Public sanitation has been a problem in Senegal for years. In many communities, litter is scattered everywhere. Small piles of rubbish accumulate in front of homes and emit sharp, black smoke as residents attempt to incinerate them. A widespread lack of plumbing means that wastewater -- from the washing of dishes or laundry -- is dumped nearby, creating wet breeding grounds for insects and bacteria. Rain gutters running along main roads frequently have a noxious mix of refuse and standing water in the rainy season.

Marketplaces pose a particular sanitation challenge, given their high concentration of people including meat and vegetable vendors, and customers, in addition to refuse from restaurants and livestock, and the abundance of product packaging and plastic bags. Many of the 16,000 citizens of the central Senegalese town of Koungheul have long been troubled by such conditions.

Numerous efforts to change conditions in Koungheul were stopped by a lack of coordination, communication, and leadership. By mid-2003, however, the combination of a new local administration and help from USAID was beginning to have a positive impact on the sanitation situation in Koungheul. USAID worked with Koungheul citizens to respond to public concern over sanitation issues, and collaborated with the local leadership to organize a series of diagnostic meetings on the subject.

The first phase of the community’s efforts resulted in the “Clean Town of Koungheul” initiative, which focused on practical steps that would have an immediate impact. In addition, Koungheul created a community-wide sanitation management structure to assure the sustainability of its long-term plan. The new management system establishes clearly defined responsibilities for organizations such as the defunct health committees, and expands the periodic clean-up program to involve women’s groups, neighborhood chiefs, and the health committees in addition to youth groups.

According to municipal officials and citizens, one of the most important results of Koungheul’s efforts has been the emergence of a sense of shared responsibility for the community’s sanitation. People don’t litter as much. Many households have begun bagging their garbage and people cover their used water puddles with sand. And more households pay garbage collection local officials.