Putting aside toilet money for the holidays

There’s a new website called Ceasefire Liberia where Liberians at home and in the diaspora can connect with each other. It has also become a portal for some original reporting. There’s a fascinating post on the toilet situation in Clara Town by Nat Nyuan-Bayjay. Nyuan-Bayjay (who has his own blog) talks about who is and is not to blame for poor sanitary conditions in the area, and the cost of using “public” toilets. Here’s an excerpt:

Every visit to the toilet is paid for. FPA was informed by a lot of the residents that they prefer the toilets built over the river to the public ones. While their reasons vary from one person to another, the bottom line is that one pays LD$5 per visit to the toilet. Implicitly, one has to calculate or budget additional LD$150 or USD$2.3 monthly for toilet per individual. And that is if one wouldn’t have to use the toilet more than once daily. However, if one experiences a stomach disorder either due to Diareahea or other stomach problem, you just might pay twice this amount. This means that if you have a household of over five to ten persons who are not able to secure a LD$5 note for toilet purpose, then the accumulated circulation is yours.

Another older woman, probably in his late sixties told this reporter they have to set aside at least LD$25 to LD $35 on the day that proceeds Christmas Day or Ramadan Day (depending on which religion you believe in since the Township is dominated by both Christians or Muslims) because, as justified by her, that is when one gets and eats food in abundance.