L'assainissement Total Piloté par les Communautés dans l'Est du Cameroun

The Eastern Region of Cameroon is a converging place of influx of Central African refugees and Chadians who live in difficult conditions. Basic sanitation infrastructure is almost nonexistent. People defecate in the open air and are therefore prone to waterborne diseases. Faced with this alarming situation, the government undertook with the help of UN agencies and local NGO's outreach and training programs on good hygienic and health practices.

In addition, the rate of sanitation coverage is among the lowest in the East of the country with less than 7%. To achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the Government has adopted and implemented a new approach called: Community-Led Total Sanitation.
The pilot phase covers 10 villages with a population not exceeding 5250 inhabitants. The choice of these villages was based on their location, habitat type encountered and religious affiliations.

The methodology used, based on participatory rural appraisal approach is to help communities to analyse their sanitation conditions and internalize collectively the impact of defecation in the open air on their health. The results obtained, two months after the launch in March 2009 are promising. Indeed, 1,000 families were provided with latrines without external subsidies. Arrangements are being made to celebrate Open Defecation Free in the target villages.