By Grecium Gama
A hygiene and sanitation competition that World Vision Malawi has been running in the area of Traditional Authority Ntchema in Chiradzulu is said to have improved the accessibility of water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in the district.
Chairperson for the Area’s Development Committee (ADC), Steven Mangani, said that the initiative has seen people in the area access potable water through reticulated, high-yielding boreholes.
” Before the project people in my area have been affected by water borne disease such as cholera as many people were drinking untreated water from the shallow well which was also being used by livestock”, he said.
Health Surveillance Assistant (HSA) for the area, Cedric Mbendela, said the initiative has also addressed issues of portable water among most households that have improved toilets courtesy of the three-year ‘project WASH for every one project.
“We can confirm that people in the area are now able to take care of their homes for instance at first most of the homes were not having toilets people used to feacate in bush and now everyone house hold have that which has triggered down alot of dieses that comes by uncleanness”, he said.
On his part, the programme manager being implemented in the district in partnership with Water for People, Panganani Njolomole, says about five traditional authorities (T/A’) in the district have been declared open defecation-free due to the intervention.
” We have rely achieved our goal since people now are able to practice what we have been training them for the past years”, he said.
