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Health action with informed and engaged societies
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Published 25 years ago
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Latrine Revolution in Rural Henan - China

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In order to improve sanitation in small villages in China, professional health and agricultural workers developed the double urn latrine. Due to the success of this latrine, Patriotic Health Campaign Committee, along with government and non-governmental organisations, worked together to promote its construction and use.
Communication Strategies

Technical assistance teams visited villages and towns to educate people on the health benefits of the double urn latrine and on construction and use. Radio and television programmes were designed to both explain and promote the use of the double urn latrine and to encourage other health promoting habits such as hand washing. Town meetings were held to discuss communicable and non-communicable disease prevention techniques.
Development Issues

Health
Key Points

Henan is the most populous province in China and had one of the highest levels of diarrhea and intestinal parasitic infection in the country. The use of human excrement as fertilizer is an important aspect of Chinese culture but was contributing to the un-hygenic conditions of the food and water consumed by villagers. In order to address this the Patriotic Health Campaign Committee worked to promote the use of the double urn latrine which greatly reduced the level of parasites and general contamination of the water supply. As a result of the success of the latrine project, other health promotion infrastructure has been created in the region, promoting partnership and dialogue between government and citizenry.
Partners



Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Broadcasting and Television

Sources

Click here for the PDF version of "Latrine Revolution in Rural Henan, China"By Wang Shugeng, Zhang Zeshu and Chen Ruijun