Dispelling myths saves lives of children and their families
For generations of Madagascans, the prospect of using a latrine meant confronting superstitions and changing traditions—not an easy task. When children learn from an early age that squatting over a pit can induce a miscarriage or that excrement does not belong in the same ground that holds their deceased family members, education to dispel these myths is just as important as the actual latrines themselves.
Only 7.5 percent of the rural population in Madagascar has access to adequate sanitation, according to WaterAid. But residents of Mangarivotra are trying to change attitudes toward latrines. In a village where only a few residents are literate, the message about clean sanitation through the use of latrines is communicated by a series of puppet shows.
Young puppeteers use community performances to teach children about how the latrines will keep them healthy. On a hot afternoon in Mangarivotra, a 300-strong crowd of mostly children watched a series of domestic dramas: one puppet got diarrhea from contaminated water; another was berated by his wife for defecating near the river; and a puppet couple was overjoyed by a new latrine.
Today, the latrines are so popular in some areas, security guards have begun monitoring toilet factories.
Contributed by WaterAid
Improving child survival through safe water interventions
In Madagascar, some 75 percent of the population does not have access to clean drinking water, and diarrheal diseases are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality for children under five.
However, Madagascar has demonstrated tremendous success in reducing both under-five and infant mortality. From 1992 to 2004, there was a 50 percent decrease in the prevalence of diarrhea and a doubling of the percentage of those with diarrhea who received either oral rehydration salts (ORS) or a homemade solution. These successes can be attributed in part to highly effective public health interventions by the Government of Madagascar, donors, and nongovernmental organization partners such as Population Services International (PSI).
Since 2000, PSI/Madagascar, in collaboration with CARE and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, produced, marketed, and distributed a sodium hypochlorite solution under the brand name Sûr'Eau for point-of-use treatment of drinking water. In 2005, some 700,000 bottles of Sûr'Eau were sold, enough to treat up to one billion liters of water. Funding from USAID and UNICEF has allowed national expansion of this vital program. PSI/Madagascar currently distributes a full range of high-quality maternal and child health products at affordable prices, including diarrheal disease prevention and treatment tools.
Contributed by PSI