CERF-supported climate-resilient sanitation is transforming lives in Myanmar’s Dry Zone

For the first time in her life, 65-year-old Daw Aye Hla has a private toilet of her own.

In Kyauk Tan Village, in Myanmar’s Dry Zone, she spent her life using bushes, with little privacy or safety. “As a girl, as a mother, even now as a grandmother – I never had a toilet,” she said. “Not once.”

“It was frightening sometimes,” Daw Aye Hla continued. “We went early in the morning or late at night so no one would see us. But we were never comfortable. Never safe.”

Around her, the vast region is changing in ways that make the situation even more dire. Temperatures now rise higher than ever; in April 2024, heat soared to near-record levels, scorching crops and drying water sources. Flash rains arrive suddenly, washing away unstable latrine pits and flooding open defecation sites.

That began to change when UNICEF and its local partner, the Community Development Association (CDA), with vital funding support from the OCHA-managed UN Global Emergency Fund (CERF), launched a climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiative across Magway and Shan States.

Through the project, families like Daw Aye Hla’s received durable, climate-resilient toilets designed to withstand extreme heat and sudden storms. Communities were also supported through hygiene promotion and Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approaches, helping households understand the links between sanitation, health, safety and dignity.

“Now I feel safer. I feel respected,” Daw Aye Hla said.

CERF support ensured the response went beyond construction alone. Local volunteers and leaders were trained to mobilize communities, promote safe hygiene practices, and support long-term behaviour change. Children and caregivers learned proper handwashing, water handling and latrine maintenance – strengthening protection against disease while restoring confidence and privacy.

In Kyauk Tan Village alone, 18 climate-resilient toilets were built, contributing to 360 new toilets across 30 villages in Chauk and Kalaw Townships. For families who could never afford a latrine, the benefits were felt straight away, especially for women, girls, and older people.

“These toilets are not just buildings,” said U Zaw Thu, a father of six. “They protect our daughters, support our elders, and give us confidence to face the future.”

Read how CERF’s timely support is helping communities in Myanmar’s Dry Zone break a long cycle of vulnerability – reclaiming dignity, improving health, and building resilience in the face of a changing climate: https://www.unicef.org/myanmar/stories/breaking-cycle

Posted January 2026.

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