In Kalmama, the community leads the sanitation
The crowd is sitting in the shade under a large mango tree. They listen carefully to the community worker. It is a sensitization conducted by the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) facilitators, a UNICEF-supported NGO, on the risks caused by the open defecation.
A woman stands out. Her name is Rasmata Sawadogo, 62. She takes the floor and demonstrates the health risks associated with open defecation. “The chance of consuming contaminated food by our excrement is established. When we defecate in the open air, rain water spoils the leaves we enjoy eating,” she explains.
Rasmata is dynamic. She is very involved in the village sanitation committee. “I felt ashamed and disgusted following the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) triggering. I discovered that I was the only one accountable for my health issues and those of my children. That’s why I decided to get myself my latrine” she says.
Kalmama is a village of the municipality of Pama located in the Eastern Region of Burkina Faso. CLTS is underway and villagers are involved in family and public sanitation activities. After the CLTS triggering in January 2015, residents have set up a sanitation committee working closely with the households.
At Kalmama, all the households have latrines; a proof of the community commitment. Instead of soaps that cost 100 CFA francs each, they use the ash to wash their hands after using the toilet.
Most of the latrines are built by women, men are working in the surrounding artisanal gold mines . “My husband helped me with the straw for the construction of the fence. That’s all,” Rasmata says.
Solidarity between the residents is key to the success of the operation fully carried by themselves. The village chief, influential and highly respected is the honorary president of the sanitation committee.
Very involved, he regularly convenes meetings to inquire about the progress made in the construction of the latrines and encourage each to help those who face difficulties in building their own latrines.
The community has always reacted favorably and has shown great willingness for assistance. That is why in Kalmama all latrines, may they be modern or summarily executed, have been carried out without any subsidy. The entire costs were supported by the residents.
“When I finished digging the pit and gathering the wood for the implantation of the fence, a neighbor Soré Arouna helped to build the fence. Another person bought the cement to strengthen the base,” explains Mariam Sawadogo, 35.
The CLTS triggering was beneficial for the people of Kalmama . The creek running through the village was the place where they would relieve themselves. “We were in ignorance. Since we know the importance of the latrines, we stopped going in the nature,” says Rasmata.
Thanks to UNICEF support granted to SNV in the framework of the CLTS implementation in the Eastern region of Burkina Faso, 1858 latrines were built without subsidy between January and May 2016 by the populations of triggered villages.
13 out of 37 villages have so far completed their latrines. These villages are certifiable to be Open Defecation Free (ODF) and are being programmed for evaluation.
