CLTS FACILITATION IN GORIOLA COMMUNITY IN KWARA STATE

Community Development Projects are aimed at making the livelihood of certain individuals easier. These projects are usually carried about by persons who are concerned about how the people who aren't as privileged as they are, survive.

Today, as a CLTS Trainer, I was giving the responsibility by the Director of CEERMS [Centre for Ecological, Environmental Research, Management and Studies], Kwara State University, Malete, in person of Dr Henry Sawyerr to supervise the students I trained last semester on CLTS: An Effective approach to Community Developments.

My checklist included:

• Understanding of overall goals
• Break down of plans/parts [triggering tools] involved
• Time commitment
• Delegation team members duties
• Ability to communicate and form a rapport [bond] with the community members.
• Publicity
• Evaluation/ Implementation of planned projects

However, we visited Goriola community, located in Ilorin East L.G.A, Kwara State. The village has members less than thirty (30) and most of which were either at the farm or had gone to the market to trade. The main occupation of the women is the preparation and sale of locust beans, The men practice farming, hunting and some of them are construction artisans. The children have to walk long distances to school or most times sit and help their parents at home.

The group members had encountered the following obstacles:

• The villagers lack a source of water, especially in this dry season when their wells are dry and their borehole and streams have stopped flowing.

• The community members has had previous experiences of people who came to give health talks and give promises of helping to build and provide the basic infrastructures. They ended up stealing lands from them and leaving the community without the implementation of their promises and with the fear of trusting strangers.
• The villagers didn't have a single toilet but practices OD: Open Defecation. This factor makes the community eligible for the facilitation of CLTS.
  

Nevertheless, CLTS brought about a change in behaviour brought about by the feeling of disgust and shame done through the series of triggering tools that are available namely: walk of shame, defecation area mapping, bottled water experiment, medical expense calculations, shit calculations and so on.

The positive determination brought about the kicking off of the building of a pit latrine, still in progress.

Before the photo session and taking my exit, I gave a short address with the help of a seasoned interpreter [I didn't want to be stammering in Yoruba, since I'm not so fluent]:

"I greet you all: both elders and youth. As a representative of CEERMS, I will like to thank you for your cooperation with our students. I really hope this project will not only be in the aim of building toilets but be a milestone in the emergence of good sanitary practices and thereby, healthy living of our community. I look forward to the completion of the toilets and adequate use and it's maintenance when next I come to visit, especially when the Kwara State Government fulfills her promise of supplying a well functioning borehole in your community. Thank you and God bless us all"- @oluwamiranda