Staying Healthy in the Middle of the Bush

Keeping your family healthy and safe when you live in an undeveloped village in rural Tanzania, Africa is more than challenging. Proper hygiene is challenging in the rural areas with no running water, and it is one of the main causes of illnesses in rural households.

Food for His Children teaches small groups of villagers about the 15 Points of a Healthy Home to protect the health of their families. These include: a latrine, separate building for cooking, a kitchen garden for vegetables, a strong house with no leaks, clean water, separate bathing house, place for trash, wire for hanging clothes, trees for shade and fruit, dish drying rack, raised granary, raised fire place for cooking, a separate building for livestock so they are not kept in the house at night, a clean compound and a family budget and savings.

Qorong’aida Village Training

Zawadiana used to be ashamed because her family didn't have a permanent latrine. Theirs collapsed during the heavy rains. Now she is proud to show that her family has a nearly completed permanent latrine. When she heard about COVID 19, she quickly built a handwashing station at her home. Zawadiana said, “I thank God because through FFHC emphasize the 15 Points of a Healthy Home I will be able to complete my latrine as you can see it is in final stages of construction”.

When the Pandemic started, Elizabeth and her family were praying they and their community would stay free of COVID. They prayed that everyone in their house would stay well so they could continue with work and school. When you live day to day financially, even one day of illness can be devastating to the family.

Top: Zawadiana's old latrine, Zawadiana's new latrine

Bottom: Zawadiana's hand wash station, Elizabeth in front of her latrine and bathing room.

Elizabeth and her family appreciate Food for His Children trainings. They have implemented 14 of the 15 Points of a Healthy Home at their house. They are excited to now have a permanent brick latrine and bathing room to keep their family healthy.

Paulina preparing to build the mud and stick kitchen building.

Paulina and Daniel have 8 children. Paulina had struggled to save enough to buy the poles and roof for a kitchen since she was focused on providing food and school fees for her children.

She recently told her Food for His Children Field Officer about her dream of having a new kitchen so her family wouldn't breathe in the smoke from the kitchen fire in their small one room home. They sat down and wrote a plan for her to reach her goal. With a plan in place, Paulina was able to save enough to buy the materials she needed to build the new kitchen. She has also completed building a permanent brick latrine and bathing room.

She said “I am very happy to know the importance of 15 Points of Healthy Home specifically a kitchen and latrine because it helps us to cook the food in a good environment and my family can use a safe and clean toilet to avoid the eruption of diseases like cholera and diarrhea.”

Paulina is very thankful to FFHC project, donors and the team for their love, care, prayers and support.

Hamis Authman is innovative! The area in which she lives is very rocky and it has poor soil, so growing things in the ground is not possible. She repurposed old fertilizer and cement bags to make a kitchen garden for her family to have fresh vegetables. Now she has 10 bags of vegetables to feed her family! Now Hamis can use the money she used to buy vegetables for other family needs.