The town of Busia in Eastern Uganda faces many challenges, including of a rapid shift in its solid waste management systems; new technologies (composting, and landfilling) will be introduced in late 2012, while actual waste collection is still struggling to provide a hygienic environment to its inhabitant.
The goal of YES in waste management is the protection of human health and environment, where resource conservation) can be reached.
Community voices, sustainable development and policy reforms in implementing MDG7, target 9 the need for increased commitment in policy enforcement and improved good governance in waste and sanitation management.While leaders who discussed MDGs have articulated what to be done, the questions remains unanswered in cross border towns sharing common trans-boundary problems, where many people are still learning how to achieve this goal without policy harmonisation. YES is not waiting for the direction but to develop strategies to contribute towards the MDG related goals.
In its project of urban waste and sanitation project we are trying to help support 10 villages improve waste and sanitation management through community participation and strengthening systems by providing community basic services regarding mobilization, education and promoting community autonomy to manage waste and sanitation issues affecting them at household level.
The approach will improve the community institutional arrangements for waste management; mobilize communities to construct toilets in residences and in schools, and increase efficient solid collection by Busia Municipal council.
The service volunteers of YES register all homes without toilets, and later provide sanitation, hygiene education and counseling to households and landlords to help them make informed decisions and interest to have better sanitary facilities using the WASH chain cards.(Above)
The plight of toilets:
In Marachi “A”B”C”D” Villages in Busia Municipality, it’s one of the villages YES organisation is promoting the role of communities in waste and sanitation management.
Many households don’t have toilets and our research found that women use the toilet facilities mainly at night when the privacy is guaranteed especially homes with this kind of structures.
The project results will improve the quality of water in the municipality both surface and underground water by reducing huge waste flow in the water streams.
Rapid population growth, urbanization, and growing challenges of poverty faced by the urban poor in informal settlements and cross border towns require redefining the paradigm for public health interventions by creating new approaches that put urban environment determinants of health into consideration, with the goal of meeting the health needs of the community in Busia municipal council, the cross- border communities in the border town needs massive efforts towards promoting behavior change attitudes and practice where communities and the municipal council can work together and recognize that there are problems of increasing evidence of poor waste, sanitation and hygiene in the first place,(ii) and work towards community understanding the challenge as either manageable or not; both at individual household level, community level and local government institutional level;(iii) above all ,the involvement of stakeholders to recognize the challenges in a cooperative way is a prerequisite.(iv) the comunity can identify workable solutions and options to address the challenges both as an institution under local government and as individuals and communities for the case of urban town like Busia.
Below community members debating on during meeting at border primary school organized by YES, the town Clerk, Mayor and other stakeholders attended.
The community and other stakeholders can agree, develop and design plans for project implementation, when they both recognize the challenge within the community they reside and start implementing the plan regarding water management and environmental health in the neighborhood.
The positive actions the community and other stakeholders have implemented can be maintained by both at cooperative level for the success of the issues identified such as poor storage, disposal, transportation, collection and general awareness’s and debate on waste management,sanitation and hygiene.
The community can also agree to sustain the decision for long term impact and environmental sustainability and for the good of the community.
The village environment committee members observe how the woman was getting dirty water from the only stream in Nagunke in Mawero East A village.
The Youth environment service volunteers conduct WASH dissemination education and group counseeling in Marachi villages,YES achievements and efforts in the comunity has been succesfully through building the capacity of its volunteers in comunity mobilisation and education dynamics.
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