Published on: 13/02/2018
In Burkina Faso, every day some 10 million people defecate in the open as they don’t have a toilet to go to. This not only results in tons of poo, polluting soil and water sources, but is also a true disaster for public health. On Sunday 11 March 2018, IRC participates in the The Hague City Pier City Run to raise funds for toilets in Burkina Faso.
To change the practice of open defecation and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of universal access to sanitation by 2030, an overarching commitment is essential. Locally, it requires the citizens of Burkina to get involved. In 2017 the Fasotoilettes Campaign was launched, a solidarity campaign that encourages the people of Burkina Faso to give their relatives a toilet.
To support Fasotoilettes and to support making the human right to sanitation a reality for all citizens of Burkina Faso, IRC is organising a fundraiser. With your help we can encourage the people in Burkina Faso to build a toilet for their relatives and improve the lives of men, women and children. With your help we enhance global commitment to creating lasting change.
About Fasotoilettes
The Fasotoilettes campaign in Burkina Faso motivates people in Burkina Faso who have sufficient means to help a relative or a friend without a sanitation facility at home to install one. The campaign is based upon the premise that scale can be reached and a transition can be made due to strong family ties and existing community solidarity.
The campaign has its own song ‘
Tond Burkindi’, in which singer and artistic ambassador to the campaign, Sana Bob, calls on the Burkinabé citizens to get into action.
Burkina Faso’s First Lady actively supports the campaign. Thanks to her leadership, all relevant ministries are now on board and supporting the campaign. Coordination of the campaign lies with the Ministry of Water and Sanitation supported by IRC, WaterAid, Eau Vive and KIMI Foundation. The National Water Company (ONEA) and Catholic Relief Services are also giving their support.
The campaign activities have been financed by IRC, the Austrian Embassy, and a private sector entity called SITAB, leader in importing and processing of steel in Burkina Faso. Funds are used to finance communication activities and also to build public toilets in schools, market places and clinics. The hand-over ceremonies of these toilets to the municipalities serve as a framework for the mobilisation of citizens to encourage them to build a toilet for their relatives.
10,000 euros
With the 10,000 euros we will expand the Fasotoilettes campaign to a new municipality. Here we will be able to construct two blocks of four public toilets at a school, a health clinic or a market place. A festive hand-over of the toilet to the mayor and its citizens will be organised and serves as a platform to raise awareness around the importance of sanitation and to actively seek the commitment of people to build a toilet for their relatives. With the relatively low investment of 10,000 euros, we hope to generate some 10.000 commitments of people who want to invest 100 euro for another. So that 10.000 new households can be enjoying their right to sanitation.
Budget overview
| Activities | Budget (in euros) |
| 1 Construction of a public toilet - 1 block with 4 toilets (school) | 4,000 |
| 2 Construction of a public toilet - 1 block with 4 toilets (market / clinic) | 4,000 |
| 3 Municipal awareness raising campaign & hand-over ceremony | 2,000 |
| Total | 10,000 |
About IRC
At IRC, we believe that turning on a working tap should not be a surprise or cause for celebration. We believe in a world where water, sanitation and hygiene services are fundamental utilities that everyone is able to take for granted. For good.
We face a complex challenge. Every year, thousands of projects within and beyond the WASH sector fail – the result of short-term targets and interventions, at the cost of long-term service solutions.
This leaves around a third of the world's poorest people without access to the most basic of human rights, and leads directly to economic, social and health problems on a global scale. IRC is here to continually challenge and shape the established practices of the WASH sector.
Through collaboration and the active application of our expertise, we work with governments, service providers and international organisations to deliver systems and services that are truly built to last.
For more information
For more information, please contact
Janni Baekkelund Nielsen – baekkelundnielsen@ircwash.org
Petra Brussee – brussee@ircwash.org
