On behalf of the executive committee and the entire membership of our church, I thank God and Lifewater for your kind gesture in providing us with community toilets. We are indebted and remain grateful for such great concern shown to us. 

  -- Philemon N. Ghaida, Community Leader

Philemon is pastor of the Church of The Brethren in Nigeria in Garaku, a place where open defecation has been a common practice. When we arrived, Philemon told us "70 per cent of the people do not have access to toilets and defecate in public."  

Prior to our involvement, open defecation was a major health concern in the community. "Before, we moved so slowly about. We practically walked on tiptoes because, if you weren't careful, you could easily trip on poop," Philemon recalls. "When I used to see a baby crawling or a toddler playing on the ground, I would get worried because I knew that the child was probably going to ingest some feces because it was all over the place.”   

Thanks to the new toilets that are available to the entire community, Philemon says he and others are much better protected again diseases. He thanked Lifewater and our donors for their assistance: "Mugode!" or God bless you!