Meet Carolina, A Role Model in Sanitation Hygiene from the Community of Mubangoene, Guijá District, Gaza Province, in Mozambique.

Through her exemplary behaviour, Carolina has influenced her community to adopt good hygiene practices. Today, the communities are aware of the importance of keeping their latrines clean and their yards tidy, thanks to this inspiring woman. To further encourage her, this role model family leader was awarded work tools to help maintain her household’s cleanliness, particularly her latrine.

It is worth noting that Mubangoene has historically been known for the prevalence of open defecation. However, with the intervention of World Vision Mozambique—through awareness campaigns and a project called Sanitation Marketing, which focuses on constructing improved latrines—the area covered by latrines in Mubangoene has been growing exponentially. Consequently, the incidence of diarrhoeal diseases has decreased inversely in proportion.

Official data from the District Planning and Infrastructure Services in Guijá indicates that between 2023 and now, the number of families with latrines has increased by approximately 40%, rising from 80 families in 2023 to 115 families in 2024.

It is also important to recall that last 19th October, the world celebrated World Toilet Day. This date, established by the United Nations, aims to raise awareness of the importance of universal access to basic sanitation and safe drinking water in a sustainable manner for all people, as reflected in Sustainable Development Goal №6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

According to data released by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), public policy development in Mozambique’s water, sanitation, and hygiene sector has made significant progress. Nevertheless, only 37% of the population has access to basic sanitation services. Access rates vary significantly between rural and urban areas, with coverage in major cities reaching nearly 60%, while in rural areas, it remains below 2%.

This year, World Toilet Day was celebrated under the theme: "My Toilet, My Responsibility for Safe Sanitation."