PACT TRAINS A HUNDRED NATURAL LEADERS IN TOILET SANITATION
In a bid to foster proper health care in their communities, Partners for Community Transformation (PACT), one of UNICEF’S implementing partners have trained a total of one hundred natural leaders in toilet sanitation.
One of the participants from Kayessie Community Francis K. Sesay described the training as very educative. “We now understand that to toilet in the bush is not good because that causes sickness. With or without government’s support, we should dig toilets for ourselves,” he said
The training opened post triggering workshop took place at Safroko Limba and Makari Gbanti Chiefdom Bombali and Tonkolili Districts respectively. The hundred leaders were taken from various communities in those chiefdoms.
PACT acting Coordinator Mrs. Mabinty Samura said the organization was set up to help the country and its people because the government cannot do every thing for them. She said the Non-Governmental Organization which is based in Makeni, started in 2007. “From the words ‘PACT’ one can tell that we help communities that are in dire need of government’s help,” she said. She described the north of Sierra Leone as very low in hygiene promotion but expressed hope to improve this trend with help of UNICEF and other partners. “We are not just implementing but we also do follow ups.” She stressed that PACT always involves the Paramount Chiefs in any community they find themselves. “We speak the language they will understand for the message to go down to the least man and UNICEF is convinced and happy of what we are doing.”
PACT, Mrs. Samura went on is distributing bicycles to participants who have done well in order to trigger other villagers to do likewise. “Proper hygiene stops sudden death rate in the villages. Proper hygiene is far different from Community Lead Total Sanitation (CLTS) which we have in this community.” she said.
District Health Superintendent Bombali, Saidu Theophilus Dumbuya said their campaign for Community Lead Total Sanitation (CLTS) started in 1999 for the communities to accept good hygiene strategies. “The most important concept is not just about digging latrines but to position of the latrines. All these facilities must exist in every house to make the community become free from disease,” he said.
He said if all those factors are taken into consideration diarrhea related diseases will be reduced to its barest minimum in the community. According to Mr. Dumbuya the Natural Leaders were identified during their drilling process by their trainers. “They were not appointed by their communities but were selected by their activities to scale up CLTC and enhance its capability from the training,” he said.
He promised further training in their communities after their group training and they in turn will trigger other communities for the expansion of CLTS and appealed to all members to embrace CLTS for the well being of their society.
He promised to call a meeting when he gets back for his community to get better understanding about CLTS and even beyond.
Maworry Village participant Sama Conteh felt honoured to be part of such training. “We now know the importance of using the latrine other than the bush when one wants to toilet,” she said. Ms. Conteh who described the training as timely and promised to share the information to her people as part of their tradition.
Coordinator for PACT Bombali District Joseph Samura said they expect the natural leaders to implement what they have been taught in their various communities on a voluntary basis. He also pointed out that they will monitor the participants on their field training and if successful they will declare them Open defecation Free (ODF).
Most of the people spoken to express hope that with such training the north will be better educated on CLTS in the country.
Among the top discussions were the Role of children, Faecooral Transmission Route, Ignition Moment and Scaling up and Going beyond CLTS. The last day of the training was a field exercise.
One of the participants from Kayessie Community Francis K. Sesay described the training as very educative. “We now understand that to toilet in the bush is not good because that causes sickness. With or without government’s support, we should dig toilets for ourselves,” he said
The training opened post triggering workshop took place at Safroko Limba and Makari Gbanti Chiefdom Bombali and Tonkolili Districts respectively. The hundred leaders were taken from various communities in those chiefdoms.
PACT acting Coordinator Mrs. Mabinty Samura said the organization was set up to help the country and its people because the government cannot do every thing for them. She said the Non-Governmental Organization which is based in Makeni, started in 2007. “From the words ‘PACT’ one can tell that we help communities that are in dire need of government’s help,” she said. She described the north of Sierra Leone as very low in hygiene promotion but expressed hope to improve this trend with help of UNICEF and other partners. “We are not just implementing but we also do follow ups.” She stressed that PACT always involves the Paramount Chiefs in any community they find themselves. “We speak the language they will understand for the message to go down to the least man and UNICEF is convinced and happy of what we are doing.”
PACT, Mrs. Samura went on is distributing bicycles to participants who have done well in order to trigger other villagers to do likewise. “Proper hygiene stops sudden death rate in the villages. Proper hygiene is far different from Community Lead Total Sanitation (CLTS) which we have in this community.” she said.
District Health Superintendent Bombali, Saidu Theophilus Dumbuya said their campaign for Community Lead Total Sanitation (CLTS) started in 1999 for the communities to accept good hygiene strategies. “The most important concept is not just about digging latrines but to position of the latrines. All these facilities must exist in every house to make the community become free from disease,” he said.
He said if all those factors are taken into consideration diarrhea related diseases will be reduced to its barest minimum in the community. According to Mr. Dumbuya the Natural Leaders were identified during their drilling process by their trainers. “They were not appointed by their communities but were selected by their activities to scale up CLTC and enhance its capability from the training,” he said.
He promised further training in their communities after their group training and they in turn will trigger other communities for the expansion of CLTS and appealed to all members to embrace CLTS for the well being of their society.
He promised to call a meeting when he gets back for his community to get better understanding about CLTS and even beyond.
Maworry Village participant Sama Conteh felt honoured to be part of such training. “We now know the importance of using the latrine other than the bush when one wants to toilet,” she said. Ms. Conteh who described the training as timely and promised to share the information to her people as part of their tradition.
Coordinator for PACT Bombali District Joseph Samura said they expect the natural leaders to implement what they have been taught in their various communities on a voluntary basis. He also pointed out that they will monitor the participants on their field training and if successful they will declare them Open defecation Free (ODF).
Most of the people spoken to express hope that with such training the north will be better educated on CLTS in the country.
Among the top discussions were the Role of children, Faecooral Transmission Route, Ignition Moment and Scaling up and Going beyond CLTS. The last day of the training was a field exercise.
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