Floods Force Mzimba Families to Break Deep-Rooted Toilet Taboos

In Ngoni culture, sharing a toilet between a father-in-law and a daughter-in-law is a serious taboo, rooted in long-standing beliefs about respect, boundaries and family dignity. Separate sanitation facilities are traditionally maintained to uphold these values.

But in Kapopo Ward under Traditional Authority Mmbelwa, relentless heavy rains have swept away homes and latrines, forcing families into an unthinkable reality: breaking cultural norms that have been respected for generations.