Chat’s journey to end open defecation and raise sanitation awareness

As a 14 year old, Chat, who had tragically lost her mother, seized the opportunity to volunteer for children’s well-being as World Vision began its operations in her village in Samrong district. Today, at 28, Chat has evolved into a stalwart community advocate, a youth club member, and the only community partner for WASH, participating in the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) group with World Vision.

The village has achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) status after 14 years of continuous efforts by local authorities, partners, and Chat herself, becoming the first in Samrong district to receive this recognition in 2011.

Being a young girl without proper hygiene supervision, Chat recalled “It is very risky for children, especially young girls, to defecate alone in the forest. It is a concern for their safety and dignity; I have been there and know how it feels,” Chat recalled.

Sorn, 67, a resident of the village, improved her family’s living conditions by installing a toilet, providing them with access to safe and dignified sanitation facilities. Sorn pointed out, “As soon as the focal person raised awareness in my village in 2011, I gathered my savings and sold my chickens to build the toilet.”

“As long as the villagers are willing to build the toilet, we try to help them any way we can within our capacity. Sometimes, our members even help build the toilets and provide materials where we can” said Khin Khim a village chief and a leader of the Community-led Total Sanitation group in the village since 2009. “I want to see people in my community continue practising great hygiene and sanitation and bring about awareness of building toilets at home” Khim continued.

Story By: Casaneth Ros