In one of the villages in the outskirts of Kabul, where Operation Mercy has a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) program, men's groups eagerly receive their lessons. They learn about many aspects of health related to clean water and good hygiene, and they are taught simple behaviours they can change in their own homes in order to improve the health of the families, especially their children.
In one of the groups a man told this story. “I learned the WaSH lessons and as I learned I passed the things I was learning on to my neighbors. One day my neighbor's son got diarrhea. This diarrhea was very severe and he came to my home, and said ‘You learned the lessons of the WaSH program! Please help me! My baby is dying from diarrhea!’ I went to his house and prepared homemade ORS (oral rehydration solution) for his child. I also demonstrated to the ladies how to prepare homemade ORS. I told them that it's crucial to wash your hands with soap and water before preparing any homemade ORS, to prevent transmission of germs. I explained to the baby’s mom that after each the baby passed a stool, homemade O.R.S should be given to the child. After just one day the baby was getting well and rehydrated again. The next day my neighbor took his baby to the doctor and told him the story. The doctor confirmed it was important to give ORS to the baby and if they hadn’t given it to him, they might have lost their baby.”
When community members learn the lessons for themselves, it is great to see the change in their behaviour. But when they see that they have something to offer and can pass it on to others in the community, then they become partners with us in seeing community change, rather than just being beneficiaries!
