The Lobule story : how goats and lists made people build latrines

The district leadership of Lobule Sub-County realized the need to come up with new strategies and a series of interventions to combat the increasingly alarming Hygiene and Sanitation situation in the sub-county. Even though latrine coverage in Lobule had improved from 15% to 45% in 2005, to 64% in (2006), to 72% in 2007 and to 82% in 2008, the communities were hit by outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and meningitis. These outbreaks claimed the lives of many people, mostly women and children. This in turn greatly affected the productivity of the community. The affected households saw their expenditure increasing as a result of medical costs for treatment and drugs. Action had to be taken to reverse this cycle and it had to be taken fast. It was calculated that these outbreaks could be entirely contained and the diseases eradicated if hygiene and sanitation facilities were improved and practices maintained at household level. [authors abstract]