Addisie is a 40-year-old woman living in Wonchit Kebele, Ethiopia, with her three children. Her family and everyone in her village used to go to an open field to defecate. Open defecation was not considered a bad habit or a health hazard – it was merely a part of life. They did not realize that the diseases that affected all of them were due to the poor management of wastes and lack of sanitation.
When Water.org and its local partner, ORDA, came to work in Addisie’s village, she was selected to be a hygiene educator for her community. She took the training sessions for five days about health, hygiene, and sanitation, and also learned how best to teach others to create behavioral change.
After the training, she went home and started teaching her family about hygiene and sanitation related to their previous health problems. She then constructed a traditional pit latrine, solid waste disposal pit, and hand-washing facility for her family.
She continued to teach her neighbors about the importance of good hygiene and sanitation. She eventually convinced them to build sanitation facilities and properly manage their living environment in order to prevent diseases related to poor sanitation. They accepted her advice and all four of her close neighbors have constructed traditional latrines and other facilities. Today, they are all happily using their facilities.
Addisie remembers how before this project they didn’t have know about the dangers of open defecation and the importance of sanitation. She is so thankful to Water.org and ORDA for educating her community, enabling her and others to become healthy and happy with their environment.
“In the past, the females were forced to defecate only at night. But now we have broken this culture by introducing the latrine,” Addisie said. “It is so safe to use, and provides us with good privacy.”
Previously, people in the villages were forced to visit the health center and clinic due to illness – particularly children and women. But now the villagers all agree these health problems have been significantly reduced!
Addisie plans to keep teaching others to about safe sanitation so that they can also change and lead healthier, happier lives. She is confident that she can do this, that the people will learn, and her efforts will be successful.
This story is part of our Giving Thanks: Story of the Day series that will run through the end of 2009. There are countless reasons to celebrate clean water and we want to bring you some of the first-hand accounts of its life-saving, life-changing impact for those we serve around the globe. We invite you to join us and give thanks, give water, give life.
