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Photo 1
The Red Cross teaches communities how to keep their environment clean to stop the spread of disease. This includes building drying racks for pots and pans so that they are not left on the ground, where germs can be spread by dogs, chickens and even rats running round the village. Ben Doupah, 34, says: “The community has been really happy and receptive to this education. Each day we are shaking many people’s hands and before you didn’t know how clean they were. But now people are learning the importance of washing their hands. We also know now to train the children to put the drinking water in the home in a safe place, so it doesn’t become dirty. And we have built racks for our plates and pots so we don’t keep them on the ground anymore, but keep them clean. Similarly we have washing lines for drying clothes instead of putting them on the floor where they can get infected with bugs and cause skin problems.”
Photo 2
Beatrice Sumo, 54, says: “The Red Cross has been opening the eyes of the town. They recently built a hand-pump well. Before that we used to drink the water from the swamp. Some of the time we were able to keep it clean but not during the rainy season when it got flooded with dirty water. We appreciate the new well, as now there are no more problems with runny tummies and diarrhoea."
Photo 3
Ben Doupah, 34, says: “At the moment we have to go to another community to collect drinking water and we often have to wait as the people there get priority. It can be difficult sometimes to get any water. The well being built here is going to make a big difference for us, giving us good drinking water within our own village and saving us from diarrhoea and other problems.”
Photo 4
Along with providing health and hygiene education, another aspect of the community-based health programme is building wells and latrines. The community is expected to contribute materials, such as gravel and sand, and labour to the programme. The Red Cross provides the things they can’t afford such as cement, steel rods, nails and zinc for roofs.
Photo 5
Three latrines have been built in Minicom Farm community and eight people have been trained in health and hygiene. After they’ve been trained, these volunteers visit people at the weekends when they are at home and tell them about the things they have learned.
Photo 6
The Red Cross built a hand-pump well in Nytasue community. Sumo Dad, father of five, says: “I’m not a medical doctor but I can see that the children are physically better as they don’t get so much runny tummy.”