At Action Against Hunger, we help people who face extreme …show more content…
Mariak, age 15, and his younger brother Deng, age 13, both encountered these problems frequently. So when they learned the importance of hygiene, latrines, and hand washing with soap from our hygiene sessions in their village, the brothers decided to construct their own latrine. The boys faced incredible challenges like poor soil quality, heavy rains, and their own physical limitations—Mariak needs crutches to walk, and Deng is blind. But despite these obstacles, the boys did not give up. They dug a three-meter pit latrine and built a hand washing facility, both of which are fully functional. Now Deng and Mariak are encouraging their classmates and friends to build latrines and hand washing stations for their own homes. Their success is a huge step towards changing local attitudes on sanitation and hygiene.
“My brother and I are disabled but we go to school and also always attend hygiene sessions. The Action Against Hunger hygiene promoter discussed the importance of household latrines and hand washing with soap. Our village does not have a latrine or a place to wash our hands, so we were often sick with stomach illnesses and diarrhea. We missed school frequently and our mother had to spend lots of money to treat our illnesses, so we asked her where we could build our own latrine. Now even the teachers in our school