Situated in the rolling hills of south central Madagascar is Ramampiray, a village in the commune of Mahasoabe. The rural landscape is dotted with clusters of houses among the fields of rice, vegetables and fruit trees. But despite its idyllic appearance, the village of Ramampiray struggled with poor sanitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rafanomazantsoa, known as Rafano, is a 43-year-old farmer in Ramampiray. He and his wife have two children, ages three and one. Rafano\u2019s main livelihood was his orange orchard. However, he had a big problem. \u201cThis place was very dirty,\u201d said Rafano. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have a latrine, so we defecated in the open air, by the orange trees,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aside from the unpleasant smell and health threat, open air defecation was bad for business. \u201cAs a result, I couldn\u2019t sell any oranges. The collectors came to see the oranges, but as soon as they saw feces in the dirt, they refused to buy them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without buyers for his oranges, Rafano struggled to find enough food to feed his family. \u201cBefore, there were times when we didn\u2019t have anything to eat. Sometimes, I went out to look for money, but went back home with nothing, and the kids didn\u2019t eat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then ADRA began implementing the USAID-funded ASOTRY project in Rafano\u2019s community. In addition to increasing livelihoods and building resilience, ASOTRY also promotes health, nutrition, and hygiene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fran\u00e7oise Razanamandroso is a community health worker in Rafano\u2019s community. She has been an AC since 2014. Her work, supported by the ASOTRY project, is to take care of mother and child health, weigh children, do home visits, and teach mother about child nutrition. She also teaches hygiene, hand washing with soap and ash (a low-cost alternative to soap), and she instructs the community about the importance of building latrines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working with the ASOTRY project provided Fran\u00e7oise with the perfect opportunity to reach out to Rafano about something that had been bothering her. \u201cI encouraged Rafano to build [a latrine], because when we go to church, we have to walk through this path, close to his orange trees,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it used to smell so bad, we could hardly breathe when we walked through here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feeling fed up with the poor quality of air and the health risks, Fran\u00e7oise decided to sensitize the neighborhood about the dangers of open air defecation and the benefits of latrines. \u201cI told them that the flies which fly on the food we eat make us eat feces,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fran\u00e7oise taught Rafano about the importance of good hygiene. She told Rafano that people weren\u2019t buying his oranges because of the feces nearby. In addition to building a latrine, she also encouraged Rafano to engage in other good hygiene practices. \u201cI also taught him to use a tippy tap, and the right time to wash hands,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In April 2016, less than two weeks after Fran\u00e7oise encouraged him to build a latrine, Rafano\u2019s latrine was complete. Not long after, he started to notice changes in his life. For one thing, he could sell his fruit. \u201cI could sell 300 kg, and earned 45,000 MGA (about $14.70 USD). I even noticed that the oranges weighed more, because the roots were clean,\u201d he said. With the money he earned from his harvest, Rafano could buy kitchen utensils and 20 chickens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rafano\u2019s family doesn\u2019t have a problem getting enough food as they did before. \u201cMy wife and my children have enough food to eat,\u201d he said. Fran\u00e7oise added that once the area was clean and Rafano saw the improvement in his orange culture, he decided to plant more crops. Now, he also plants sweet potatoes and taro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t enough for Rafano to enjoy the benefits of his latrine alone. Seeing the difference the latrine made to the environment and his oranges, he persuaded his neighbors to also build latrines and follow good hygiene practices. \u201cI instructed my neighbors to be clean too, and for each household build a latrine, because it is so much better to live in a clean environment,\u201d said Rafano. \u201cIf we defecate in the open air, for example where we plant green leaves, we end up eating feces.\u201d As a result, Rafano and Fran\u00e7oise reported that many of the neighbors have already started to build their own latrines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore, I didn\u2019t have a latrine,\u201d said Rapoly, one of Rafano\u2019s neighbors. \u201cI saw my neighbor build one, so I decided to build one too. My neighbor, Rafano and Fran\u00e7oise, the community health worker, told us that it is good for each family to have their own latrine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, Rapoly\u2019s latrine stands several meters from Rafano\u2019s. \u201cI really depend on this latrine,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, this place is so clean and I really enjoy it. Even the crops are thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fran\u00e7oise has noticed many changes in the community since the ASOTRY project began. \u201cWe have the Lead Mothers who help me doing the awareness sessions, so the community uses tippy taps and soap and ash,\u201d she said. She has noticed that the number of children having diarrhea has considerably decreased. Before, the number of children with diarrhea was very high, especially during harvest time, she noted. \u201cI really thank ADRA for working in Mahasoabe village,\u201d Fran\u00e7oise said. \u201cWe now live in clean air.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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