DOH RO X conducts Community-led Total Sanitation Training among residents
by: Rhea Stephanie Shane M. Montecillo
Community- led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is a concept and approach introduced by the Department of Health in the implementation of the program on sustainable sanitation to adress the long standing problem of open defecation practices. One of the important aspect of CLTS is igniting a chance on sanitation behavior that is decision to stop open defecation to be made by the entire community to achieve a totally Zero Open Defecation status.
The Environmental and Occupational Health Cluster of the DOH Regional Office X in cooperation with the different Provincial Health Offices and City Health Offices conducted 11 batches of trainings in the differenet provinces and cities, namely:
1. Gingoog City
2. El Salvador City
3. Maranding, Lanao del Norte
4. Oroquieta City
5. Kalilangan, Bukidnon
6. Initao, Misamis Oriental
7. Ozamiz City
8. Maigo, Lanao del Norte
9.Calamba, Misamis Occidental
10. Cagayan de Oro City
11. Valencia City
CLTS is a 5-day training course with classroom sessions having lectures, role playing, video presentation and filed visitation in sitios and puroks for the triggering process. CLTS essentially is hinged on the premise that SHOCK, DISGUST, and SHAME will make the people act to address open defecation.
There are four (4) sequence steps of CLTS namely: Pre-triggering, Triggering, Post-trigerring and Scaling Up and going beyond CLTS.
On the first day, the facilitators explain the rationale , purpose and the objectives of the training. The concepts of CLTS and the mechanics of the training course are presented as well.
On the second day and third day, hands-on triggering are done on the selected communities. After the triggering are done on the selected communities. After the triggering process, the participants then present their asessments of the triggered communities.
The participants have thier workshops for their action plans for the triggered communities on the fourth day. The last day of training is spent on the presentation of action plans conceptualized by community representatives and participants towards zero open defecation.
The training is a good venue for gathering not only the health care providers but also the Barangay Officials and community leaders. Cooperation in their communities among these stakeholderss is a must for aachieving and sustaining zero open defecation (ZOD) status.
