[UAH] ETHIOPIA INTRODUCES SHITTING FREE ZONES
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Plan International Introduces Open Defecation Free Zone in Ethiopia
By Woubisheet Sisay
An international NGO-Plan International Ethiopia introduced the first open defecation free (ODF) environment in Fura, a small district in the southern part of Ethiopia.
At the official recognition ceremony organized by the local administrationin in Leku town of Sidama zone's center on June 28, 2013, the people celebrated the successful accomplishment of an ODF campaign and other community based development activities by local administration and support of Plan International Ethiopia.
It was said that Fura is one of the 35 districts in Shebedino woreda that has become the first open defecation free environment in southern regional state as well as in Ethiopia.
"A campaign had been carried out by the local administration and Plan International Ethiopia's support for a few years is to make the area an open defecation free environment, where the act of openly defecating was a serious health and hygienic problem of the local community," said Tarekegn Gabeera, Administrator of Shebedino woreda.
On a festival where the representatives of all the partners of the accomplishment and the local community appeared, Mr. Bulasho Buriso, the woreda health bureau head said "Open defecation is a major health problem, where most diseases are transmitted through contamination arising from lack of proper usage of lavatories, toilets and personal hygiene.
Plan International Ethiopia's Head of communications and marketing, Mr. Amanuel Teferi also said that the local community participated actively in the campaign and Plan worked closely with the local government in all development activities it supported, and this is only one of the success stories of Plan International Ethiopia's development activities in the area.
Briefing journalists Plan International Ethiopia Amanuel said that despite low media attraction and coverage, Plans activity in the area is immense and impactful. "The approach so far was that we prefer to talk through the community, let what we do for the community talk about us than we do for ourselves. But now we decided to share others about our success that is one reason we have organized this media excursion," he said.
Locally designed lavatories, toilets and defecation hats made by the community are situated within an average distance of 500 meters from each other.
An official recognition of the waving of the Green flag is given to the Shebedino woreda, being a sign of a community free from open defecation act. According to the team that comprises of health, education and local administration experts the recognition procedure involves different evaluation steps before the actual acknowledgement of the status.
A Red, Yellow, Green and finally White flag status is declared and allowed to wave in the air of an ODF district. It was known that most districts secured a Green and a White Flag status in that woreda.
The successful campaign under the motto, "Defecating on an open field is a disgusting act", benefited around 280 thousand residents of Shebedino woreda. According to the local officials, there were different challenges such as sharing same place where own children defecate was unacceptable act by parents. But gradually they began to learn the benefits of having a hygienic personality and an ODF environment. The success finally made them proud of themselves for being pioneers in creating such a cleaner and productive environment at country level.
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