To eradicate Open Defecation (OD) in Kelurahan Mangkoso (Mangkoso urban village) in Barru district in 2018, the Village Government has used the latrine grant allocated through the sub-district budget (APBD Kecamatan) to build latrines for households that have not had the facilities since 2016.
However, USAID IUWASH PLUS initial assessment conducted in mid 2017 found 113 of 500 HHs in Kelurahan Mangkoso still did not have toilets. This study was conducted to map the sanitation access condition in Kelurahan Mangkoso and the people’s sanitation practices before receiving assistance from USAID IUWASH PLUS. The people who did not have toilets usually defecated at the beaches around the urban village, and worked as fishermen, meaning they could not afford building a household latrine which costs Rp1.5 million.
Amirullah, the Head of Kelurahan Mangkoso, admitted that the distribution of the 2016 latrine grant was off target because the village government did not have accurate data on the community members who did not have latrines. Instead, the government relied on the information from the community groups.
Kelurahan Mangkoso government was inspired to use more accurate data on the people’s access to sanitation when USAID IUWASH PLUS and the community members conducted the participatory assessment and triggering activities in September 2017. These activities are part of the project’s activities in Kelurahan Mangkoso and have been conducted gradually in all RTs (smallest neighborhood units). The participatory assessment and triggering allows the community members to observe, analyze, and discuss the people’s sanitation behaviors and access, such as where they defecate, who does not have latrines, and why they do not have latrines. These activities are complemented with community education on clean and healthy behaviors, including the dangerous impact of open defecation for health. At the end of the activity, the community members in each RT developed a follow-up plan to improve the sanitation situation in their respective RT.
Further, the community representatives of each RT and Mangkoso village government collected and discussed the participatory assessment and triggering results, and together developed a Community Action Plan (RKM), which included the roles of the village government in improving the people’s access to sanitation.
One of the RKM plans was that Mangkoso Government would use the 2017 latrine grants amounting to Rp50 million to build latrines for 50 poor households that did not have ones. This grant had been budgeted in the Sub-District Budget (APBD Kecamatan) since early 2017. To ensure the grant latrine distribution is on target, Mangkoso Government used the participatory assessment and triggering results to select the beneficiaries. In addition, community members also helped the toilet construction process.
“The participatory assessment and triggering activities result in accurate data because they are collected together with the community members. We need this kind of data,” said Amirullah.
At the end of 2017, Mangkoso village government disbursed the latrine grant to the amount of Rp1 million/HH for 50 poor households who did not have latrines. The grant was distributed in the form of goose-neck latrine, water tunnel, and sewer. In addition, the Mangkoso village government also provided labor while the community members helped the latrine digging process.
Finally, since January 2018, 50 poor households in Kelurahan Mangkoso have had goose-neck latrines.
“The latrine grant helps me a lot. Since I have a latrine, I do not have to walk far if I want to defecate at night,” said Nurbaya, one of the latrine grant recipients.
In addition to using the latrine grant, Kelurahan Mangkoso government is also using the 2018 Special Allocation Budget (DAK) from the Public Works and Spatial Planning Office (Dinas PUPR) of Barru district amounting to Rp250 million to build goose-neck latrines and septic tanks for 50 households who have not received the 2017 latrine grants yet. The construction process started in September 2018 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.
Further, Kelurahan Mangkoso government will keep advocating the PUPR office and Bappeda to build household goose-neck latrines for the remaining 13 households who do not have latrines yet. The government will also include the latrine and septic tank construction in the Development Planning Meeting (Musrenbang) at the sub-district and district levels in 2019.
To ensure data on the latrine and septic tank ownership stay updated in the future, the village government and community representatives developed a sanitation map of Kelurahan Mangkoso containing information on the types and condition of the people’s sanitation facilities. This map uses the participatory assessment and triggering results and is displayed in the village office so that the community members are able to mark any broken household latrines that need government assistance for rehabilitation.
USAID IUWASH PLUS will continuously encourage all relevant parties, especially community members, to promote safely-managed sanitation at the household level, including goose-neck latrine and septic tank promotion, as well as education on clean and healthy behaviors.
“The USAID IUWASH PLUS activities are really helpful for us. I observe that the community members are becoming more motivated to practice clean and healthy behavior,” said Amirullah with a happy smile.
-Haslinah Hamka-
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