From Using the Bushes to a Safer, Healthier Home
How Hygiene Promotion Helped One Family in Adigudom Transform Everyday Practices
Seyoum Kebele, Adigudom Woreda, Tigray Region, Ethiopia
MCMDO Hygiene and Sanitation Promotion Activity
Supported by the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF)
For 38 year old mother of five, Ms. Azemeru Abreha, life in Seyoum Kebele once meant managing daily routines without some of the basic facilities and knowledge needed to keep her family safe and healthy.
Without a household latrine, her family relied on nearby bushes. Handwashing was also occasional, without a clear understanding of the critical times when it could help prevent the spread of disease.
“We did not know about the critical times for handwashing. We just washed when we thought it was needed.”
Azemeru
For the family, these practices had become part of everyday life. Yet they also created risks to health, safety, privacy, and dignity, particularly for the children.
A Simple Visit That Started a Change
Since April 2026, Mothers and Children Multisectoral Development Organization (MCMDO) has been implementing hygiene and sanitation promotion activities in Adigudom Woreda as part of its broader humanitarian response, with support from the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF).
Through house to house engagement, hygiene and sanitation promoters work directly with families, providing practical information and encouraging simple actions that can make a meaningful difference in household health.
When MCMDO promoters visited Azemeru’s home, they discussed the family’s existing hygiene and sanitation practices and provided guidance on how everyday behaviours can influence health.
The family learned how diseases can spread through contaminated hands, food, and water, and how good hygiene practices can help break this chain of transmission.
The promoters also demonstrated proper handwashing and explained the importance of washing hands at critical times, particularly after using the latrine and before preparing or eating food.
For Azemeru, the discussion brought a new understanding of the connection between hygiene and her family’s health.
Turning Knowledge into Daily Practice
Following the visit, Azemeru began putting what she had learned into practice.
Handwashing became more regular and purposeful, particularly after latrine use and before meals. What had once been an occasional activity gradually became part of the family’s daily routine.
“After the MCMDO staff explained it to us, I started practicing proper handwashing. Now we understand why it is important.”
Azemeru
The change was simple, but it represented an important shift from awareness to action.
From Using the Bushes to Having a Household Latrine
The family also took an important step toward improving sanitation.
Motivated by the information and guidance they received, they decided to stop using the bushes and construct their own household latrine using locally available materials.
Although the latrine is simple, it has brought a significant improvement to the family’s everyday life.
“Before, we used the bushes. Now we have our own latrine. We feel safer, and we have privacy.”
Azemeru
For the family, having a latrine means more than improved sanitation. It has provided greater privacy, safety, and dignity while helping create a healthier household environment.
Making Handwashing Part of the Routine
To reinforce their new hygiene practices, the family established a simple handwashing facility next to the latrine using a five litre jerrycan.
Having water readily available makes it easier for family members to wash their hands immediately after using the latrine, helping turn knowledge into a consistent habit.
A Healthier Household
Azemeru has noticed positive changes in her family’s wellbeing since adopting the improved practices.
“This has brought improvement to my family’s health.”
Azemeru
For Azemeru and her children, the transformation began with information and guidance, followed by practical action at home.
Small Actions, Meaningful Change
Today, Azemeru’s household looks different from before.
A household latrine has replaced the need to rely on the surrounding bushes. A simple handwashing facility is positioned next to it. Most importantly, the family now understands why these practices matter and how they can help protect their health.
Azemeru’s experience demonstrates the value of community based hygiene promotion in supporting families to identify risks, adopt practical solutions, and strengthen healthy behaviours.
With continued engagement and support, simple actions at household level can contribute to healthier, safer, and more dignified living conditions.
Through its hygiene and sanitation promotion activities, MCMDO, with support from the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF), continues to work alongside communities in Tigray to strengthen essential WASH practices and help families build healthier futures, one household at a time.
