As we focus on Lent, I’d like to share two stories of courage and dignity: Bawili in Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kanchana in Pakistan

Women and girls suffer most when families don’t have a loo In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bawili is a widow. Her husband was killed during the civil war – leaving her to raise her family all alone. Along with thousands of people from DRC, she fled to Tanzania where she lived for years as a refugee. When they returned to DRC, they had lost everything - and they had to start from scratch. Bawili worked all day on the land, growing enough food to feed her family. She didn’t have the strength or resources to build the family a toilet. When her daughter Ebinda was 15, she was bitten by a snake as she crouched in the bush to go to the toilet, and then, a few months later, she was attacked by men as she went to the toilet early one evening. She became pregnant through the attack and had to leave school. She told us that the snake bite has left her with long term health problems, and that, since the attack, she hasn’t had a day when she felt truly happy.

Community Health Clubs Toilet Twinning is part of Tearfund. Everything changed for Bawili and her neighbours when Tearfund encouraged the community to come together and form a Community Health Club. The club members wrote a song about every home having a toilet, a bathroom area and a rubbish pit – to protect their health. The lyrics also emphasised the importance of hand washing. The club members sing this song at every meeting – and they have taught this song to their children.

Working together to help those most in need Bawili and her neighbours learnt about sanitation through the club – but, more importantly, they learnt how to work together – and they learnt that God works through them. They decided to vote for the members among them who most needed their help in building a toilet

The new toilet! And when the club voted to help Bawili build a toilet, they demonstrated that love changes everything.

A voice for change In Asia there are similar challenges facing women and girls. Kanchana in Pakistan. When she heard about the link between poor sanitation and ill health, she overcame cultural restrictions and became a powerful voice for change. She convinced all the women in her village that they needed toilets and they encouraged their husbands to get digging!

Changing a culture is possible Our partner says, ‘In rural Pakistan, women tend to be viewed by men as objects that have no value. But when women take the initiative, they produce results.’ Because of Kanchana’s refusal to accept the cultural limitations placed upon women, everyone in the village has a loo: there is much less sickness and the women have privacy and safety.

‘I used to feel helpless, but now I know I am strong.’ ‘As a widow, I didn’t have the strength to build a toilet. I am so thankful for my loving community.’ Bawili, DRC ‘I used to feel helpless, but now I know I am strong.’ Kanchana, Pakistan God makes weak people strong: ‘“My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness”...when I am weak, then I am strong.’ 2 Corinthians 12:9. We are to defend those in need in His name: ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.’ James 1:27

Let’s twin our toilets! Lent is a time to reflect and often give something up like caffeine or chocolate. Imagine if we gave the money we saved to help people in desperate poverty – just think, £1.50 per day for 40 days of Lent would be enough to twin one of the church toilets! It would help women like Bawili and Kanchana to continue to stay strong and healthy.

PHOTOS: RALPH HODGSON/TOILET TWINNING & ADOBESTOCK