This project is a part of our shared program with Western Water and Sanitation Forum (WEWASAFO). Our team is pleased to directly share the below report (edited for clarity, as needed):
Welcome to the Community
A normal day in Mumuli Community starts at 5:30am. Parents who have school-going children start by preparing them to get out the door. Once they have finished seeing them off to school, they embark on their daily duties like bringing water from the spring, washing utensils, collecting firewood and many other domestic chores. Once finished at home, most adults head to the farm to grow popular crops like sugarcane, vegetables, or bananas. They take a quick break to prepare lunch at home, but then you will see them carry part of their cooked lunch and their farm tools back to the farm. They spend most of their day on the farm to make ends meet.
Water Situation
Shalolwa Spring is the main source of water for 168 people who live in Mumuli. Its water is used for drinking, cooking, and watering animals.
Conflicts often arise during certain times of the day while crowds of people wait for their turn to fetch water. It’s first come first serve, but the fights always happen because women and children disagree about who got there first.
This unprotected spring is located on the lower end of a hill and is surrounded by bushes; two reasons the water is so dirty. Many people who lack latrines defecate uphill, and during the rainy season the rainwater carries the waste into the water. After drinking this water, community members battle waterborne diseases like typhoid.
Sanitation Situation
Sanitation is also a big problem here, as many people do not have good latrines and use the privacy of bushes and sugarcane plantations to relieve themselves. “Your coming was timely, since many of us have suffered in ignorance. A lot of our money is lost in seeking medication, yet these are diseases we could easily avoid. I sincerely appreciate this intervention,” said a community member at the spring. The situation is so severe, for less than a quarter of households have usable pit latrines.
Less than half of households have helpful tools like dish racks and clotheslines to safely dry their belongings up off the ground.
Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training
Community members will attend hygiene and sanitation training for at least two days. This training will ensure participants are no longer ignorant about healthy practices and their importance. The facilitator plans to use PHAST (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation), CLTS (Community-Led Total Sanitation), ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development), group discussions, handouts, and demonstrations at the spring.
Training will also result in the formation of a committee that will oversee operations and maintenance at the spring. They will enforce proper behavior around the spring and delegate tasks that will help preserve the site, such as building a fence and digging proper drainage.
Plans: Sanitation Platforms
On the final day of training, participants will select five families that should benefit from new latrines.
Training will also inform the community and selected families on what they need to contribute to make this project a success. They must mobilize locally available materials, such as bricks, clean sand, hardcore, and ballast. The five families must prepare by sinking a pit for the sanitation platforms to be placed over. All community members must work together to make sure that accommodations and food are always provided for the work teams.
Plans: Spring Protection
Protecting the spring will ensure that the water is safe, adequate and secure. Construction will keep surface runoff and other contaminants out of the water.Fetching water is predominantly a female role, done by both women and young girls. Protecting the spring and offering training and support will therefore help empower the female members of the community by giving them more time and efforts to engage and invest in income-generating activities.