Ak-Sai community together against the crisis
Ak-Sai village, Kyrgyzstan - February 2009 By Galina Solodunova Life has been often dark and cold for children in Ak-Sai village, situated in the Batken Province of Kyrgyzstan. Due to the current winter energy crisis, started in 2008, there is no electricity available in the township and families are suffering with immediate as well as long-term damage to their stability and overall safety. Although for some it may be unthinkable to live without energy, the predicament has become frequent in Kyrgyzstan. Scheduled power cuts are continuing around the country, leaving hospitals and other institutions outside provincial centers without power for several hours a day. Preliminary results of a survey carried out by the Ministry of Health show that the power outrage has been disrupting laboratory tests and vaccine preservation, postponing surgeries, delaying diagnoses and unbalancing water supply across the country. In Ak-Sai, schools are closing their doors due to low temperatures and the breakage of several water pumps. In addition, since there is no other alternative but to get water from open sources, such as rivers often used by animals, the number children getting contaminated with intestinal parasites has increased. In an effort to tackle some of these problems, community leaders in Ak-Sai decided nearly a month ago to take matters into their own hands – or, in this case, their own feet. Since the small village is located very high in the mountains, becoming predominantly isolated from technology and streamlined communications, the leaders teamed up with children and began to walk and visit every household for checking sanitation units - mainly washstands and toilets. Whenever conditions are unsafe, the community advocators alert families and even support reconstruction efforts when needed. The ultimate idea behind the initiative is to improve access to preventive information on issues of water, hygiene and sanitation in Ak-Sai and reduce the risks of disease during the energy crisis.
“I was afraid that Murat, my elder brother, would use it. It is not hygienic,” says eight-year-old Malika about taking her toothbrush with her to school. Ten-year-old Sanjar, on the other hand, decided to start waking up one hour earlier to help his mother boiling water for safe drinking. Finally, 15-year-old Nadiam, who was appointed as the ministry of health in the school self-government project, organized a weekly contest among all the students. “On Saturday, we give prizes to the students who have the highest record for washing hands after the toilet and before the meal, drinking only boiled water from their own bottles and having their nails neatly cut,” she explains. The results have quickly appeared. After just a month of community campaigning, children walk around the village with a bottle of boiled water and two handkerchiefs – one for the nose and one for drying their hands after washing. At school, the toilet that a while ago violated every single rule of hygiene and sanitation has been cleaned, whitened and painted. Other behavioral changes have been registered in Ak-Sai. Local religious leaders, who before would preach against the use of toilet paper - since they are often used for writing holly books - now educate children and their families on the importance of hygiene and sanitation. “We have to bring more soap and toilet paper to our vendor kiosks to meet an increasing demand. It is good for the people and it is a good business for us,” says an enthusiastic retailer from the village. A small research showed that 95 per cent of the population in Ak-Sai now washes their hands before eating, a considerable increase when compared to only 12 per cent a few months ago. UNICEF promoting change The community project in Ak-Sai started after UNICEF Kyrgyzstan decided to support social mobilization as part of the national de-helminthes campaign. The movement in the township itself was limited to one event: on the 9th of October 2008, villagers watched a video on helminthes, listened to a twenty minute lecture and took a pill against helminthes. The day long event has turned now into a life long community commitment. Together, and against all odds, people in Ak-Sai are working to overcome the recent energy crisis and increasing theit capacity to prevent any future problems.
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