Nine villages now ODF in Balangan

Tanjung, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Diarhea in Balangan District was in the most 10 dieseases base on the report of the local public health centers (puskesmas) since 2013. The case of the disease has reached 1.940 or 2,60 percent of the existing list of all illness. 


But with the mentoring of Adaro Bangun Negeri Foundation (YABN), today nine villages were declared free of open defecation or ODF (Open Defecation Free).

One urban village in the district was also assessed as free from open defecation behaviour.

The YABN Health Coordinator Haris Fadilah said the central government has been promoting the Community Base Total Sanitation Program (STBM) and the Balangan District Government keep running the program with a collaboration with YABN.

Especially in ODF program, they have a theme "From Resident for Resident". Here, residents involved as cadres to be trained until they know how to build a simple toilet in their home.

Hadianor, one of ODF village mentor told, repugnant and feeling ashame of open defecation then grew and spreaded among people in the target village.

Then they asisted villagers to work together to build healthy latrine or toilet in every house.

"Effort and hard work was needed to bring village to ODF through behaviour  change," Hadianor telling how hard they taught people to leave their habit of defecating on the river and shift to latrine.