Hope for the youth of Mahaiza

WaterAid’s partner SAF FJKM has been working in the Mahaiza province since 2005 to implement water infrastructure including family and school latrines.  They have hygiene education programs in and outside schools and teach people how to make tippy taps.

They also have an advocacy program where they collaborate with the communes (local government).  They have established a local law about hygiene with the local communes and animators (people who facilitate the changes).

The community contributed to the project by providing materials such as rocks and wood for the construction and also by contributing their labor.

I think the clean water and the latrines will bring new opportunities to the village and young people especially – because we have seen that it’s possible to make big changes.

Jean-Charles Razafindrakoto, who is sixteen years old, has lived in the village his whole life.  He lives with his father, mother and eleven year old younger brother.  He used to attend school in the past but does not do so anymore as his parents cannot afford it.  He notes that he used to enjoy attending school.

He notes that his family used to have a hard time before the new water point was installed because they had to walk far away to fetch water.  Now that they have a nearby water source, it is easy to fetch water even late at night.

He recollects, “My mother takes care of the house.  I work here and there.  My younger brother is the one who is in charge of fetching water.  I work in the fields – planting potatoes, sweet potatoes and things like that.  My brother is very happy now the water is close to our home and even our health is getting so much better now we have clean water.

“We used to have very bad stomach disease.  It was very painful, we couldn’t go to school – we had to stay in bed for a week at a time.  My dad used to get the medicine – I don’t know how much it cost – because my mum was often sick too.  My mother is much better now – sometimes she is ill but it’s not connected to the water.

“My brother has to wake up very early in the morning to fetch water before school for preparing food.  When he comes back he fetches more water for general use.

“We were happy when we heard that the clean water was coming.  We didn’t have to pay anything, we just had to help the partners to build the tapstand.”

Jean-Charles continues that in the past his main concern was his own health and that of his family, and after the tapstands were installed, they have all enjoyed good health.  He continues his explanation of how life has changed since SAF FJKM has been working with his community:

“I have a latrine near my house.  It’s made of brick.  To build the walls only took two days.  We had one mason, someone to help get the water and one person to mix the cement.  We used to have to go far away to go to the toilet because there is no real forest here.  We had to always go with someone when it was night time.  The first time I used our new latrine, I was so happy that I didn’t have to go far away.

“All the people who got new latrines gathered and received a hygiene lesson.  The people who received latrines were the ones who volunteered for them – we didn’t have to pay, we were just taught how to build it.  The other people just didn’t want them.

“We were taught to clean everything before leaving the latrine and to wash our hands.  We were also taught to use the water in the plastic bottle.  It wasn’t difficult for the technician to teach us this stuff, but some people still just don’t want to do it.  I try and convince people that it’s important but there are more of them – and they try and tell me that I’m doing a bad thing! But I wouldn’t go back to the forest – no way! I really enjoy using my latrine near my house.

“I think the clean water and the latrines will bring new opportunities to the village and young people especially – because now we have seen that it’s possible to make big changes.”