The people creating change

Rita is from Ward 12 in Kamalamai, and is a community health volunteer. 

“We go to each household and create awareness about health and hygiene. People realise they need to change their behaviour because we keep coming back!

Since this project started, we are able to talk to other people, we are even capable of dealing with anyone we don’t know at any time. We will raise our voices. I am happy to contribute something to my community.”

One of the techniques used by the volunteers to help put a stop to open defecation in Kamalamai is to blow a whistle when they see someone defecating outside. There is also a fine of 100 rupees (approximately 66p) that people have to pay. The district is working towards being declared ‘open defecation free’ as part of the nationwide campaign in Nepal to end open defecation by 2017. 

Ashok is employed by WaterAid’s partner in Kamalamai, CIUD, as a Field Mobiliser. He writes and acts in the street dramas that are used in the communities and schools in the project area to raise awareness about health and hygiene issues. 

 

“I am interested in social mobilisation and like acting. I have written scripts for the three street dramas that we use about the role of the community health volunteers in reducing diarrhoea, the ways in which bacteria are transmitted, and the importance of using latrines. 

I really want to write. During the festival season, I write scripts and act in plays, I have also acted in a film. I get the ideas from my own concepts and like to generate characters. I have a great interest in literature and learnt what I know from books. I think I have a good imagination.

I think that humour and thinking about what you want to achieve through the story make for a good play. More than humour, satire is important [to draw attention to social issues and shame individuals into improvement]. The members of the Child Clubs also act in the plays and I train them regularly."