"4 Clean Campaign" - Clean water and hygiene for a new beginning after the cyclone. One day with the mobile team of Malteser International in the Irawaddy Delta

Myanmar, 7th Oct (Malteser International).

At around nine o'clock in the morning, the members of the mobile team of Malteser International in Labutta leave for their mission. The purpose of the trip is to implement the so called "4 Clean Campaign", which stands for clean water, clean hands, clean latrines and clean food. The goal is to prevent the outbreak of diseases caused by poor hygienic circumstances and the lack of clean water after cyclone Nargis. The danger of a spread of diseases is now particularly high since many people still live in temporary shelters with little or no sanitation - many wells have been filled with salty water so the villagers often have to rely on other sources that might not be clean. Also, open water wells and ponds offer ideal breeding places for mosquitoes and thereby increasing the chances of a spread of dengue fever or malaria.

Therefore, the mobile team of Malteser International travels to remote villages in the Irrawaddy delta in order to provide health and hygiene education, construct model latrines and rain water harvesting tanks. They also bring material for more latrines and water tanks for people to replicate the simple designs, provide water canisters for the safe transport and storage of water and offer medical consultation. Many people in this area have had little or no access to medical assistance after the cyclone hit the coast of Myanmar on 2 May 2008, leaving 78,000 dead and 56,000 still missing. Especially in the villages along the uncountable creeks of the delta, sending help is difficult.

On board the Malteser International boat are one doctor, one nurse, one WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)-expert and one health promoter as well as the crew of the boat which will also support the team, especially when it comes to the distribution of material. It is going to be a long trip, one way takes five hours. Most of the staff members working in the delta region after the cyclone have been working in other projects of Malteser International before, mainly in Yangon and in Sittwe in the north-west of the country. One of them says: "I have only been here for a couple of weeks now, but I try to learn as much as I can about the area, so I can adjust my work to the people living here."

As the boat gets closer to the village, the creek gets smaller, trees are in the way and the captain has to be very careful. In addition, it starts raining heavily. The boat cannot go to the banks of the creek, the staff have to jump out and walk a couple of steps through the mud. Doing that, one girl slips and falls in the water. She laughs, saying that she would be wet by the end of the day in any case.

It is a good thing that the community house is right there. Many villagers have gathered and sit in a circle. The village leaders have also come to talk to the visitors. This is where the medical consultation will take place. The main problems are diarrhoea and respiratory infections. In another community house, Malteser International is offering health education sessions. With pictures and little books and brochures, the health promoter talks about the importance of clean water for a healthy life. The people are furthermore encouraged to ask questions. Outside, the distribution of the water canisters for drinking water storage is taking place. Many people here don't have a possibility to safely store their water, so it gets dirty and represents a danger for their health.

Esther Suchanek

ed. Dominic McCann