Sanitation and Hygiene Project in the Kurram District: Project Participant Alif Noor’s Story

              Alif Noor is a resident of village Manray located in the Central Kurram District. He works as a chauffeur, and that is the only source of income he has to provide for his family. His monthly income is about 10,000 rupees (approximately $65 USD), and that has not been enough to sufficiently support his family.

              According to Alif Noor, he lives in a house with three rooms along with 7 other family members. There is only one bathroom inside the entire house, and it is not enough to meet the needs of the family members. The bathroom is generally used by the women of the family, and the men typically go outside to use the restroom. The men of the family only use the bathroom when there are possible dangerous threats in leaving the house. “We know that using the restroom in the outdoors can have various health risks and should be avoided, but we have no other choice.” He stated. He added on, saying “the hygiene kits and hygiene education provided to us by JEN have been very timely and spot-on. I am very thankful for JEN’s generous support.” Because his family was in need of a toilet, he declared that he would immediately construct an indoor bathroom in his home. The staff members of JEN promised to visit at an appropriate time to provide technical support for the construction of the bathroom.

              Additionally, JEN hosted lectures on environmental hygienics, and food hygiene, and personal hygiene and home sanitation. We also gathered members of the community to explain the disadvantages of using the restroom outdoors. We advised the participants to drink clean water whenever possible, and to wash their hands when they wake up, before and after meals, after playing outside, and after using the restroom, as dirty hands often lead to infectious diseases. Furthermore, we performed a demonstration on how to properly wash one’s hands, and also had the participants practice proper hand washing techniques.

Regarding the hygiene session hosted by JEN staff members, Alif Noor stated, “Before attending the session, I did not know how to properly wash my hands. After the session I was able to think about the current conditions of my village and the roads, and how dirty they were. I will communicate what I learned at the session to my family, and tell them to be conscious about what they touch, especially in the kitchen, house, and the surrounding areas.”

              Finally, he revealed to us that JEN was the first organization that conducted a project like this in their village, and mentioned that this type of support will have major positive effects on their surrounding environment, health conditions, and daily lifestyles. He also stated that he hopes for JEN to continue supporting the village and the residents, and also offer new projects in the near future.