UNICEF supported CORD-SL in collaboration with the District Health Management team / DHMT, other district and chiefdom stakeholders have carried out four days inspection and verification exercise in communities in the Kenema District.
They comprise of nine communities in Nongowa, six communities in Small Bo and two communities in Niawa chiefdoms respectively.
24 communities were submitted for inspection and verification to the CLTS district task force and were declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) coupled with 41 communities that were verified and declared ODF in July 2009 totaling 65 in the four chiefdoms.
In his final briefing message in the environmental health office the district health superintendent Mr. Olai Sankoh thanked all those who contributed and took part in the vigorous inspection and verification exercise.
He commended CORD-SL management for the inclusive and orderly planning and willingness to share and learn from other partners implementing CLTS project in the district. He praised the experience support and zeal of the Executive Director CORD-SL Mr. Alfred A. Sandy, the District Technical Supervisor of the project, Mr. Moses M. Fatorma, project officer Mr. Momoh Lansana and the entire CORD-SL team for a job well done and for there contribution that make Kenema district take the lead in CLTS nationwide.
In Gbandi community where the whole celebration started the occasion was chaired by Sandy B.Freeman, the regional coordinator for COLD-SL east, Freeman on behalf of CORD-SL management welcomed the three, communities Baaveh, Gbandi and Walima and other stakeholders and partners who witnessed the occasion.
He commended the three communities for working hard to attain ODF status and called on them to always remember the historic day which was going to be recorded in national history and continue to maintain clean environment.
In his contribution on behalf of MOHS/DHMT Moses Fatorma who is also the CLTS district technical supervisor thanked the three communities for cooperating with each other and CORD-SL staff and for putting efforts together to attain ODF status.
He called on communities that are still to attain ODF status to learn from the examples of Walima Baaveh and Gbandi and to know that without health every thing is nothing. Director, Alfred A. Sandy informed the gathering that CLTS was first introduced by one researcher Kamal Kar in Asia since government all over the world is unable to provide health facilities and services for its citizens
By Saffa Moriba in Kenema
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