Every Traditional Authority (TA) is always content when his subjects are living in good health conditions. This is the case with TA Sitola in Machinga after Emmanuel International Malawi, with funding from USAID through ONSE project, constructed 2880 latrines within six months.
“Diseases caused by poor sanitation are a thing of the past here. Thanks to Emmanuel International.” the TA said.
TA Sitola has 15 Group Village Headmen and 91 villages with a population of 55216 and 10443 households.
For a TA to be declared Open Defecation Free status, the following standards have to be met; all households should have latrines; all latrines should have privacy, be satisfactory, in a good state of repair with good and thorough roofing; no open defecation and latrine should have a hand washing facility with soap.
All these criteria were met by TA Sitola in January 2021. The area was declared ODF status. It was all jubilation for the EI staff and the District Council at the Machinga District Water Office. The hard work had paid off. At the project inception 73% of the households had latrines. At the project closure 100% of the households have latrines.