Health Promoters Stop Cholera
Finding the root cause of the problem
When they saw how the rains washed away whole villages — taking the new
piped water systems and toilets with them — the health workers of Salud para
el Pueblo realized they needed to do different kinds of work to prevent disasters
like this in the future. Building water systems and promoting safe sanitation
only solved one part of the problem.
There is a saying in the villages: a hill with no trees is like a house with no
roof. This means trees protect the hills and prevent them from being eroded
in the wind and rain, just as a roof protects the people in a house. The health
workers began to see promoting tree planting and protecting natural resources
was as important as promoting health — because they are one and the same!
With this in mind, the health promoters started a tree-planting project. But
some villagers did not want to plant trees. One man named Eduardo refused to
join the tree-planting project.
“Too much work,” Eduardo said. “They just want us to work for nothing.” He
convinced some other villagers to go against the health promoters.
A health worker named Gloria in Eduardo’s village gathered people together
and organized an activity called “But why…?” to help everyone look more deeply
at why they lost their toilets and piped water.
Why were our water
and sanitation
systems destroyed?
Because they
were washed
away in the
rainstorm.
But why
were they
washed
away?
Because the rain turned the hillsides
to mud and the villages slid down
into the rivers, breaking all the
water pipes and toilets.
But why did
the hillsides
collapse?
Because all
the trees
were cut
and sold for
lumber.
But why
were the trees cut?
Because people
needed money.
7
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012