Open Defecation Free Campaign

Despite the gradual achievements in sanitation, still 57% of the country’s population lacks access to a toilet services. Nepal has to achieve at least 53% toilet coverage by 2015 to meet the sanitation Millennium Development Goal (MDG). Sindhupalchok district though not so far from capital of Nepal still is far behind in sanitation facilities. Sanitation coverage in whole central development region is recorded 46.1% where as Sindhupalchok district has only 32% coverage and 42nd out of the 75 district in terms of sanitation (NMIP 2010). Among the household without sanitation facilities, 44.22% households defecate openly nearby their houses. Government of Nepal has taken target of declaring Sindhupalchok as Open Defecation Free (ODF) zone till the end of December 2015. This project has been launched to improve the sanitation status of Sindhupalchok district by total sanitation approach. The project aims to sensitize and empower communities for ending open defecation and promoting improved hygiene behaviors through collective community actions. ODF status helps to break the vicious cycle of deaths resulting from fecal oral contamination cultivated amid poor hygiene behaviors. Also, the ODF campaign will develop the ownership of D-WASH-CC and V-WASH-CC, seek political commitments for planning and financing, strengthen institutional arrangements and enhance local level planning in order to back up total sanitation movement. This will then help achieve people’s access to improved sanitation and promote hygiene behavior for reducing prevalence of diarrheal diseases and promoting health condition through triggering, capacity building, sector coordination, mass sensitization, community mobilization and institutional development.