To improve lives by empowering people with access to life’s most basic necessities…safe water and sanitation is a great deed. With underserved communities, delivering critical technologies and education to establish sustainable safe water, hygiene, and sanitation programs. With these essential tools and practices in place, children, families and communities are empowered with the life-changing foundation for health, hope, and opportunity.
The village Zamro Khan Burdi is situated in the Union Council Raazi Bandero Kacho, Taluka Gambat, District Khairpur. The overall population of village is 180. Whereas the literacy rate is extremely low. There was no facility of the school but few are primary passed but a great majority of the villagers are unschooled. Village is away from basic knowledge about personal hygiene and care. Which in results, they were suffered from various health issues. They did not know how to create a sustainable community.
They used to open defecate. Even in 2010, an NGO allocated 70 latrines in the Zamro Khan Burdi village for the betterment of the society and to prevent them from different pathogenic diseases. But due to lack of awareness, they did not use those latrines and continued their practice to openly. They did not have any idea how harmful for them to defecate in the open air. They used to drink the tap water and did not even boiled it once or did not apply any remedy before taking the tap water. According to them if the water is physically clean, then it is suitable for a drink.
After all these HANDS took charge of the Zamro Khan Burdi village and made an organization for the villagers from them, in order to prevent them from the infectious diseases, the beauty of the Village Development Committee lies in its sustainability. The committee is formed by the community, and the VWC role is sharing information and, importantly, awareness of where more information can be accessed. There is also knowledge and skills development and not just material support. VWC selected Community Resource Persons (CRPs), which is female named “Shareefa”. HANDS WASH members guided Shareefa and taught her how to sustain the village and along with VWCs members, in their multiple training and sessions discussed the health and safety measurements she should take to prevent the village from the disease? Taught her all the significant points to sustain the society. With the collaboration of HANDS, she initiated her work at the household level for BCC section. She started to clean the latrines which were formerly built by the previous NGO and aware her companions about the disadvantages of the open defecation.
HANDS introduced Hand Pumps in the Zamro Khan Burdi village. Conducted an awareness session, in which they highlighted the issues of the water-borne diseases. From which the majority of the villagers were suffering. Furthermore, they thoroughly explained to them how toxic the water they were taking. Moreover, enlightened the villagers there are so many microorganisms present in water. That would be very determinantal to human health, with the efforts of HANDS and UNICEF
people now aware of how dangerous to drink water directly from the tap. Now all the village dweller taking water from newly installed hand pump.
Plus, they cultivated vegetables from that water too. People of the Zamro Khan Burdi community are very much thankful for us for providing them hand pump which will be long lasting beneficial for them.
Change in someone’s behavior is indeed a massive task for anyone. It was tough for us too, to create awareness among the villagers of Zamro Khan Burdi village.