WATER SANITATION AND HYGIENE: THE CHALLENGE AND THE EFFORTS TOWARDS HELPING EVERYONE TO CHANGE.

By James David Kawonga
Raleigh Tanzania, ICS volunteer alumni 2018

It was a three months experience, living in an amazing village of Mageseni of Kongwa District, Dodoma. Participating on International Citizen Service (ICS) Water Sanitation and Hygiene program was a very nice time to accomplish my ambition. I have been always ambitious to work with community with the aim of using my knowledge and skills to bring changes to my fellow youths and exploring new global opportunities, so I learnt that ICS will help me to connect with people of different culture and perspectives and working with them.

Picture 1: A primary school pupils of Mchikichini
Primary school listening to one of the ICS Wash 

topic
(Picture by Kelvin Msechu)

It was my hope that they will bring new knowledge and skills as an advantage of participating in the program. It was a very important moment in my life, staying with people of different culture but speaking same language on accomplishing common goals.

THE SITUATION IN MAGESENI AND EFFORTS MADE

Picture 2: Community members of Mageseni Village listening to
Team leader's speech on the first day of arrival to the village. 

(Picture by James David Kawonga)

We had a very great task of helping people of Mageseni to change their behaviour and accept changes. We had a task of emphasising them to take the knowledge we were imparting to them, to the next generation and being able to tell next generation all important facts about WASH. From the survey conducted soon after arriving at the village, it revealed that many of the villagers had little knowledge on the importance of washing hands and the impacts of not washing hands, merits of drinking safe water, how to prepare and store food and inadequate or poor sanitation facilities. 

So all the efforts made during this program at Mageseni were focused on solving these challenges. The process involved number of trainings, teaching, meetings, action days and physical works. We constructed a new toilet block for pupils of Mageseni primary school. It is safe sanitation block as it is accessible to everyone, gender specific and having special room for pupils with special needs. The process did not end on building new toilets only.We were conducting class sessions to pupils and formed a SWASH club with a task of helping other students to get knowledge when the project ends.

Picture 3: ICS volunteers mixing cement for plastering
the new toilet blocks built at Mageseni Primary school
(Picture by Hillary Sloane- Raleigh Tanzania)

The process involved providing knowledge to the community members of Mageseni village. The sustainability of the project relies on people of Mageseni's efforts, we provided them with necessary information to keep the project live and sustainable. We were conducting mobilisation meetings, training to stakeholders, meeting with special groups and action days. All these were for the purpose of helping the community to adopt lasting changes on water hygiene and sanitation.

We taught them the importance of washing hands, having simple sanitation facilities like Tippy tap, using safe and clean water, safe ways to prepare and store food, personal hygiene and keeping the environment safe. We also told them them all negative impacts of going against all these important WASH facts.

Picture 4: ICS Volunteer (right) demonstrating six
stages of hand washing (Picture y Hillary Sloane) 

It was very impactful process, since there were positive changes on people. They were really ready to change and they accepted changes. The last survey done at Mageseni had a very different view from the previous one. They have learnt that everyone is responsible for making this world a better place for everyone to live. And they have also learnt it is young people's task to bring changes to the community, they are energetic with a creative mind to deliver knowledge on different global issues. The Knowledge they have gained will help them to fight with most occurring food-borne diseases and other hygienic problems

ADDRESSING CHANGE TO OTHER PEOPLE

Picture 5: A team of 14 ICS volunteers that facilitated

changes at Mageseni Village 

( Picture by James David Kawonga)

ICS experience has helped to explore global opportunities and taking my view of life to participate on bringing positive global change rather than staying on discussions of local unnecessary political issues. It has helped us to build confidence on making decisions, developing leadership skills and being able to present things in front of everyone. We have also learnt the vital role of having safe sanitation facilities and importance of having knowledge on personal hygiene and sanitation and the need to conserve our environment. 

So after the program, we decided to take that knowledge we have gained on ICS to other people. We believe Sanitation and Hygienic challenges happen to everyone and we all have responsibility to help each other. On May 25th 2018 we went to Mchikichini Primary School one of the primary schools in  Morogoro town, the school is located on the slopes of Uluguru mountains. We had six hours to deliver our lessons to students. It was a very nice time to share experience with pupils of Mchikichini Primary School. We managed to teach them some topics about Water Sanitation and Hygiene. We also managed to build three tippy taps around the school gardens. 

Picture 6: A team of 7 ICS volunteers who facilitated
changes to Mchikichini Primary School pupils
(Picture by James David Kawonga)

We were able to evaluate their knowledge depending on the sessions we had with them. We realised that the challenges are everywhere. These pupils had questions which reflected that they also face unsolved challenges about sanitation and hygiene. We saw them struggling to mention the importance of hand-washing, conserving environment, drinking safe and clean water. We helped them to understand the important facts about WASH.   

We had an invitation from teachers  to attend regular SWASH classes to teach

Picture  7: Demonstrating the process of building a
tippy tap to pupils of Mchikichini primary
school ( Picture by James David Kawonga)

students all important topics, this says they really need this knowledge to be taught to students. We agreed to their invitation and one of our team member decided to attend classes every Tuesday afternoon to continue teaching students and guiding them to form group of students who will act as ambassadors of change to their fellow students.

We are also planning to use social media platform to inform everyone the importance of understanding these things. We appreciate efforts and role played by Raleigh Tanzania of connecting youths' energies and skills that are vital to the creation of the lasting changes to the community. Raleigh is considering youths, that they have the great influence on creating awareness to the community. 

It is not enough until you play a part on making global change. Everyone has the responsibility and role of making or facilitating global changes. And the easiest way to understand other people's needs is to work or live with them. We have to accept every challenge that comes to our lives and we should consider them as opportunities to find new and best ways to solve them rather than waiting for someone to work for your own needs.