Read about the inclusive community based approach to addressing sanitation issues in Freetown informal settlements in this blog by Sullaiman Fullah, Ishmail Conteh, Dora Vangahun and Abu Conteh. In the informal settlements of Freetown sanitation remains a huge challenge, particularly access to decent toilets.
This can be due to constraints on digging land in hilly areas or limited space available for construction. Limited access to toilet facilities in informal settlements often leads to the unsafe disposal of human waste. As a result, it is difficult to maintain proper sanitation in these areas. Some residents share the limited toilets available while others defecate openly on the soil or in open drains leading to an increased incidence of water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, and typhoid Macarthy et al.
Cockle Bay, a coastal informal settlement located on the Aberdeen creek of Freetown is no exception to these poor sanitation challenges. Most households use hanging toilets connected to the sea or large drainages, and poorly maintained pit latrines which are unhygienic and can overflow, particularly during the rainy season.
Some residents are still practicing open defecation in the community due to a lack of access to toilet facilities exposing them to an increased risk of infectious disease outbreaks. At the inception of the research project, community members were selected through a competitive, transparent, and inclusive process to act as co-researchers. Their capacity was built through training on participatory and qualitative methods e. This allowed them to better understand the community issues and ensured that co-researchers and other community stakeholders were involved in every stage of the ARISE research process.
Before construction began, the research team conducted several engagement events with co-researchers and community stakeholders. During the initial engagement with co-researchers, concerns about a site for construction were raised, prompting two additional meetings to select a suitable site.
