In 2010, the United Nations recognised that sanitation and access to clean water is a basic human right that everyone should be privy to. With 1 in 3 of the global population not being granted this right, we need to seriously assess how best to address the situation.

Projects Abroad Jamaica is combatting the situation head on by constructing toilet facilities for 40 primary schools in Manchester, the first of which is scheduled for completion in November 2014 at Richmond Primary School. According to the World Bank, access to improved sanitation in Jamaica is currently at 80%, and Projects Abroad is looking to accelerate this upward trajectory.

With the World Bank stating that hygiene promotion is the most cost effective health intervention method, it's simple to comprehend the dramatic change that access to proper sanitation facilities will make to primary school children's lives. 6.3% of all sanitation related deaths are preventable with better facilities, hygiene and access to clean water. By converting 40 pit latrines in Manchester into proper sanitation infrastructures, the lives of the children, parents, teachers and community will change significantly.

Pit latrines are unsanitary and unsafe, placing children at risk of contamination with infectious diseases. These illnesses take the form of skin rashes, infections and diarrhoea, while the pits also pose a physical threat, which children could fall into or potentially face sexual molestation in due to their unsavoury locations.

The newly constructed toilet facilities will be centrally located to ensure that the children's safety is in no way compromised.  Many of the schools selected do not have running water, which is another issue that the latrine building project will actively address.

After the Richmond Primary School is completed, the next project will begin at the Old England Primary School. Volunteers are encouraged to apply for this ground-breaking construction effort, which will make a sustainable impact on the local children's lives.

For more information on Projects Abroad, please click here