Cacilda Justino, 34, lives in Mafalala in Maputo, Mozambique. She is well known for coordinating cleaning campaigns that maintain a safe environment for her community.
Mafalala is a very low-income area with poor sanitation conditions which pose an acute health risk to the population.
As President of the Management Committee, Cacilda is responsible for the management of new communal latrine facilities which have been constructed in her neighbourhood.
'Things used to be very different,' Cacilda said. 'We did have a latrine but it didn't have a roof and it was ready to collapse at any moment. There was only one latrine for 90 people living in this neighbourhood, so the pit filled up quickly.'
With funding from AusAID, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) built five communal sanitation blocks in Mafalala, with active participation from communities in the design and construction of the blocks. AusAID has been supporting WSUP in Mozambique since June 2010. Community committees and standpipe operators were elected and trained to manage the ongoing operation and maintenance of the blocks and the sale of water from the standpipe to the surrounding neighbourhoods. Ownership of the facilities has been transferred to the local administrators, making locals more accountable for managing the facilities effectively with the oversight of WSUP.
Establishing community management structures involved focusing on gender equality, with women playing an active role in the leadership and decision making processes.
Cacilda is very excited about the new lifestyle changes the sanitation blocks have brought. 'We now have five toilets and can use them with much more dignity and privacy. This has had a huge impact on the women in the community especially during the menstrual period, as we have a clean, hygienic place to go to the toilet and are not afraid that someone is watching us.'
The community has put a hand-washing campaign in place to spread positive hygiene messages, as well as established a hand-washing point outside the sanitation block.
'People are now more conscious about the importance of hand-washing, especially the children. Now that we have this sanitation block, I want to see everyone taking care of it, keeping it clean and contributing toward the maintenance expenses. I will make it my mission to ensure this happens,' Cacilda added.
To support maintenance expenses, all beneficiaries contribute 20 meticais per month (around US $0.74). Through these contributions the community is saving money for ongoing costs for cleaning products and maintenance of the sanitation blocks.