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.
Today, 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. Nearly 300 children watched several young puppeteers demonstrate how the latrines will keep them healthy.
Now, the latrines are so popular in some areas, security guards have begun monitoring toilet factories.
Carroll. Learning to Love the Latrine. London: WaterAid; 2009.