Community - Led Total Sanitation : A Case Study The Experience of Buenavista, Qu 6

ABSTRACT : The Communityled Total Sanitation project was borne out of the desire of the residents of buenavista, Quezon to overcome health issues that have impacted on thier lives especially those of thier children's. One of the prominent social problems in the locality brought about by poverty is poor sanitation which leads to malnutrition. The locality was classified by the Provincial Health Office as one of top two municipalities of Quezon with high incidence of malnutrition in 2010-2011 with a total 3,981 zero to six years old children. Another evident severe effect is the frequent diarrhea episode due to unhygienic environment brought about by the people's improper disposal of human, animal and home wastes. Beyond the very physical nature of the issue, the project delvedd on the primary goal of empowering people to engage in community driven total sanitation improvement through interactive community scanning, social planning and social action approach. Specifically, it attempted to instill positive value and practice of proper hygiene among community people and it the process design innovative strategies to address sanitation problem with the involvement of local leaders and collaborative efforts among partner institutions. To address the problem, Community - Led Total Sanitation was initiated in awakening the critical consciousness of people regarding the effects of poor sanitation and mobilizing community efforts towards eradication of its negative effects. It is an innovative methodology of mobilizing communities to completely eliminate open defecation 56

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