Straw Latrine Photo Not From Democratic Republic of Congo
A social media post by Rwandan user Sadate Munyakazi on 6th April 2024, claimed the inauguration of a public toilet in Kasai, DR Congo.
The post expressed satisfaction with Rwanda's cleanliness situation and mentioned the Rwandan ruling party (@rpfinkotanyi) and President (@PaulKagame).
The image caption reads, “Inauguration of a public toilet this Wednesday, 3rd April 2024, in Kabeya, Kamwanga/Kasai.” However, the location details were missing. But that was the least one had to worry about.
Manipulated
Our investigation found the story to be manipulated and unrelated to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The image, which had crucial details cropped out, was originally published by UNICEF Mozambique.
UNICEF used the image in a post congratulating the District of Sussundenga, Manica province, Mozambique, for achieving open defecation-free status.
UNICEF posted a similar congratulatory message to another district, Massurize, also in Manica province, for the same achievement.
The only person (with Caucasion appearance) in the manipulated image is a UNICEF official on assignment in Mozambique, not DR Congo.
Ukuri found similar straw latrines built across Mozambique. The full, uncropped image reveals a UNICEF "defecation-free zones campaign" to address open defecation, a significant public health concern in many developing countries.
According to Sanitation Learning Hub, Manica is the largest sanitary district with an estimated population of about 265,600 in 2022.
Sanitation efforts in the region began in 2008 under a local NGO contracted by the UNICEF’s One Million Initiative (OMI).
The first Open Defecation Free (ODF) Administrative Post was established in 2012.
Verdict: The Democratic Republic of Congo Did Not Build Straw Latrines in Kasai Region.