WATER, HYEGINE AND SANITATION [WASH]

It is a well-known fact that lack of clean potable water causes countless gastro-intestinal sicknesses (Cholera, Dysentery, Acute Diarrhea Illness, etc.), which afflicts the vulnerable and impoverished in our community.

We will work towards combating this problem. Access to drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is critical for the survival, development and well-being of children and the community at large.

St. Michael Community Centre wishes to ensure children and our vulnerable communities have access to clean water, good storage and sanitary facilities throughout the year.

What Can Be Done?

St. Michael Community Centre is working with the vulnerable communities to sensitize them on the importance of building sustainable water/sanitation systems and support health initiatives in the Murang’a.  This involves finding out community needs, raising awareness about the need for improvements and devising low-cost solutions to potable water systems and hygienic latrines.

It also includes training community members in the maintenance of water and sanitation system. Provision of new systems takes place hand-in-hand with health promotion to ensure the facilities are used to improve health. Children are particularly involved in promoting health messages and improved hygiene behavior.

This Program will also target school going children and those living with disabilities with the view to increase awareness.

 

 

 

 

wash_1

PROCESS:

Helping communities to construct water systems install pumps and care for their water supplies.

Building concrete water storage tanks, installing plastic roto-moulded water tanks like ROTO, TECHNOTANK.

Providing washing slabs and water run-off for small scale irrigation within the village water centre or school.

Combating poor sanitation by building latrines and improving health education.

Developing schemes to minimize rain or flood water damage in vulnerable areas.

Community Water System:

This is important to ensure a healthy community. The purpose is to have good clean water by employing good water supply practices.

  1. Prevent contamination of water sources like the water springs.
  2. How to treat water with simple chlorinated tablets or water filters.

Safe Water Storage & Treatment:

The vulnerable in our community do not have adequate water storage and proper sewerage system. This means that we have to sensitize the community on how to protect and safeguard their drinking water by keeping water safe, use of germ killing chlorine tablets and improved hygiene.

Sanitation & Hygiene:

Absence of basic sanitation is the cause of poor health of people living in vulnerable communities.

We will sensitize and encourage the community to build latrines and to have good waste water management system.

Ensuring that a small water tank for washing hands at the door of each latrine will reduce the spreading of disease into the community.

Encouraging the use of disinfectants in the latrines will also add to improved sanitary improvements.

Provision of simple bucket tippy taps at latrines doors and communal eating areas.

HOW TO HELP

By supporting our program for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene [WASH] you will be able to :-

  1. Enable us provide educational materials for proper water storage, hygiene for the community and good water management systems.
  2. Enable us build latrines for the very vulnerable members of the community who without your support cannot build a latrine.
  3. Provide hand washing water points for the community schools children
  4. Purchase small simple bucket tippy taps where children can wash their hands after leaving the latrines.
  5. Provide disinfectants to pour into latrine to sanitize the latrine hygiene.
  6. Assist build large capacity cemented water tanks to store rain water for areas hardest hit by water shortage.
  7. Purchase and distribution of water purification tablets or liquids to vulnerable communities.
  8. Purchase water tanks to harvest rain water for the economically disadvantaged members of the community.