On April 15th- 18th, I was selected to attend a WASH conference in Banjul,
The Gambia with my Health PTA and another Health volunteer. Many PCVs from all
West African countries were present to discuss water and sanitation options
combined with behavior change to create sustainable projects. Some of the
topics discussed were WASH Outreach and Promotion, WASH Behavior Change, WASH
Organizations & Resources,Latrines/Sanitation Options, Water Treatment and
Storage, WASH with Kids, Operation and Maintenance, Administration of Community
or School Water Systems or Programs, Site visits to Water Committees, latrine
constructions and well treatments. In the end of sessions, we gathered in our
country groups to come up with plans to implement WASH activities/projects in
our country programs.
Well Construction
We visited water committees in which members were appointed in the district
to manage the use of water in their communities. They also explained the
selection process where they have to be approved at the regional level first
before the committee is fully functional. We also visited sites where we were
taught how to build wells, latrines and tippy taps to promote handwashing. This
workshop was a great way to meet other volunteers who are doing great work in
their communities, and to gain insights on the strategies they have used to
make their projects sustainable. This workshop gave me some ideas to bring back
to the schools in my community. One of them would be to implement Hygiene and
Sanitation classes where children are taught the importance of handwashing and
on other health topics. The other idea would be to create a monitoring system
with the director and teachers of the school to oversee whether the students
are washing their hands. This is another great way to assess if behavior change
is taking place and if there are present activities that could be rectified in
the future.
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