Government launches Shs19 Billion initiative to end open defecation

A $5 million (roughly Shs19.4 billion) three-year project has been initiated by the Ministry of Health to address open defecation and inadequate sanitation in seven districts that have low health indicators. According to the Minister of Health, Jane Ruth Aceng, the money comes from the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) sanitation and hygiene fund, and the Ugandan government is contributing a matching amount of Shs 5.8 billion.

There are still eight percent of people who practice open defecation, and over sixty percent of them require better sanitation facilities, like toilets, according to data from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, which was published last week.