Demonstration toilets in Senti
What do you think of when you hear the words “hygiene and sanitation”? I am guessing that for most people the words do not conjure up very strong images since hygiene and sanitation is not something people in “developed” (I am unsure of defining countries as developed and developing but will do so for ease of understanding for now) countries need to think about much. Aside from reminders from your parents to brush your teeth and wash your hands, you might never have given much though to sanitation and hygiene. I believe this is because in Canada and other developed countries, there is infrastructure and legislation that makes hygiene and sanitation easy to take for granted. You simply turn on the hot water tap, flush the toilet and put your garbage in the bin.
Accordingly in Canada we do not often think of the ramifications of inadequate hygiene and sanitation, such as cholera, dysentery and gastrointestinal infections. But, according to the World Health Organization:
- Diarrhoea caused by gastrointestinal infections kills around 2.2 million people globally each year, mostly children in developing countries.
- World-wide around 1.1 billion people lack access to improved water sources and 2.4 billion have no basic sanitation.
- In Southeast Asia and Africa, diarrhoea is responsible for as much as 8.5% and 7.7% of all deaths respectively.
Demonstration Fossa Alterna with sanplats
Inside the Fossa Alterna
While statistics can be useful in conveying information, they do not convey the reality of people living without access to clean water or basic sanitation. They definitely cannot convey the reality of people dying from preventable diseases as a result. It is important to remember that the people these statistics represent are sons, daughters, mother, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and grandparents. They are children who play like any other children and parents who work to put food on the table like parents in Canada. Admittedly, it is exceptionally difficult to imagine life in a developing country, even when you are living in one as I am. While I am able to witness how people live I struggle to really understand their lives since it is obvious that I am an outsider with the ability to return to Canada and my life of relative luxury.
My partner, TSP (Training Support for Partners), is working in three peri-urban areas to promote improved sanitation and hygiene behaviour. The areas in which we work are extremely densely populated (even by Malawian standards), making sanitation and hygiene that much more of a challenge and necessity. There are no sewage networks or septic tanks and people are responsible for building their own pit latrines to deal with sewage. There are many people who are unable to afford the 2000 Kwacha (about 20 Canadian dollars) to build a latrine and others who do not own the property and may not have permission from the landlord to do so. There are some families who share latrines but others who do not have access at all and are forced to “go” elsewhere, the railroad track, the riverbank, wherever. While this is obviously a sanitation and waste management issue, it is also an issue regarding privacy and quality of life. I am sure that most, if not all of us cannot imagine the reality of this. Perhaps in part because it is not something we are accustomed to or inclined to think about!
TSP has trained masons to construct sanitation platforms, or “sanplats.” They are used to build latrines that are more safe and hygienic than traditional latrines made with wood which are difficult to keep clean and are prone to collapse. They are also encouraging the use of different ecosan latrines, particularly the Fossa Alterna. It is basically a pit latrine with two pits used alternately. Ash and soil are thrown in the pit each time it is used to aid decomposition. While one pit is in use the other is left and the decomposed material can eventually be used as fertilizer.
Committee members having a meeting in Kauma
A typical hand washing station outside a traditional latrine
Despite these challenges it is inspiring to see local leaders who are committed to promoting sanitation and hygiene in their communities. Yesterday there were committee members from another area visiting Mgona, one of the areas TSP is working. In the bus on the way over the committee broke into song, modifying a traditional song to include sanitation and hygiene messages. Of course it was in Chichewa so I understood little of the lyrics but their performance was inspiring nevertheless. And it is in those moments when I feel the most hopeful that change is possible.
Thanks for reading…and thinking about toilets! That’s all for now. I am heading to the market to purchase some household items, a pillowcase, hangers, candles for when the power goes out! It’s always an adventure finding what you are looking for at the many stalls and then agreeing on a price! Perhaps I’ll tell you about it in a later entry!
Tionana (“See you later”),
Alynne
