A Place of Privacy and Dignity: Safe Sanitation for a Family in Trincomalee

A new household toilet facility was successfully constructed and handed over to A. Vipulavathi, a women headed household in Aalankerni, Kinniya, Trincomalee District. The project addressed a longstanding sanitation challenge and provided the family with safe, private and permanent access to an essential facility within their own home.

For several years, the family had lived without a toilet of their own and depended on a neighbouring household to meet their basic sanitation needs. This arrangement created significant difficulties in everyday life and affected their privacy, safety, dignity and overall wellbeing.

Living Without a Toilet of Their Own

The absence of a household toilet was particularly challenging for the women in the family. Depending on neighbours meant that access was not always convenient or reliable, especially during the night, illness or emergencies. The original project assessment also identified the family as economically vulnerable and unable to independently meet the cost of constructing an appropriate sanitation facility. 

Providing a permanent toilet therefore addressed an immediate practical need while removing a source of difficulty that had affected the household for years.

Creating Safe and Private Sanitation

Through the project, a new individual household toilet was constructed to provide the family with a hygienic and user friendly facility. The original design incorporated a durable structure, secure door, appropriate sanitation system and basic water facilities to support safe everyday use. 

With the facility now completed, Vipulavathi and her family no longer need to rely on a neighbouring household and can meet their daily sanitation needs within the privacy and security of their own home.

Improving Health, Safety and Wellbeing

Access to proper sanitation has benefits extending beyond convenience. The project was developed to reduce sanitation related health risks while promoting better hygiene and creating safer living conditions for the household.

The new facility has also strengthened the family’s privacy and dignity, two areas that had been directly affected by their previous circumstances. These improvements contribute to a healthier and more secure home environment and an improved quality of life.

A Meaningful Change to Everyday Life

Following completion, Vipulavathi expressed her happiness and gratitude for the support, sharing that the new facility had made a significant difference after years of depending on a neighbour’s toilet.

For the family, having their own toilet represents a simple but deeply meaningful improvement to everyday life, providing greater independence, privacy, safety and dignity. The original project similarly identified improved health, hygiene, quality of life and dignity among its intended outcomes.

This meaningful initiative was generously funded by Eeswari Jeganathan. Through this support, an essential sanitation need was addressed for a vulnerable family in Kinniya, creating a lasting improvement to their living conditions and providing a safe and private facility they can continue to benefit from into the future.

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