SI4DEV partner Henry Afor is working with Kpansia community school in Bayelsa state in a pilot project to keep their toilets clean so that students will avoid and stop open defecation. This project includes training up leaders among the students and increasing awareness of the ills of bad hygiene such as open defecation.
Since the beginning of the project, they now have a schedule to wash thoroughly aside flushing on Wednesdays and Fridays. The school leadership instituted a group of four girls, bought padlock for them to take charge with the aid of one teacher and their Vice Principal.
The project coordinator visited the school on a bi-monthly based either announced or unannounced. During one visit, he met them at the assembly, and had chat with one the teachers who have assumed responsibility to ensure the students assigned with the duty carried it out. He also had a little interview with the four girls responsible for the toilet of the Kpansia Community Secondary School
The teacher who coordinates them is Mrs. Ovuru Jessy. The names of the four girls who willingly signified their interest to take up the task of monitoring and upholding the roster are as follows;
- Justina Loko (doubles as Punctuality prefect)
- Evelyn Clifford
- Edih Julius T.
- Edih Julius A.
They are all from the Senior Secondary 2. When asked how they washed the toilet (roster), they responded that they clean every Wednesday and Friday each week. They pick students at random to join them in the cleaning. Helpers include; - Myfuture Godson
- Godbless Emotongha
- Chinemerumu Obiwelugo
- Miracle Raphael
- Promise Emmanuel
To encourage this move towards eliminating open defecation by the school, and the student’s dedication to cleaning their toilet, SI4DEV has sponsored the excavation of their almost overflowing toilet soak-away. The school authorities and students were full of thanks. Justina Loko and Evelyn in the below video expressed their improvement and benefits the school has received including eradicating the bad smells as well as imbibing in all students a mindset of cleanliness and hygiene.
