Ramgram Municipality Declared ODF Zone

 Ramgram Municipality of Nawalparasi district is declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) zone on 24 May 2015 with participation of more than 3000 from all 13 wards. Municipal Level Water Sanitation and Hygiene Coordination Committee (M-WASH-CC) of Ramgram Municipality in partnership with Lumanti Support Group for Shelter, Ramgram Municipality and other WASH stakeholders along with communities of Ramgram city jointly organized a grand program to declare the ODF status there. 
 
Chief Guest of the event, Member of the Constituent Assembly Hon'ble Baijanath Chaudhary, inaugurated the ODF declaration program. Chief Guest Hon'ble Chaudhary expressing his gratitude to all the people and the stakeholders for the great achievements said, the ODF declaration of Ramgram Municipality is the campaign in line with the Nepal government's plan to achieve the national sanitation goal.
 
Another speaker of the event, Dulari Harijan, Members of Constitution Assembly stressed the need of commitment from everyone for the hygienic use of toilet. 
 
District Chief Officer Hari Prasad Mainali congratulated all the people, stakeholders and organizations for the great achievement and thanked every organization, stakeholders who have contributed for the ODF campaign. 
 
During the event, Nepalese cultural   program, sanitation 
 
songs, local dance, dramas, demonstration of the hand washing steps were presented with support from Lumanti and others WASH stakeholders.
 
Other invitees in the ODF declaration program were Dulari Harijan, Members of Constitution Assembly, District Chief Hari Prasad Mainali, Former Local Development State Minister Ghana Shyam Yadav, Local 
 
evelopment Officer Lalkrishna Sharma Paudel, District Level Political representatives, government and non-governmental official, journalists, private sectors, D-WASH- CC members and representative of citizen forum.
 
Prior to the formal ODF declaration program, the huge mass of people from different parts of Ramgram Municipality, representatives of political parties, governmental and non- governmental organizations, 
 
student, teacher social workers, stakeholders marched through the city areas chanting  WASH awareness slogans and play cards in their hands.
 
Lumanti has been implementing WASH improvement program in Ramgram Municipality with support from Water Aid in Nepal since 2013. The WASH program was targeted wards number 1 and 8 an initiation phase. Based on the municipality requirements and community need WASH    program has been implemented in 26 communities of wards number 1,2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11, 12 and 13 providing support for the improvement in WASH status of the poor and marginalized people through various  CLTS, SLTS approach, WASH awareness trainings and campaigns. 638 households poor and marginalized people of these wards had constructed house hold toilets by support of WASH project. The project had provided support for the construction of community latrines in ward numbers, 1, 2.4,11 and 12. In collaboration with Tole Lane Organizations (TLOs) 5 community latrines were constructed. A total of 505 platforms were rehabilitated in ward numbers 1,8 12 and 13 in poor and marginalized families.