4.5 billion people live without access to sufficient sanitation facilities (UN Water). This is a global sanitation crisis. On November 19^th IOM Ethiopia celebrated World Toilet Day – a day to inspire action to tackle this crisis.

Suke Giga, Ethiopia, is at the heart of this action. A small village along the Oromia - Southern Nations Regional State border, Suke Giga has been heavily affected by recent conflict which forced hundreds of thousands to flee for safety. As the residents of Suke Giga seek to rebuild their lives and community, IOM works alongside them to ensure they have safe access to sanitation facilities and hygiene education.

On this World Toilet Day 2018, the community of Suke Giga gathered for a day of games and learning. Children participated educational games and painted the community’s newly-built latrines, and IOM staff provided awareness sessions about sanitation and hygiene practices. At the end of the day, each child went home with a hygiene kit containing hygiene materials and an educational coloring book.

This is the spirit of World Toilet Day. IOM Ethiopia is committed to improving safe access to sanitation facilitations, and through partnership with communities like Suke Giga, we are one step closer to ending the global sanitation crisis.