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The Forum > Article Comments > Toilets hold key to improving child mortality > Comments

Toilets hold key to improving child mortality : Comments

By Ben Dickson, published 30/7/2013

Development organisations are searching for sustainable ways to tackle the stifling number of childhood deaths in slum areas, but the answer could be right in front of them.

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Supply of materials for birth control and instruction in their use seem called for. The author has pointed out one of the problems associated with uncontrolled population increase. The root (pun intended) problem is uncontrolled population increase itself.
Posted by david f, Tuesday, 30 July 2013 8:49:42 AM
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Thankyou for reminding us of some the the real problems the world faces, Ben.

I agree with you that sanitation (including clean drinking water) is the place to start in bringing these people's living standards up and mortality rate down. Public toilets are the way to start - most affordable and containers of night waste can be taken to them.

Of course the program you suggest involves a lot of 'grass roots' education, and should include contraception too. As peoples' education and living standard rise, so birth rates fall.
Posted by Roses1, Tuesday, 30 July 2013 12:01:47 PM
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Thanks Ben, for a practical and realistic summary of a major problem.

We are so fortunate in developed countries to have water and sewerage infrastructure that we take for granted - it's good to be reminded of these things.
Posted by Rhian, Tuesday, 30 July 2013 2:23:02 PM
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We are so fortunate in developed countries to have water and sewerage infrastructure
Rhian,
I suppose it does end up more effective to get off one's butt & built things than going into buildings & sticking one's butt in the air five times a day.
Westerners have learnt from their mistakes of thrashing everything, others still have to learn to build things so they can be thrashed. It's all just a matter of mentality & learning to learn.
Posted by individual, Tuesday, 30 July 2013 5:48:41 PM
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individual

it took decades to develop the infrastructure we enjoy, plus a whole range of things - like money and effective government - to put them in place. The focus of this article is child mortality. It's a bit tough on the under-5s of Nairobi to expect them to just get out and build stuff.
Posted by Rhian, Tuesday, 30 July 2013 6:17:57 PM
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Some material on one of the Kenyan slums (Kibera) at http://www.ask.com/wiki/Kibera?o=2802&qsrc=999

Thanks for the article. There are a lot of things about many cultures that I can see hold the people in those cultures back (including some in our own). In the case of many third world countries it's hard to see how those at the bottom of the pile economically and educationally have much opportunity to transform their own lives without some sort of help.

Clean water and sanitation are good places to start.

R0bert
Posted by R0bert, Tuesday, 30 July 2013 6:59:21 PM
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