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Oxfam works with others to find lasting solutions to
water
issues in Mahama Camp
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This blog will take you through a week in a life of
hygiene promoters, who work tirelessly to save life and make it better for the
45,300 and above refugees, hosted in Mahama Camp, in Rwanda.
Richard[1] one of the 40 hygiene
promoters accepted to talk to us and share his story.
In his thirties, Richard fled to Rwanda with his daughter,
aged four and three of his younger siblings, when insecurity broke in Burundi. Before
coming to Rwanda, both he and the mother to his daughter, who stayed in
Burundi, were studying at university. When he arrived in Mahama Camp, he
decided to pull up the socks and look for ways to take care of his small family
in the difficult conditions in a camp.
He quickly learnt masonry and construction related skills
and started working in block and hangars construction. It is in this background
that he was noticed and his village nominated him as one of the young and dynamic
representatives. Later on, Oxfam selected him as one of the WASH committee
members.
Monday
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A big number of the jerrycans were provided with the support from ECHO |
After this, the team discusses messages and instructions
on how the campaign will be conducted. The team separates at around 01:00 pm
and leave for their respective homes, recharging the batteries for tomorrow.
Tuesday
Claudette is checking the jerrycan to advice on how to better clean it |
Tuesday is a very busy and early day. Richard and his
colleagues arrive at 6:00 at the water tap stands, for the weekly jerrycan washing campaign.
They are equipped with pieces of soaps, pieces of bags to be used for washing,
clean sand and wait for people who come to fetch water. Every person is given
materials and guidance on how to effectively clean the water container.
Ensuring those who fetch water do it properly with hygiene
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The campaign is conducted the whole day and finishes at
around 11::30 am, and the team meet for debriefing and storing the
non-consumable materials. They discuss on the improvement vis-a-vis the
previous week and plan for Wednesday and Thursday.
Wednesday and
Thursday
For Richard and his colleagues, Wednesday and Thursday
are dedicated to a very important task to hygiene promoters and the
communities; the home visits.
During the visits, they conduct sensitization about
various components of hygiene. Among others things they check are:
- Hygiene in and out of the homes/tents;
- Body and clothes hygiene for family
members;
- Whether jerrycans are properly washed;
- How home utensils are kept and whether
they are properly washed,
- Whether children potties are clean and well kept (away from food and utensils)
Hygiene is guaranteed and no queue anymore: The Community volunteer is cleaning the water tap stand while a kid is fetching on the other end. |
After home visits,
every team facilitates village meeting where all issues regarding hygiene are
discussed. Community members have also the opportunity to raise other issues of
their concern, some of which are channeled to stakeholders in charge in Mahama
camp.
The exercise is
repeated on Thursday, with an exception that there is a meeting at 15:00. In
the meeting, hygiene promoters compile their reports on issues noticed and
those raised during the village meetings, for further action. They also agree on
what the plans are for Friday.
Friday
Friday is open for
various activities that contribute to build the capacity of the volunteers to better serve
the communities as far as WASH is concerned.
Key activities that
have been carried out so far, include visiting the water treatment plant to
check how the water that is distributed in the camp is treated; from pumping it
from the river up to the distribution point. They also visit the hospital to
check whether hygiene is up to the standards. Friday is also used
for various capacity building activities, that include trainings, important
meetings, etc.
Saturday & Sunday
The week end is free
and is used for private and social life. This is when Richard takes time to be
with his daughter and his siblings. And of course, charge the batteries for the
week ahead that will start all over again.
The water treatment that provides water to the camp |
What they are proud of…
Richard: “when people understand what we discuss regarding hygiene and put it in action…I am happy and proud of my contribution to their better lives”
Claudette: “ before we started the jerrycan washing campaign and home visits, I went to the hospital and on my way back, I would cry my heart out...people were dying, two to three people were sleeping on one bed…now there are empty beds in the hospitals and a week passes without a death or even people being sick. When I think of this, I feel very proud and happy that I contributed to saving my fellow refugees ‘lives”.
Challenges & Solutions
Volunteering in
hygiene promotion for Richard and his colleagues has its challenges, which include the following:
- Various levels of understanding and cultures: Coming from different backgrounds, people in the camp have very different behaviors, lifestyles, cultures and level of understanding. Some do not really understand why this or that has to be done in order to prevent diseases fro them and their family members.
Some time, Richard and his colleagues face the anger of
refugees who are unhappy due to other issues than what Richard and colleagues
can address.
Solution: Hygiene
promoters are equipped with interpersonal skills during their training
and keep discussing this to empower them to deal with
different types of people.
Part of the training package they receive is also how to
deal with request and high expectations of beneficiaries. In some cases, they
refer them to concerned stakeholders or try to explain when they find it
feasible.
- Insufficient WASH items
It is said that communities experience an insufficiency
of the WASH household items such as jerrycans (one per family), buckets, and utensils. For
Richard and colleagues, it seems not easy to tell community members of what to
do and how to handle utensils,
while some of them claim not having enough.
while some of them claim not having enough.
The team tries to explain that all their needs cannot be
met at once, but still face the expectations of the refugees. The team also reports this in their weekly meeting and
Oxfam shares the issues with other stakeholders for their action.
All this work is made possible by the partnership with various stakeholders including MIDIMAR, UNHCR, UNICEF, World Vision and the financial support from various donnors including ECHO and DFID.
Oxfam shares the issues with other stakeholders for their action.
All this work is made possible by the partnership with various stakeholders including MIDIMAR, UNHCR, UNICEF, World Vision and the financial support from various donnors including ECHO and DFID.
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