mercredi 2 mars 2016

A week in a life of a Humanitarian Hygiene Volunteer




Oxfam works with others to find lasting solutions to 
water issues in Mahama Camp
In Humanitarian responses, Oxfam works with the others to save lives and reduce suffering around the globe. In humanitarian responses, hygiene promotion is one of the key components to the betterment of peoples’ lives in camps. Behind Oxfam’s reputation and successful responses, there are always heroes, whose stories go often unnoticed.




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

A big number of the jerrycans were provided with the support from ECHO 
Richard’s Monday starts at 7:30, when the whole team gathers at Oxfam’s office in the Camp. The first major activity of the day consists in preparing the materials that will be used on Tuesday during the Jerrycan Washing Campaign. The team prepares soaps, buckets, pieces of bags, and other materials that will needed the next day. They share the materials in teams of two. Each team will be tasked to educate, supervise and encourage the wash their jerrycan when they come to fetch water at every tap stand.

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.





The volunteer takes time to also explain and emphasize on other hygiene promotion messages they need to share with community members. They also discuss how to take care of the water they receive both at the tap stand and at household level.                                                                     
Ensuring those who fetch water do it properly with hygiene



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.

       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. 



[1] The name was changed on request by the concerned 

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