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Creating a Network of Educated Mothers

Changing behavior, especially among adults, is a very tough thing to do. Given that, I suggest we think about how we can teach the youngest generations in areas like Kumasi to be responsible about their sanitation and waste disposal habits - after all, it's today's kids who will be running these communities very soon. And I think women and mothers are the perfect demographic and vehicle to deliver these kinds of messages. I know I've talked about the Pachamama Alliance in past posts, but this time I want to speak specifically about an initiative they run in Ecuador called Jungle Mamas http://www.pachamama.org/content/view/567/177/ Jungle Mamas is an incredible community-based program that teaches tribal women about safe child birth and women's reproductive health. The program's success hinges on the fact that local indigenous women teach each other, with only outside guidance and support from Pachamama staff.


Would it be possible to create a similar network of women and mothers in Ghana and other places to teach each other best practices in sanitation? Once those women are educated, they will be able to teach and educate their own children - which will help ensure that future generations manage their waste effectively, safely and sustainably.


In a world where flying toilets are the norm, it's going to be tough to get adults to switch their habits. But by activating mothers to teach their children, we might be able to break the cycle going forward.

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