A Rishidev and Santhal community in Kathkholuwa, Rangeli municipality, Morang district, where personal hygiene is rarely practiced due to a lack of a home and land. The 53 households of the Rishidev and Santhal communities live in a squatter settlement on the riverbank that lacks proper toilets, handwashing stations, drinking water facilities, and other WASH facilities. Since, they rely on daily wage labor for their living, personal hygiene is not a priority to them.
LCWS formed a group of people from the underprivileged community and conducted various sanitation awareness programs. They were taught proper hand washing techniques, as well as the importance of using toilets, washing their hands properly, and maintaining personal hygiene. Now that the community has common toilets, their behavior has changed as they use toilets and wash their hands after each use.
People in the community are not only aware of the importance of washing their hands and using toilets, but they are also aware of how to properly manage their garbage. They are aware that life-threatening diseases such as cholera and diarrhea can spread if hygiene and sanitation standards are not met. People in the settlement are now focusing on personal hygiene as well as environmental hygiene.