WaterAid, with the help of local partner organizations, has transformed the lives of many people such as 32 year old Sophie Zongo and her five children by helping them gain access to latrines and clean water.

WaterAid's local partner AMUS helps communities build wells and construct latrines.

In addition to facilitating clean water and sanitation facilities, AMUS helped organize a women’s group, which builds up funds to put towards small businesses.

Now the latrines are so close to our houses that even if you are ill you can use the latrines to go to the toilet.  We feel better because our dignity is preserved.

Now Sophie can quickly and easily fetch water and use the new latrine, she has more time and energy that she can devote towards income generating activities such as making soap and brewing millet beer for sale.

Sophie explains that the latrines have brought a lot of positive changes into the lives of her community members.  She notes, "The building of the latrines has brought lots of changes.  Before everyone had to go to the toilet in nature.  The flies used to go into the feces and come in to the houses.  They brought dirtiness and illness.

"Now the latrines are so close to our houses that even if you are ill you can use the latrines to go to the toilet.  We feel better because our dignity is preserved.  Our dignity is protected and especially for the women because now if people go in latrines we clap first to make sure no one is in there.  And we are protected from disease."

Sophie points to a pond that her community used in the past for their daily needs.  The water in the pond is contaminated with animal feces.

She explains that in the past the children would fall ill after drinking water from the pond.  Mothers in the community would be stressed because sometimes their husbands could not afford to pay for their children’s treatment.  The contaminated water sometimes made the adults in the community ill too.

Sophie explained how without safe water the children were often ill and could not attend school.  However, now that her family has access to safe water and sanitation, she hopes that her children will grow up in good health and hold jobs and get married.

Sophie and her community have also learnt how to improve their hygiene.  They have learnt to store drinking water in clean, covered pots so that dirt and flies cannot get in.  The adults and children in the community have also been taught the importance of washing their hands with soap after using the latrines.