Health in the Community

Health/Sanitation

Are some places not clean?

There are places in the community where people drop rubbish close to their living areas. There isn’t an organized form of waste disposal

Is there rubbish which makes you worry about your health?

The community does worry about it’s health because of the rubbish. There wasn’t a singular type of rubbish that worried them more, however there were certain areas, areas where rubbish had begun to pile up in large heaps.

Is there water which just stands and breeds mosquitoes?

There are puddles everywhere in which mosquitoes could breed, the community pointed out a few key areas where there was a large amount of stagnant water which had turned into bredeing grounds for mosquitoes.

Are there any insects or creatures like rats which worry you?

The general consensus of the community was that other than mosquitoes there weren’t any creatures like rats that gave them too much trouble. Although were not sure if the question got across properly so this could be very wrong.

Is there a doctor or any other medical help around here? Do you go to a hospital if you are sick? 

Are there any alternatives

The community says they have no access to a proffessional doctor or a hospital. No alternatives were made 

clear other than a few people in the community who reportedly know a little about medecine.

Are there any alternative doctors?

According to some members of the community a few of them have some knowledge of a little medecine.

DO you go to a hospital if you are sick?

Everyone we asked said no, they did not, though there could be a chance we were talking about different degrees of sickness.

What do you wish for most for the health of your family?

What people wanted depended on their age. The older members of the community of the community wanted 

access to better healthcare, whereas the younger were more keen on not having so much rubbish around.

Reflection

To us the strongest asset of the area was their sense of community. That they seemed to be a single unit as few groups of people are. Some of their main problems to do with health and sanitation could be easily solved by the community, but only if the community works together as a whole. If a rubbish collection scheme could be organized by way of a rota system in which members of the community take turns transporting all the rubbish elsewhere. If the community put around things that could be used as rubbish bins it would help this effort aswell. The community could also make a joint effort in eradicating stagnant water in their area. The community can’t prevent many problems such as the lack of healthcare solely by themselves, but they can solve other problems without the help of others. Overall, because of the situation, facilitation and empowerement rather than direct action should be the object of focus.