Happy couple: Anita and Januaria outside their bathroom
Concrete slabs protect people from germs and dangerous pits
Alcidio Pangaia
According to Unicef, about 2.5-billion people around the Globe do not have access to a latrine, forcing them to defecate in the open, which leads to food and water contamination, parasites and disease.
ForAfrika is working with Unicef in Mozambique to improve sanitation, health and well-being through hygiene training and by providing latrine slabs for households.
Januaria Vicente and Anita Assoue, live in the village of Marcune in the province of Cabo Delgado. They recently received a latrine slab to add to their home.
Feeling safer
“I feel so much safer now,” says Anita. “Before I was afraid I would fall into the pit.” Although they had built their own pit latrine, it was merely covered in wooden planks. It was treacherous in the rain. She explained that when the rain came, they would go to their neighbours’ latrine because theirs was too slippery.
Not long ago, Januaria joined other members of the community to be trained on the casting and installation of the slabs which have made a huge difference to their lives.
Not only have they got clean, safe latrines for their own use, but they also have marketable skills and are able to assist others in the community.
“I am much happier,” says Anita, showing off the bathroom which she and Januaria have fenced off with reeds. “There is now a place for showering and another place for the toilet.”
Proper ablution areas are safer, more hygienic and restore dignity for people living in marginalised communities – especially for women and girls. Specialised latrines for people with disabilities are also a priority in the programme.
Hygiene education
Isabel Jonas, a hygiene activist working in the area, says: “The latrines ensure better sanitary conditions. Waste is covered with a solid lid and rainwater cannot get in. Importantly, no one can fall into a pit.”
Isabel and her colleague Nomade Suraime travel through the community, often addressing crowds with loudspeakers, teaching basic hygiene practices and informing people about the link between open defecation and disease.
“We enjoy doing it because we teach people how to take care of themselves. We have seen a change in people’s behaviour since we have been teaching these things,” says Isabel.
ForAfrika partners with communities to give them access to clean water and sanitation. By drilling and rehabilitating wells, installing latrines and providing WASH training, thousands of people have been kept safe and free from disease.
UNICEF estimates that globally over 700 children under the age of five die every day of diarrhoeal diseases due to lack of appropriate WASH services.
“Lack of sanitation will also likely lead to children being infected with parasitic worms, which will prevent nutrient absorption. In the long term, this can lead to malnutrition, curtailing children’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development. In schools where there is lack of dedicated female latrines, adolescent girls will more likely stop attending classes, especially when menstruating,” they say.
Alcidio Pangaia is Provincial Manager for Cabo Delgado
