Participatory Analysis such as Community Mapping, Health Calendar, and a SWOT analysis were used as information gathering tools. Development practitioners use this information to then design educational seminars, projects, and initiatives in the community. I used our analysis to design 3 half-day participatory Environmental Health Workshops, one of which was conducted with the Panamanian Red Cross. The activities in the workshop came from the UN & World Health Organization's PHAST Guide for Health Promotion.
The EH Workshops had 3 goals:
I started with an activity called 3-Pile Sorting where members were given cards with drawings of with a range of good and bad health practices I observed in the community: from washing hands with soap before eating to defecating in the river, from using a composting latrine to throwing garbage in the river. In groups they have a discussion to sort the cards under Good for Health, Okay for Health, and Bad for Health.
As they presented the Bad for Health practices cards, I showed them how those practices brought about the diarrhea and vomiting they cited on their Health Calendar. This image of how open defecation connects to ingesting feces brought one person in the room to gag.
I then asked how the Good for Health cards could cut these disease vectors. Latrines and hand washing came up as the solutions.
What kind of latrine is best for Alto Playón? I asked the community list characteristics of what they want in a latrine:
We then tested their chosen characteristics against a pit latrine, a composting latrine, and a septic system. The pit lost because it smells horrible and attracts mosquitos. The septic system is far too expensive and unfeasible for a rural community with no running water. In every workshop the Composting Latrine won!
The workshops were a success. In a participatory manner the community not only took a look at their current water and sanitation practices, but also together picked the solution. This lays the ground work for further education on composting latrines and the formation of a functioning Health Committee.
The EH Workshops had 3 goals:
- Analyze the community's current health practices.
- Connect drinking water and lack of sanitation to diarrheal diseases cited on the Health Calendar.
- Provide multiple sanitation options and analytically select the appropriate solution.
I started with an activity called 3-Pile Sorting where members were given cards with drawings of with a range of good and bad health practices I observed in the community: from washing hands with soap before eating to defecating in the river, from using a composting latrine to throwing garbage in the river. In groups they have a discussion to sort the cards under Good for Health, Okay for Health, and Bad for Health.
As they presented the Bad for Health practices cards, I showed them how those practices brought about the diarrhea and vomiting they cited on their Health Calendar. This image of how open defecation connects to ingesting feces brought one person in the room to gag.
I then asked how the Good for Health cards could cut these disease vectors. Latrines and hand washing came up as the solutions.
What kind of latrine is best for Alto Playón? I asked the community list characteristics of what they want in a latrine:
- No smell
- No flies
- Proximity & Safety
- Private
- Maintenance
- Cost
We then tested their chosen characteristics against a pit latrine, a composting latrine, and a septic system. The pit lost because it smells horrible and attracts mosquitos. The septic system is far too expensive and unfeasible for a rural community with no running water. In every workshop the Composting Latrine won!
The workshops were a success. In a participatory manner the community not only took a look at their current water and sanitation practices, but also together picked the solution. This lays the ground work for further education on composting latrines and the formation of a functioning Health Committee.
