USAID IUWASH PLUS North Sumatra partnered with the Health Office of Medan City facilitated a Participatory Assessment and Triggering activities in the Neighborhood 5 of Kelurahan Tanjung Gusta, Medan City on August 1-2, 2017. These activities were also supported by resource persons from KOTAKU (Cities without Slums) Program, the Housing, Settlement and Spatial Planning Office (PKP2R) and PDAM Tirtanadi. The Neighborhood 5 of Tanjung Gusta is the beneficiary of PKP2R Medan for sanitation and water supply program and KOTAKU Medan Program for the rehabilitation of uninhabitable houses.
On the first day, the Health Office represented by environmental health staffs and sanitarians and USAID IUWASH PLUS team facilitated the community to conduct transect walks for learning the condition of water source and sanitation as well. From these transect walks, it is identified that the community in the Neighborhood 5 of Tanjung Gusta is still practicing Open Defecation, using soak pits and the water sources (borehole wells) are located closed to soak pits.
On the second day, the USAID IUWASH PLUS team together with environmental health staffs and sanitarians facilitated the community to discuss about the location of Open Defecation in Neighborhood 5 and its potential to cause wastewater contamination. As a result, this triggering activity has made community more aware and understand to the water supply, sanitation, and hygiene behavior issues. Correspondingly, the community planned to develop a work plan and have commitment to improve the water supply and sanitation condition in Neighborhood 5. The community committed to start clean the drainage around neighborhood and shared the knowledge to the nearest neighborhood.
Participatory assesment and triggering activities are part of USAID IUWASH PLUS program activity in collaboration with PKP2R Medan for sanitation and water supply program and KOTAKU Medan Program. These activities have been held in Kelurahan Kedai Durian, Titi Kuning, and Suka Maju of Medan City respectively.
“I am thanking the USAID IUWASH PLUS, Health Office, Kotaku Program, PKP2R and Tirtanadi PDAM that has increase the knowledge and awareness related to WASH and hygiene behavior in here,” appreciated Pak Kasno, the resident of Neighborhood 5 of Kelurahan Tanjung Gusta.
