Leading by example at an early age
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Authors
Badr, Adil
Issue Date
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Water and Sanitation
Alternative Title
Abstract
Thabit, an 18-year-old girl from Tahjour, leads by example. Her house is clean and well-organised, so is her neighbourhood – kept clean from any waste and dung.
Description
There was nothing to distinguish Tahjour from its neighbouring villages, there were mountains all around the village that gave it a sense of wonder. The residents shared the same features, men dressed up in their traditional attire (Sirbadouk, Jellabiya and Siddiery), and women wore vibrant and colourful cloaks with a balaclava on their faces, hiding their facial features - leaving only their eyes visible so that their vision won’t be obstructed.
In Tahjour, we met with Thabit, a 18 year old girl who was lucky enough to have a father that valued education. He encouraged her to pursue her studies. Mr. Abdelrahiem, her father never imagined that one day his daughter will help impact the lives of the villagers. She got the opportunity to work with the Woman Development Networks, financed by Practical Action to be a part of the environmental sanitation project.
Thabit became a health assistant, responsible for guiding and advising the women and her school colleagues in the village about the sanitation programmes that would benefit 23 villages in Eastern Sudan. The sanitation programmes included introduction to environmental awareness, hand washing using water and soap, usage of water closets (WCs) and prohibition of outdoor defecation.
Alyat Altoum, a member of the Woman Development Association Network working in Kassala stated, “The programme aims to disseminate awareness through educational messages to local communities through health assistants who are trained by Practical Action’s Water for Three States funded by UK AID to work in the villages all over Kassala state.”
She felt assured that the project achieved great success as evident in the campaign that promoted WCs. Common water closets were built in different areas, like markets and schools, after providing the villagers with intensive guiding scheme about the importance of water closets and preventing outer defecation. They were familiarised with the diseases that could be caused as a result, cholera being an example. The locals started to make water closets themselves.
Thabit, became a star in her small village, moving from one house to another to enlighten, she said, “You need to be careful when visiting homes, women most of the time are busy, when given the chance to meet with some of them, they show great acceptance to the sanitation project; water closets construction and preventing outer defecation. In addition, illustrations that showed how to use water and soap after exiting the bathrooms were provided. The women even included their children who aren’t enrolled in schools in the warning sessions, so that they get to learn about cleanliness beforehand. Women, from my understanding, like to learn but don’t have access to learning sources.”
Regarding the activities achieved by Practical Action in schools Alyat said, “We have created health clubs within the schools, formed out of 25 students. The teachers also get trained on raising environmental and health awareness, they will advise the students to go to water closet, not to practice outer defecation and how important it is to wash their hands after they come out from the water closet. The students are given nail clippers, combs and soap to implement these advices.”
It is said, it is better to lead through example, which is what you witness when you go visit Thabit’s house, it is clean and well-organised. She convinced her father to transfer the cows far away from the house to avoid any infection. Another thing you notice is how the yards in front of Thabit’s house and her neighbours are kept clean from any waste and dung. Thabit only proves that even the young can inspire.
I searched all the newspapers, and tuned to all Kassala’s radio stations to hear Thabit's name mentioned to celebrate her achievement but I found nothing. However, when I saw the villagers, I found her name written on their faces, as hers was covered by a broad smile and higher hopes for the future.