A million refugees urgently need shelter, food and water
Private Lives: Latrines in Pakistan's camps
Latrines in camps are a basic but essential facility
Unable to return home due to floodwater still covering vast areas of land, around 3,100 families (about 22,000 people) were living in the Shabaz and Sabzi Mandi camps in Hyderabad. Here Oxfam worked with local partners SPO (Strengthening Participatory Organization) and BHS (Bhandar Sangat), with support from the UK Department for International Development, to provide water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, including building latrines. The latrines were basic but welcomed as the following feedback from the community shows.
In the first year of our response, we have reached over 2.4 million people with humanitarian aid in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Azad Jammu Kashmir. Please donate to help our ongoing response.
Photos: Jane Beesley/Oxfam
Latrines are constructed at one site in Shabaz camp and then taken to their locations.
“The latrines are really good because they give us privacy and we can use them at any time. The women clean the women’s toilets and the men clean the men’s – twice a day, once in the morning and again in the evening. About forty men will use these toilets. We’ve been living here in the camp for around three months. Before we got these latrines we had to go to the bushes. These latrines are better! They are very comfortable and we can wash our hands easily.” – Berirag
The latrines are checked twice a day by two public health promoters from SPO.
Berirag’s block is checked by Tanveer and Kousar – their names are written on a board nearby with announcements about what will be happening each day. For example, monitoring of the latrines and the inauguration of new latrines.
The public health promotion teams work hard with the communities to increase hygiene awareness, especially among children. “We wash our hands before eating, after using the latrine, after playing,” says Forzana (7). “We should wash our hands every time.”
“Now we have these latrines we can use them instead of going to the bushes; they will save us from a lot of illnesses. When people go outside there are a lot of germs that can be spread by flies but if we use the latrines and wash our hands it will help prevent diseases. We didn’t have latrines before in our village but when we heard about them we thought they would be very good to have. Before when we were going to the bushes it wasn’t private. Here we have privacy and security.” – Zahidan
Sabzi Mandi Camp was once a vegetable market. Situated close to town it offers limited space to the families living there. In such a confined and public space the need for privacy and high standards of hygiene are particularly important. Here, like in Shabaz camp, the community has elected Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion (WASH) committees.
Gulzadi, Toti and Amiran, WASH committee members. “There are six committee members per block – three men and three women,” explains Gulzadi. “Our community elected us. Our responsibilities are making sure the areas around the tents are kept clean and that the latrines are used properly and cleaned. This isn’t a challenge for us because we are all so happy to have these facilities.”
“I was very happy when the people elected me as it meant people thought I could do the job and that I was trusted. We are all happy to have these latrines and washing facilities. It’s a lot better than before.” – Amiran
“We have learnt a lot from the public health promoters especially about cleanliness and how it can save us from the illness we were experiencing before. For example, if someone comes in from outside and washes their hands before eating they will not be ill. And we are going to take this knowledge about cleanliness back with us when we go home.” – Gulzadi
“There’s a big difference now. Before we were not taking care. We were getting sick and our children would be getting sick but now we can see that our children and ourselves are not getting so sick. We can see that little things can make a big difference!” – Toti
“I think the latrines you have constructed for us are great,” says Bhutto (left). “First class!” interrupts Abdul Hameed (right). “The men are using them as well as the women. There are separate latrines for men and women. The men are very happy to have them too. It gives us privacy.”
Dureshi Siddiqi, Public Health Promoter with Oxfam's local partner BHS, shows her ID. “The people from the blocks who have latrines are using them really well. We are really happy with the committees and the work they are doing.”
“I’m really enjoying my work. I’m learning so much with Oxfam, they come here often and give us support and a lot of training and I can talk to Sonia (Oxfam Public Health Promoter) at any time. She is always willing to listen and help us with our problems. We’re very happy working with Oxfam.” – Dureshi Siddiqi, Public Health Promoter (BHS)
This program is supported by funds from the UK Department for International Development. In lower Sindh, Oxfam and its local partners are aiming to provide water, sanitation and hygiene promotion to around 105,000 people (15,000 families) living in camps and villages.
Permalink: http://oxf.am/ZAN