The Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) congratulates the Namoraoni Community, Malango Ward, Central Constituency in Guadalcanal Province for the achievement of implementing the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach and achieving No Open Defecation (NOD).
The program aimed to reduce mortality and morbidity by fecal-oral disease, particularly for the wellbeing of young children under five and their parents.
CLTS is an approach on triggering the entire community into realizing the need of appropriate sanitation to reduce the fecal-oral diseases through active community engagements with trained facilitators.
To date three communities been verified to be NOD and one of them is Namoraoni Community.
The celebration marks the journey and culmination of the people of Namoraoni village including women, girls and children to end Open Defecation, meaning they now have knowledge about proper sanitation and hygienic practices and no longer defecating in the bushes, near water sources or in the village compound.
At the ceremony to celebrate the achievement for the No Open Defaecation, Mrs. Patricia Soqoilo, Food Safety Unit, Chief Officer and Acting Director Environmental Health Division congratulated Namoraoni Community for working together resulting in the achievement of the NOD status through the concept of Community Led Total sanitation program, open defecation free (ODF).
Mrs. Soqoilo highlighted that under the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, National Sustainable Sanitation Plan (NSSP), is to scale-up sustainable sanitation services delivery throughout the country, as well to improve hygiene behaviors within the Rural Water Supply National Sanitation and Hygiene Policy (RWASH Policy).
- She further outlined few important points under the RWASH Strategy are:
- Sanitation and hygiene will be given a high priority, with emphasis on creating demand for low-cost sanitation using non-subsidy approaches, and on sanitation in schools and health centers;
- Stronger community engagement to be promoted on planning, implementing and operating rural WASH schemes;
- Sustainability to be strengthened through community engagement and building the capacity of the private sector and government to support communities over the long-term;
- Inclusive approaches. Women and people with disabilities to be fully involved in planning, construction and managing WASH facilities and their interests to be promoted.
“Today we witness and celebrate one achievement through the MHMS National Sustainable Sanitation Plan, with the support from UNICEF and DFAT. To enable us communities to have access to this very important sanitation (NOD), that is to have proper lavatory in our communities”, said Mrs. Soqoilo.
Mrs. Soqoilo encouraged the community to look after their sanitation facilities, by maintaining the cleanliness of those facilities is important other it poses health risks.
Meanwhile, the CLTS program under the NSSP has been introduced in these following provinces; Ranonga Island, Simbo, Vela la Vela Western Province, Russel, Central Province, North Malaita and Central and East Guadalcanal Province.
Source: Press Release, Ministry of Health and Medical Services