Hygiene education for a village in Mali
Fadeida, Mali, 8 December 2009 – The village of Fadieda is at the forefront of a new pilot programme in Africa. It’s one of 15 villages selected by UNICEF and the Ministry of Environment and Sanitation to change the way it approaches sanitation. Until recently, the inhabitants of this village did not use latrines, a very common occurrence in Mali. About 61 per cent of the rural population does not have access to improved sanitation facilites, causing serious health issues, like diarrhoea or eye diseases. To put an end to this practice, UNICEF and its partners chose an approach that relies on the people themselves and community leaders such as Sho Traore. Disease from poor hygiene The villagers did not understand the problems associated with open air defecation until UNICEF and its partners arranged a graphic demonstration. Putting excrement and everyday food close together so that the villagers could see how flies travelled from one to the provoked a strong reaction and helped them realize their diseases were coming from. In less than a month, villagers had built not fewer than 40 latrines and Fadieda has become the first village to receive an ‘Open Air Defecation Free’ status. Celebrating cleanliness “Villagers themselves have committed to building the latrines. It’s their own initiative and their own strength. No external funding has been brought in,” said Ministry of Health spokesperson Diarra Diadouba. Since the construction of the latrines, diarrhoea cases have dropped in the village. Now, the community takes responsibility for its health and sanitation. It has also promoted handwashing with soap – a practice that can save lives. A big surprise In the 15 pilot villages, 272 new latrines have been built and 95 rehabilitated. All latrines have been equipped with handwashing facilities. Sho Traore now has the task of spreading the news about good sanitation to other community leaders – the programme is spreading to 175 other villages throughout Mali.
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