requests for comment about the reliability of its data by press time. But USAID confirmed that it uses World Bank data in its assessments.
There is help coming for people in five counties – Lofa, Nimba, Bong, Grand Bassa, and rural Montserrado. In August 2022, USAID entered into an agreement with US-based Population Services International (PSI) worth $30 million over a period of five years to “eradicate the practice of open defecation… by reinforcing the governance of WASH practices, modify community behaviors, and foster partnerships with the private sector,” according to USAID. The counties were chosen because their rates of open defecation were particularly high. Another $17 million will target access to clean water in rural Montserrado and Margibi.
Whitfield characterized this funding – none of which will go directly to government – as a reward for the government’s efforts. “When we took over the sector was very dry in terms of funding,” he said on ELBC in January. “The Liberia WASH sector is now being globally recognized.”
Experts told Front Page Africa/New Narratives the large grants were actually a reflection of how bad things are in Liberia compared with peers. The funding came as part of the US Government’s Global Water Strategy 2022, in which Liberia has been recognized as a High Priority Country.
“In households where children practice open defecation, incidence of diarrhea is higher,” according to Zulfikar Gorar, WASH Technical Advisor at USAID. “Children who get repeated diarrhea, their growth and education is hampered. A 2019 study showed Liberia has a fairly high number of children under 10 who have nutritional and health related problems.”
These were all factors in the decision to grant such large US taxpayer funds to the problem according to USAID.
There will be no relief for people here in Nyekambo, one of the oldest and most densely populated communities in Harper district. The community is prime example of the challenges faced in rural Liberia.
More than four thousand people have access to just one makeshift toilet, constructed by the community. Made from zinc, palm branches and old bags the toilet is so run-down and unhygienic that most refuse to use it. Their only choice is to defecate in nearby bushes and rivers.
Like most rural dwellers people here have limited access to clean water. The health risk has been a constant worry for Comfort Wleh, a 54-year-old mother of four.
“We sometimes use the nearby river where we also fetch water from and this is very risky for our health,” said Wleh.
As its name suggests, the community is surrounded by water – in the Bassa language “Nyekambo” means “area surrounded by water”. Like others here Comfort and her children use a plastic bucket and throw the waste into the sea. It’s the same sea where their husbands fish – the major source of the community’s income.
The toilet situation presents another problem for Wleh and her daughters. Using open areas puts women and girls at risk of violence and robs them of their dignity.
“The lack of decent toilets has plagued the entire community,” according to Patrick Attiogbe, 61, a local fisherman and chairman of the community.
Attiogbe said leaders have tried to get county leaders to help but instead they come during campaign period and make promises they never keep.
“When they say Open Defecation Nyekambo community comes first, no NGO, neither top local government officials in our community to help us address this worrisome situation which has particularly affected our women and girls,” Attiogbe said.
John D. Gbah, Maryland County Health Team Environmental and Occupational Health Coordinator, agreed that the lack of toilets is causing major health problems but said the responsibility for stopping open defecation lies with the community themselves.
“If you as an individual build your house, sometimes you use $LD10,000 to build a small room for toilet, is a problem for the people,” said Gbah. “Before, an NGO used to construct a toilet but the same community people misused it. So I will put the blame on the citizens because if you have a house you must build a toilet.”
A 2021 USAID study of the five target counties found only 43 percent of households could afford the $200 cost of a toilet. Even if they have the money such toilets are hard to get. There are few suitable ones available, especially in rural areas. Addressing that issue will be a major part of the USAID project.
Local experts want the government to do more. “The government needs to educate the people on danger of open defection,” said Abraham Amaning, an environmental specialist at William VS Tubman University. “Secondly, government needs to introduce a policy, that you cannot built homes without a toilet and enforce the law. Thirdly, government needs to provide latrine construction materials like cement to homes. And, for we the teachers, we need to start teaching environmental science and public health in our grade schools.”
This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Investigating Liberia project. Funding was provided by the US Embassy in Liberia. The donor had no say in the content.
