Elisa Ncube - Toilet beneficiary, Gwanda
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Authors
Annie Halliman
Issue Date
2016-04
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Water and Sanitation
Alternative Title
Abstract
Elisa Ncube is 49 and lives in Bethel Village, Gwanda District Ward 14, Zimbabwe. She has 1 son who is 15 years old. "I was fortunate enough to be selected as a beneficiary, and my toilet was built in December. There were 10 homesteads selected for a 1 bag toilet in this village, and we were selected by vulnerability." "The health worker came and drew a plan for me and I started the toilet by digging a pit 1.5 meters deep with my son. Then the builder came to put the lining in and built it up to knee height, another builder than came to complete the building." "I was given 1 bag of cement and had to buy another bag of cement for the floor and some iron for the roof. Before I had the toilet, I practiced open defecation." “Now I am free and have dignity. I am no longer afraid and have privacy. I hope that my son will have a vocation and be a teacher or a mechanic.” "I have also learnt about hand washing and have a tippy tap. We were taught how to make these ourselves and there is soap already in the water. The committee consists of 35 members aged between 20 and 66, of which 5 of the members are men. The main responsibilities of the group are to manage money lending amongst themselves, share knowledge of health and hygiene and good agricultural practices." The Community health club have put on a drama: “One lady asks if the other has a toilet. She says no. She goes on to ask how she can get one and she is advised to see the Village health worker for advice.” The Community health club also have a song: “We have health and good health, We have toilets, We have advisors, teachers, We have traditional leaders who support us. We have Moriti Da Dechaba to thank for all the good work. We are a health community!” All the health club members discussed menstruation and menopause: "If parents don’t have any money to buy cotton wool and pads it is a problem. If you have no money, then you must uses torn up pieces of cloth and blankets. We wash them each time and use them again. However, they can become wet and show through our clothes which is embarrassing. The cloths can also cause a rash because they are so rough, which is uncomfortable. When there was no water, we would have to throw clothes away into the bush or bury it. When water was difficult to get, there would not be enough water to keep clean during menstruation. Other people would be able to tell, because you smell." "It makes you feel so lonely, so isolated and very out of place. Some men understand, but others are different. If I don’t wash properly, they will know and complain that I smell. At school there is a problem because if you go without anything or leak, boys will be scared of the stain and girls feel embarrassed. Most of the girls don’t go to school during their period, only if their parents can afford to buy cotton and pads." In child headed households, girls depend on the village health workers to share information with them. There is 1 orphan in our village who stays with her grandfather, so there is no one for her to talk to about menstruation." "We have our children at the mission hospital which is 8km away. When we come home from hospital, we are given a separate room to stay in our own on for 3 months. We are not encouraged to participate in cooking or anything in the household as the family are afraid we will still be bleeding." Project: Access to WASH Facilities in Gwanda and Mwenezi Districts, Zimbabwe