By Paul Okuja
Amolatar, Uganda – In a bid to improve on the hygiene of the areas in Muntu Sub-county, especially trading centers, Powpow, in connection with authorities in Muntu Sub-county, has launched a clean environment initiative in the area.
The event that took place on Thursday at Odyak Trading Center was attended by officials from Powpow and the Sub-county to kick off the program with cleaning the trading center to improve the hygiene of the people.
Speaking during the event, Peter Oceng, the project manager of Powpow Amolatar Branch, said that this is the first time they are doing this in the district after realizing that the garbage near where they stay is a breeding place for bacteria and also declines the fertility of the soil.
Oceng appealed to the community to take the collection of rubbish as their responsibility and not to be told, adding that they want to declare the community totally free of defecation.
He added that this is the first process of creating awareness, and they will proceed to mapping to identify the poor-performing villages.
The Sub-county Health Assistant, Mrs. Scovia Alwedo, said despite having a total coverage of sanitation at 92%, the standard is too low, which puts the community at risk of hygiene-related diseases.
Alwedo added that the trading centers in the Sub-county are still lagging behind, and they have given a grace period to improve their sanitation.
She said they are hopeful that with the support from Powpow, they will be able to achieve their dream within this financial year as they have started doing their pilot studies.
Alfred Banya, the Sub-county Council Speaker, said they will not allow people to rent from landlords without latrines and will also fine those recklessly throwing empty bottles since there is already a law in place.
Other events that were done include blood testing, cleaning the surroundings, and a football match between the staff of Powpow and the Sub-county staff, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Sub-county staff.
