Using the bathroom is a basic part of daily life – so basic, we often take it for granted. But imagine if every time you needed to go, you had to ask a neighbor for permission to use their toilet.
This was the daily reality for Athanasie, a 60-year-old widow living in Ngoma, Rwanda.
For years, Athanasie lived without a toilet of her own. The impact on her health and dignity was profound.
“The toilet I had collapsed because it was very old,” she recalls. “Every time I needed one, I had to ask my neighbors to use theirs. It made me feel embarrassed, and I knew it was inconvenient for them too.”
What may seem like a small inconvenience was, for Athanasie, a source of ongoing shame and a serious threat to her health.
Athanasie’s cries of despair were answered when the Twitezimbere Community Hygiene Club (CHC) – whose name means “Let’s Develop Ourselves” – stepped in. Drawing on training from World Relief and 20 Liters’ community health programs, the club members mobilized quickly to meet her need.
“The hygiene club helped me in such an incredible way,” Athanasie says. “They built me a brand-new toilet with a four-meter pit. They reinforced it with strong wood, roofed it with iron sheets, and even added a door and a tippy tap. Now I can use my own toilet without shame or fear of being seen by passersby – and I even wash my hands afterwards. To me, it feels like God worked through them because I never thought this would happen for me!”
The entire project cost just 120,000 Rwandan francs ($83 USD) – a modest investment with a life-changing impact. But the club’s support didn’t stop there.
“They also built me a dish-drying rack,” Athanasie adds. “Before, I would just place my dishes on a sack after washing them. That wasn’t hygienic. Now I can dry them properly, which helps keep my utensils clean and safe to use.”
The club is also helping her start a kitchen garden, providing access to fresh produce and improving her diet while lowering food costs. They have even made plans to plaster her new toilet so it will be more durable and also support improvements to her home for greater cleanliness and comfort.
Where Athanasie once felt isolated, she now feels a deep sense of belonging. Though she had never been part of a hygiene club before, she has now joined the CHC herself to help transform her community. With quiet pride she shares, “I want to contribute my little strength as an elderly woman to help others experience positive changes in their lives.”
Today, Athanasie’s story is no longer one of shame and hardship, but one of dignity, health and hope – all made possible through the compassion and commitment of 20 Liters and her community. Together, they are living out the truth that when people are equipped and mobilized, families flourish and communities thrive.
