Family Sanitation - Taking Care of Human Waste

You will learn how to avoid disease and germs by properly disposing of human waste.

 

Objective:

Families will know that human waste can cause disease and needs to be taken care of properly for good health.

Lesson Preparation

Before the lesson:

1. Check with local health agency, government agency, or university to find the best local ways to build a latrine or toilet.

2. Find pieces of material to make diapers and washcloths.

Concepts to be Taught:

Click on the magnifying glass of any image for enlargement.

1. Avoid touching human waste with hands or feet when using the toilet.

2. Keep family toilet areas clean and sanitary.

3. Avoid food and water contaminated by human waste.

4. Dispose of human waste in a safe, sanitary way.

Introduction:

When we feel sick, it may be because we have something in our bodies that is causing us to feel sick, such as germs or parasites.

Figure #1

They will often live in our bodies and can be passed through in our urine and fecal matter (figure #1). Germs can continue to grow in the warmth and moisture of human and animal wastes. We can become sick ourselves if we contact urine or fecal matter from someone who is sick.

Tell the story of little Anna who always seemed to be sick. During an average day, she would do the following:

-go to the bathroom

-walk barefoot in areas that may have wastes

-touch pets, rodents, and insects that may have contacted human waste

-drink water that may have come from a stream, river, shallow well, or unclean water system

-eat food directly from the market or a vendor without washing it.

Ask: Where could Anna have come in contact with human wastes?

We need to take care with human waste to prevent illness.

Concept #1:

Avoid touching human waste with hands or feet when using the toilet.

It is important to keep from contacting human waste when you use the toilet.

Remember to:

Figure #2

Figure #3

-Wash hands after using the toilet, changing a baby's diaper, or touching animals (figure #2).

-Use toilet paper or sanitary cloths after using the toilet. (Three to five cloths per family member each day may be cheaper than using toilet paper.) Sanitary cloths may be placed in a container with a lid. Soap and water can be used after their use. The cloths can later be washed and sanitized.

-If a sick or elderly person needs to use a bedpan, empty the contents into the toilet or latrine and sanitize the pot.

-Wear shoes to protect your feet when using the toilet of when walking in mud or soil with wastes (figure #3).

Learning Activity #1:

Family will discuss the suggestions and determine which apply to their situation. They will note what they need to do.

Concept #2:

Keep family toilet areas clean and sanitary.

Figure #4

Toilet and bathing areas are places where families can come in contact with germs and illness (figure #4). Toilet areas should be cleaned often and kept pleasant to use. They need to be cleaned at least once weekly. The floors, doors (including handles), and walls should be cleaned with soap and water and rinsed in a sanitizing solution (1 teaspoon 4-6% sodium hypochlorite bleach to one liter of water.) There needs to be a place to wash hands after using the toilet and a towel for each family member to wipe off their hands.

Learning Activity #2:

Family will evaluate the situation of their toilet or latrine and discuss how to keep it clean. (If they do not yet have one, that will be discussed in Concept #4).

Concept #3:

Avoid food and water that have been contaminated by human waste.

Your family can stay healthy by avoiding situations where food or water have been contaminated by human waste.

Figure #5

Figure #6

Figure #7

Figure #8

-Build toilets or latrines away from and downhill from wells or other water sources (figure #5).

-Purify all drinking and cooking water (figure #6).

-Avoid eating food that may have been prepared in unclean conditions, such as food from vendors in the street (figure #7).

-Wash you hands before preparing food.

-Clean food that may have been touched by insects, particularly flies and cockroaches (figure #8).

Learning Activity #3:

Discuss ways the family can avoid the situations mentioned above.

Concept #4:

Dispose of human waste in a safe, sanitary way.

Every family needs a safe, sanitary way to dispose of human waste (figure #9). If you do not have a system now, consider:

-a trench latrine is the simplest to build, but is not the best

-a pit latrine

-a water-sealed latrine or flush toilet with a septic tank or sewer system.

Share information collected from local health agencies as to which is the best waste disposal system for your area and situation.

Figure #9

Learning Activity #4:

Family should examine their current waste disposal system and decide if it is adequate or needs to be improved.

Family Activity:

Family will take the notes they made during the lesson on what they need to improve and make plans of how to do it.

List of figures for lesson 6.4

(Click on the numbered links below to view and print full-sized figures)

1. There are many diseases that are spread through contact with human waste (cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, measles, polio, typhoid fever, amoeba, giardia, hookworm, pinworm, roundworm, tapeworm, trichina worm).

2. Wash hands after using the toilet, changing diapers, or touching animals.

3. Wear shoes, particularly when using the toilet or walking in muddy or dirty areas.

4. Keep the toilet area clean and sanitary. Have a hand washing area with a towel for each family member.

5. Build toilets away from wells or other water sources.

6. Purify drinking water and wash hands.

7. Stay away from food that may have been prepared in unclean conditions.

8. Clean or recook food that may have been touched by insects.

9. Latrines may be a trench or pit variety. Water-sealed latrines and flush toilets with septic tanks of sewer systems are a good way to handle wastes.

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