PHOTOS: Peep At The Toilets Of 7 Families Around The World

NPR | By Greta Jochem

Published November 19, 2017 at 4:00 AM PST

This is likely a pit toilet. The idea is that there's a giant hole underneath the toilet. It's from Revben and Havenes Banda's home in a rural village in Malawi. They live with their five children and five grandchildren; their monthly income is $50.

If you search for images of "toilet" on Google, you'll get a page of sparkling white ceramic toilets.

That's the typical toilet for people in a high-income country. But not every toilet looks like that.

To get a better idea of the range of toilets around the world, take a look at Dollar Street. It's a project that catalogs everyday objects — like toys, soap, stoves and of course, toilets — to provide a snapshot of life at different income levels across the globe.

The project was created by Anna Rosling Ronnlund, the co-founder of Gapminder, a group that uses infographics to explain the world. In 2016, she commissioned photographers to take photos of objects in over 264 homes in 50 countries.

Here is a selection of toilet photos from Dollar Street. Jennifer Foster, a technical officer for PATH's WASH portfolio, a global health nonprofit, provided insights into the different types of toilets. Foster works on public health issues — primarily water, waste treatment and sanitation projects.

This is also a pit latrine, according to toilet specialist Jennifer Foster: "Odds are [the waste] is going straight down into a pit." It belongs to Sabatrirani Bishash, a businesswoman living in Kahana, Bangladesh. She lives with her three children and has a monthly income of $125.

This toilet is in the home of the Bui family in Hoi An, Vietnam. Thái, a tailor, and Gần, a fruit vendor, live with their two children and a grandmother. Their monthly income is $383.

This toilet belongs to the Singh family in Gurgaon, India. Shyam, a driver, and his wife Renuka, a nurse, live with their three children and have a monthly income of $369. The family has access to a water source in the bathroom for cleaning and hand-washing.

This toilet is in the home of the Tamang family in Kathmandu, Nepal. Shyam, a laborer, and his wife Minu, a farmer, live with their five children and have a monthly income of $121.

This toilet belongs to the Legarda family in the Philippines. Judith and her husband, Joel, live with their four children and have a monthly income of $865.