Of the 7 billion people in the world, 2.4 billion don’t use a basic toilet. On 19 November it's World Toilet Day, when we raise awareness for the sanitation crisis and the way this affects billions of people around the world. A lack of sanitation doesn't just lead to poor hygiene or poor health conditions, it affects health, education, gender equality, nutrition, the environment and the economy. So imagine the positive impact when more people would get access to basic sanitation! For this important cause we’ve gathered nine crowdfunding projects that actually give a crap and contribute to this important cause.

1. The Nebbi Toilets projectThe Nebbi district in Northern Uganda is a region with several villages. These villages all have the same problem: a lack of toilets and sanitation. It’s pretty common that 100 people have to share only one toilet. This results in them having to go out into the surrounding areas to defecate, causing unhealthy and unhygienic situations. Building toilets would be the first step in solving a lot of the problems the people in the Nebbi district face on a daily basis. The founder of crowdRipple, Israel Unger, is actually in Uganda at the moment trying to help this cause. He works together with the Agency for Accelerated Regional Development (AFARD), which helps in building toilets throughout these communities in need. With the help of this crowdfunding campaign, we can help make this happen! For as little as US$15, a toilet can be built by employing local youth. This will have significant impact on communities and improve their health situation while also providing an income for youth in the community. More on this inspiring project can be found here.

2. Matai’s GroupPoor sanitation is an especially a big disadvantage for women, and increases gender inequality. This is something Matai, a humble Indian lady, experiences everyday. She is a farmer by profession and sells milk to her community in order to provide for herself and her family. A big issue she runs into on a regular basis is that she doesn't have a toilet in her house and has to depend upon the open field to attend to nature’s call. As a result she is more vulnerable to crime and molestation. Together with her family she is requesting a housing loan at Kiva, so she can use her part to build a hygienic toilet. With this loan she can restore her privacy and increase safety and hygiene and at the same time contribute to better health for all family members and a reduction of medical expenses. Want to find out more about this project? Click here.

3. Wish for WASH2,5 billion people in the world do not have access to clean and practical toilets. Wish for WASH is an organization that works on sanitation projects to eliminate spreading of diseases and that help to prevent physical and mental health issues from open defecation. They came up with a toilet that meets the specific needs of the end-users: the SafiChoo toilet. After a process of designing and manufacturing they are now ready to find out if the SafiChoo really works. That’s why they need our funding for launching their beta pilot in Lusaka, Zambia. Here they will work on a pilot so they can collect the feedback from as many people as possible. In Zambia they will actually get the chance to ask the opinion from those in need of toilets and those who know what their communities value. Interested? Read more about this special project here.

4. Lungelo Youth DevelopmentLungelo Centre is a crèche and youth center in South Africa that needs our help to build proper sanitation. At the moment they’re using pit latrines that endanger the children in multiple ways. The latrines are a source for the spreading of germs and infections and the not properly disposed feces pollute the ground. The latrines also fill up really quickly and are full of worms. On top of that the children have to be very careful all the time not to fall in the deep hole. The Lungelo Centre hopes to raise enough money to build proper toilets they can connect to the water system, so the children can wash their hands afterwards as well. Want to find out more or want to contribute to this project? Click here.

5. ThanhThanh is a 35-year old Vietnamese women who lives together with her husband and child. Through Kiva she is trying to get a loan so she can build a sanitation latrine. With the help of this crowdfunding campaign she will be able to pay for the materials and labor costs needed for construction. This latrine will improve her and her family’s health and will protect the environment. She is connected to the Quang Binh Women Development Fund (QBWDF), a social fund that works hard on increasing health and sanitation in poor communities in Vietnam. To find out more, click here.

6.Zongo ProjectThe Zongo Project is a campaign started by Elizabeth Cummings. When visiting this community in Ghana she quickly saw with how many problems the people in this community are dealing with on a daily basis. They don’t have basic toilets, they drink dirty ground water and when people get ill, they cannot get the medical assistance they need. This crowdfunding project is set up to provide the Zongo community with better sanitation, buildings and education. Their first goal is to improve the sanitation system by stopping feces and stagnant water leaking through the streets and by improving the most standard houses. Elizabeth Cummings realized that a small amount of money can already create big impact: the couple of dollars you would usually spend on lunch or a cup of coffee could be used to buy a few bags of cement so the beginning of providing a better toilet can already be made. Read more about this project here.

7. Build elementary school toiletThis crowdfunding project raises money to build new toilets for boys and girls at the Malikini Primary School in Kenya. The Malikini village has suffered prolonged droughts and faces a lot of problems concerning healthcare, infrastructure, water, food and electricity. The building of these toilets will result in better hygiene and less illness so children can go to school more often. Only $7,000 is needed to provide the whole school with new toilets. Follow this link to read more or support this project.

8. Nate and Rachel Build a Well in HaitiThis campaign is run by Nathan and Rachel, who traveled to Haiti in September to help build a well in Cap Haitian, the second largest city in the country. Together with the organization Living Water they try to change the status quo in this poor country, where 40% of the people lack access to clean water and only one in five has access to a sanitary toilet. Next to the building of a fresh-water well Nathan and Rachel are teaching hygiene classes to make people more aware of the risks of poor sanitation. To find out more or to support, click here.

9.Toilets for Peru’s ShantytownsIn Lima, Peru, still 2 million people don’t have proper toilets. That means these Peruvians need to use pit latrines with the danger of spreading diseases and contaminating the soil. This project wants to help solving this problem by expanding the waterless toilet system of X-RUNNER. They came up with a dry-toilet that is perfect for the circumstances in Lima, a very dry region of Peru. The feces are collected by a truck and then turned into compost. Simple and good for the environment! Interested in funding this awesome project? Follow this link to find out more.

Sometimes we just need to give a shit: the access to a basic toilet can improve the lives of people all over the world in a simple, effective way. To find more crowdfunding projects that create positive impact at crowdRipple. Read our latest blog on do good brands that give a shit and try to solve problems related to World Toilet day here. There are more ways in which you can give a crap!