MAMA-86

We are the Doers, not the Talkers!

The Projects, Safe Sanitation, Health and Dignity and Empowerment and Local Action, are three year socio-ecological activities for poor peri-urban, urban and rural communities of Ukraine. It is implemented by All-Ukrainian National Environmental NGO network “MAMA-86” in cooperation with long-term partner Women of Europe for a Common Future (WECF) and funded by the French private fund, Foundation Ensemble, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Kyiv Central Office and 8 regional branches from various regions of Ukraine (Artemivsk, Feodosiya, Mykolaiv, Nizhyn, Nova-Kahovka, Poltava, Sevastopol and Yaremche) are involved into the projects’ implementation.

During 2008 the work was focused on improving access to safe sanitation and water, promotion of hygiene and healthy environment for the villagers, dacha cooperatives and microdistricts of the cities where there is a lack of or unsafe sanitation as well as the lack of solid waste management. The main project activities are:
- To support the building of urine diverting toilets for 2 schools in Nova-Kahovka and Nizhyn region
- To improve sanitation facilities for more then 30 households in different parts of Ukraine by multiplication of urine diverting toilets
- To test the local drinking water sources (wells, springs, canals) on nitrates pollution and to gather information on solid waste dumping places in project areas
- To conduct education and training of local dwellers, with focus on children and women on safe sanitation, hygiene and healthy environment, to empower local communities to act on health and environment protection at the household – community levels
- To raise public awareness on water related health risks and strenthen the capacity.

As a result of the year work, 949 users have improved their sanitation facilities, 35 HH UDT were built in 9 project areas of Ukraine. To make such an intervention, MAMA-86 has paid much attention to the capacity strengthening. 31 local ecosan trainings for trainers and local dwellers from 19 settlements took place. People have learnt about ecosanitation principles, received trainings on specifics of UDT building and use, composting, principles of testing drinking water, “risk” concentrations and how to avoid them.

Each of the MAMA-86 regional partners has developed the ecosan trainers capacity by upgrading the previous experience on household dry toilets building and adapting it to the local and market conditions. Each of regions had an opportunity to make the ecosan equipment, and there are some new ideas which were developed and implemented by regional partners in practice. Among already built household urine diverting toilets, there are two that are used by public. One such a toilet was built for the usage of Greek Catholic Church parish and the second was built for the farmers by the regional branch in Artemivsk rayon.

In 8 project regions (Artemivsk, Feodosiya, Mykolaiv, Nizhyn, Nova-Kahovka, Poltava, Sevastopol and Yaremche) children and teachers were involved into the drinking water sources monitoring the nitrates content. 339 samples from wells as well as 29 springs and 10 other sources of drinking water were tested. Only 25% of samples of water from wells complied with the standard, the nitrates level of 50-100mg/l was observed in 48 % of the tested wells, and in 27% of samples from wells the level was higher than 250 mg/l. As preliminary research regional branches Sevastopol, Nova-Kahovka, Feodosiya and Yaremche have started gathering information on solid waste dumping places.

The information centre has started its educational activities on sustainable agriculture in Poltava region. More than 350 dwellers from 2 villages took part in 6 seminar-trainings on water, sanitation and organic agricultural issues. In the frame of making the information centre library, the relevant literature about organic agriculture, food safety, hygiene and sanitation was collected and partly translated. The local MAMA-86-Nizhyn have worked on organic agriculture promotion. 4 seminars and trainings took place in Pochechyn eco-village and Nizhyn Agrotechnical Institute. 89 participants received training and gained knowledge on different aspects of food safety, composting and organic agriculture.

More than 2400 participants took part in MAMA-86’s seminars and trainings on incensement of knowledge on hygiene and water related health risks, safe sanitation, among them there were more than 1400 women and girls. 44 information materials were published or prepared by 9 regions partners. The educational campaigns on hygiene and sanitation in 2 schools in Poltava region, “Handwashing” action in Feodosiya and Action on hygiene and sanitation in Kiev Water Museum with handing over a piece of soap to children-visitors are among many such actions that took place in all project regions.

In 2009 the main priority is school toilets building. During 2008 the main focus and attention was on legalization of the projects design but this work is not finished yet and it will be continued at the local level. The perspective of Ecosan technologies application in Ukraine needs the legalization and cooperation with scientists and hygienists and the state authorities at the national level. All good experience gained in 2008, people new and involved already into the ecosan projects and philosophy, new and started last year activities will certainly go on next year.