Access to drinking water and hygiene, a positive lever for community growth

“The project WASHENABEL is one with a very visible impact on people's health. Doctors are finding that very few cases of diarrhea-based diseases are being recorded at this moment this year in Tattaguine, unlike in previous years. This was evident in Ndiosmone during the recent free consultation day,” said the Sub-Prefect of Tattaguine, Mr. Ndiokel NGOM.

The WASH ENABEL project contributes to improving the health and socio-economic conditions of the rural population in the Fatick region, through access to adequate and sustainable sanitation and the adoption of good hygiene and sanitation practices.

Supporting the most vulnerable sectors of the population

Solving the issue of sanitation, especially in rural areas, is critical to improving the well-being of the people in our intervention zones, especially children and disadvantaged groups. This is the motivation for introducing the WASH ENABEL project in the Fatick area, where the sanitation rate is still very low and the rate of open defecation very high. Several eye-catching activities are being carried out in the area as part of the implementation.

The impact of innovation

Preventing Open Air Defecation (OAD) and bringing about behaviour-change are the aims of the WASH ENABEL project, both of which involving technical and state partners active in sanitation.

Many other activists may have passed this way over the decades, but there is no doubting the innovative strategy that World Vision Senegal is deploying to achieve the end-of-project goals it has set for itself.

The publicity about the benefits of the sanitation projects already underway should start bearing fruit in a couple of months, having seen the indications from the forums, the referrals and recently the Sanitation Fair held in Tattaguine. As of 30 November 2017, 1,350 leads had been generated by these awareness-raising activities, greatly in excess of the 1,150 that were projected.

Presentation of the three models of latrines during World Toilet Day held in Mbassis

Many partners, one goal; the well-being of children and communities

In partnership with the Belgian Development Agency, the Sanitation Directorate of the Government of Senegal, World Vision Switzerland and others (CASADES), World Vision Senegal is bringing its influence to bear on the new National Strategy for Rural Sanitation (SNAR), and also on facilitating the achievement of these results:

• 54 selected villages in the Fatick region are deploying CLTS (Community-Led Total Sanitation) and at least 25 villages are now FDAL-certified (free from Open Air Defecation);
• The local actors involved in the project: CLTS committees, VSLGs (Village Savings and Loan Groups), Service Provider Agents (APS), Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), and the State technical services are trained up and working in synergy;
• 1,150 households in the Fatick region have access to improved sanitation services;
• Students, their families and teachers are applying good sanitation practices at school and in the home.

Knowledge, understanding and action

Djibril Faye of Diagle: “Something as important as a water and sanitationproject needs everyone to get on board. Through this project we have come to realise not only which practices need to be abandoned, but also where this could lead. The campaign launch that I have just taken part in has made me understand that all over the village we have actually always been eating food contaminated by fecal matter. The only way to avoid this is to build better latrines and get the kids using potties.”

We will succeed together

The public relations approach to sanitation championed by WASH ENABEL has inspired many. The population of Fatick and partners quickly realised from the mass activities already staged how innovation could benefit from bringing together all the interested parties in the sanitation value chain. The visibility achieved by the new strategy helped us to convince our partners to embrace it.

Now that all the parties involved are acquainted and the financial counterpart is ready to fulfil the level of demand from the beneficiaries, we are sure to see the sustainability desired for the project. Everything is now in place for installing decent latrines that raise the standards of behaviour change.            

The campaign to prevent open defecation accompanied by lasting behaviour change cannot be accomplished without the involvement of all the actors in the chain. Let us remember that unity is strength and when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be accomplished.

Social mobilization on the importance of latrines