The state of hygiene in Fumbini and the local surrounding areas is wanting. Poor water and hygiene strategies has contributed immensely to diseases and poor health, especially in children.
The local elders were facilitated in the first of its kind Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) efforts, with the aim of sensitizing the locals, pegged on the overall goal of improving the health standards of the locals.
Of the 78 villagers mobilized, 40 were women and 38 were men, mobilized by the local chief, village elders alongside nyumba kumi heads. They mapped out the village boundaries, indicating household names along the map. The community members were then questioned by the health officers who facilitated the initiative.
The locals were then educated on the importance of good hygiene and proper sanitation. The locals were very receptive of the suggested methods of improving their hygiene. They pledged to construct a latrine in a 2 month timeline.
Despite the pledge from the locals on the construction of latrines, the issue of licensing was raised as the legal requirement could be a hinderance when it comes to acquiring the timber for constructing the larine. The local chief, however, assured the members in attendance of accessing the necessary requirements for constructing the latrine.