By Lisa Lamya

Blantyre, August 16, Mana: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices have significantly improved in Mchacha Village in the area of Traditional Authority Malemia in Nsanje district.

This has been made possible under a project, which the Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) and The Hunger Project are implementing with support from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to the government of Malawi funded by KFW.

Group Village Head Mchacha told Malawi News Agency (Mana) that for the past five years the area has not recorded any Cholera case, attributing the development to the introduction of the project.

“I remember back in the years we had a Cholera case, luckily the patient recovered, as a community leader, I encourage my subjects to have a toilet, ensure proper hygiene in their homes so that we curb such diseases,” Mchacha said.

One of the beneficiaries for the project, Mary Kandiado said diarrhoeal diseases have no place in her home because she has all the necessary WASH facilities.

“I have three children and one is under five, I always ensure that I keep my surroundings clean and use clean water when preparing food and wash my hands thoroughly,” Kandiado said.

A health promoter in Mchacha village, Jennifer Kaliati said she has seen noticeable improvements in the area in terms of sanitation and hygiene.

Kaliati said that through care groups which were set up in the village, issues of WASH have spread across the village.

“Our message is clear, we let the communities decide whether they want to be hygienic and disease free or if they want to break sanitation rules and stay in hospital,” Kaliati added.

Kaliati said that men in the area are taking a leading role in spreading WASH messages.

“Issues of hygiene are mostly associated with women but we have seen that male champions have been vibrant in disseminating messages on WASH as well as nutrition,” she said.

Data from UNICEF shows that hundreds of children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoeal diseases that could have been prevented by basic WASH practices at home, health centre and school level.