Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

Access to Sanitation and Safe Water

In this activity, you will:

 Discuss further issues around sanitation and water hygiene

Facilitator’s notes:

In this activity, you will expand on the topics of sanitation and safe water from the last activity.
The safe disposal of faeces; and the use of safe water for cooking and drinking are the two
most important factors in stopping the spread of many diseases that are dangerous to children.

Activity 6

Some sanitation and water safety practices:

 Sanitation

Many people do not have access to healthy sanitation options, but

the safe disposal of both human and animal faeces is one of the

most important ways to stop disease from spreading in a household

and a community. Where toilets or latrines are not available, adults

and children should be encouraged to cover their faeces with soil.

This will help to stop flies from breeding and spreading diseases.

Where pit latrines are used, they should be constructed so that they are private, comfortable

and safe for all users, including women, children, the disabled and the elderly. Latrines should

be constructed away from water supply points, but close enough to households so that they

can be cleaned and maintained properly. A good latrine design will include vent pipes to

reduce smells and fly-screens to stop flies from entering the pit.

 Water

Water is vital for all life, but contaminated water can cause illness in

humans. A household uses water for many purposes, such as washing

and watering food gardens. Water that is used for cooking and drinking

needs to be of a higher quality, and may need to be purified or boiled

before use. Drinking water should be stored in a clean container with

a lid, to prevent contamination.

Water supply points should be fenced off from animals.

For this activity you will need:

 Extra sheets of blank paper and drawing materials

To facilitate this activity:

1 Hand out drawing materials to the group and ask them to draw the sanitation options in their

community; then get them to draw the water sources. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages

of each option in ensuring good health. Use your facilitator’s notes for reference.

Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Unit 2, Module 3^249