199,495 research outputs found
SWIFT Story of Sustainable Change: SWIFT supports Kasitu in DRC to become a 'healthy village'
No full textThe ‘Healthy Villages and Schools’ approach is a step-by-step process of village mobilisation that is supported by DRC’s Ministry of Public Health and UNICEF. Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam is supporting Kasitu to implement the approach through local partner Centre de Promotion Socio Sanitaire (CEPROSSAN).
CEPROSSAN has rehabilitated Kasitu’s water source and capped it to provide safe, sustainable water. It has helped the community set up a water users’ committee, whose job it is now to maintain the spring, and a ‘healthy village’ committee to monitor and encourage progress. Four community motivators trained in hygiene awareness now visit each household to check that good hygiene behaviour is being practised.
Residents have already noticed a fall in the incidence of sickness, leaving them with more time and energy to cultivate crops, and are using money that previously paid for clinic visits to fund school fees instead.</p
Introducing the SWIFT Tool for Environmental Assessment and Risk Screening for Rural Water Supply
No full textAchieving long-term increases in rural water-supply coverage depends on many factors. A new tool developed for the SWIFT Consortium supports environmental assessment and risk screening activitiesfor rural water supplies in low-income contexts. When conducting a detailed hydrogeological survey is not an option, the SWIFT tool provides simple guidance to help identify and mitigate environmental risks to long-term water availability and quality.</p
SWIFT Story of Sustainable Change: Bringing sustainable sanitation to communities in Kakuma, Kenya
No full textIn the past, residents of Morung'ole in Kakuma, Turkana, in northern Kenya, had no access to sanitation and would defecate in the bush. This caused fear and shame among women in particular, and illnesses such as diarrhoea and cholera were common.
Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam has been implementing the government-approved Community-Led Total Sanitation approach in Morung'ole, and many residents have built their own latrines as a result.
Find out how Oxfam modified the CLTS approach to overcome challenges such as poor soil formation, flooding and the unsustainable use of timber, and how the Turkana County government has given its full support to the changes.</p
SWIFT Story of Sustainable Change: Working with a local utility to bring water to Kabokorit, Turkana
No full textResidents of Kabokorit in Turkana, Kenya, used to rely on 'scoop holes' dug in a river for their water. Water-borne diseases were common, and each trip took around three hours.
Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam has been supporting local utility KAWASEPRO to improve the water infrastructure, and residents can now access clean water from three kiosks in the village.
Find out how the lives of Rose Akuwam and her family have changed as a result, and how Oxfam continues to work with KAWASEPRO to build capacity and ensure the long-term sustainability of the system.</p
SWIFT Story of Sustainable Change: Bringing safe, sustainable water to residents of Chokchok, Turkana
No full textThe women and children of Chokchok in Turkana used to get up at 4 a.m., walk 4km to the nearest water point, queue up to collect water, and then carry their heavy load home again, hoping it would last the day.
Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam has laid a 4km pipeline to the village and built two water kiosks, from which residents can access as much water as they need. It has also supported the community to set up a management committee to ensure the long-term sustainability of the system.
Jacinta Atiir and her five children already report suffering less from diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases. The children are no longer missing school to collect water, and Jacinta is spending the extra time she has on her livelihood, collecting palm leaves and using them to make brooms which she sells in the market.</p
SWIFT Story of Sustainable Change: Changing sanitation and hygiene habits through a club in Matongo, DRC
No full textIn the past, sanitation was poor and illnesses such as diarrhoea were rife in Matongo, a semi-urban village in South Kivu. Defecation used to take place mostly in the bush, hand-washing with soap or ash wasn’t practised, the importance of hygiene in preparing food wasn’t understood, and discarded rubbish rotted in the roads.
Under the SWIFT programme, Tearfund with the support of Africa AHEAD set up a Community Health Club: a free, voluntary club which holds weekly discussions on health and hygiene topics. As a result, the village has been transformed. Awareness of the importance of good hygiene practices has improved dramatically.
Villagers have noticed an improvement not just in their environment, but in their health and their sense of community. The incidence of sicknesses has fallen, and villagers are enjoying a new community spirit.</p
SWIFT Story of Sustainable Change: Supporting community-led committees to transform the village of Soya, DRC
No full textIn the past, residents of Soya in North Kivu relied for water on a stream during the dry season. Few families had access to a latrine; most would defecate in the bush near their houses, and hand-washing was rare. Illnesses such as diarrhoea, stomach aches and skin problems, on the other hand, were common.
Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam is supporting Soya to implement the government-approved ‘Healthy Villages and Schools’ approach through local partner Hydraulique sans Frontières (Hyfro), which has constructed four new water points in the village and has trained ‘community motivators’ in hygiene awareness.
Hyfro has helped the community set up a water users’ committee to maintain the new system, and a management committee to monitor and oversee the process of reaching ‘healthy village’ status. Find out how committee members feel about their roles, and how they intend to ensure the changes in their village are sustainable.</p
SWIFT Story of Sustainable Change: Promoting health and well-being through a club in Katchungwe, DRC
No full textIn Katchungwe, a semi-urban village in South Kivu, defecation used to take place mostly in the bush. Hand-washing with soap or ash wasn’t practised, the importance of hygiene in preparing food wasn’t understood, and discarded rubbish rotted in the roads. Sickness and disease were widespread. Now, however, thanks to the Community Health Club set up through the SWIFT programme by Tearfund with the support of Africa AHEAD, the village has been transformed.
The Community Health Club is a free, voluntary club which holds weekly discussions on health and hygiene topics and sets practical assignments. Members have already seen the benefits of adopting the new behaviours in terms of a drop in the incidence of sickness, and are sharing what they have learned with their neighbours.</p
SWIFT Story of Sustainable Change: Working with a local utility to get much-needed water to residents of Lodwar, Turkana
No full textThe town of Lodwar is the driest spot in the arid county of Turkana in northwest Kenya. Getting water to the town’s residents is the responsibility of a private utility, the Lodwar Water and Sanitation Company (LOWASCO), and has long been a problem.
Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam has been working with LOWASCO to address the challenges it faces: mapping the water supply to put together funding proposals, installing solar-powered pumping systems to avoid high running costs, and increasing the utility's management capacity.
Now, more than 30,000 residents have access to clean, safe water at their homes. Read about the difference this has made to Regina Aemun and her family, who are enjoying better health, better food, and being able to bathe whenever they want. </p
SWIFT Story of Sustainable Change: Inspiring improvements in health and hygiene through a club in Mwandiga, DRC
No full textIn the past, residents of Mwandiga I, a semi-urban village in South Kivu, had no access to clean water, instead using water from Lake Tanganyika for drinking, washing and cooking. Defecation took place mostly in the surrounding bush, hand-washing with soap or ash wasn’t practised, and the importance of good hygiene wasn’t understood.
Now, however, as a result of work done through the SWIFT programme, the community has easy access to clean water, and thanks to the Community Health Club set up by Tearfund with the support of Africa AHEAD, the village has been transformed.
A free, voluntary club that holds weekly discussions on health and hygiene topics, the Community Health Club has brought about significant improvements in the well-being of residents, with a noticeable fall in the incidence of sickness and even a beneficial effect on the village economy.</p
- …
