A day in the life of...

Ernest Randriarimalala, 31, an 'animator' promoting good hygiene and sanitation in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo with WaterAid's partner Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor.

Ernest Randriarimalala.

Credit: WaterAid / Marco Betti

I get up and buy mofogasy (sweet rice cakes) for my family and then eat breakfast. I prepare to go to work, get my children ready and take my son to school. On Monday I go to the WaterAid office to plan jobs for the week. I then go to a community to discuss hygiene with people, and to answer questions and promote sanitation.

Every animator has a different approach but for me it is easy as I like talking. When I tell people about hygiene they say 'yes Ernest, we know this but we don't have time'.

So I explain the problems with water when it is not safe and I give them another solution. I say to boil water and to use solar disinfection with empty water bottles. I explain how to make these and tippy taps [taps made from suspended jerry cans or gourds filled with water] and explain if they see a tippy tap they should wash their hands. I say if you go to the toilet and think about me after that is a good thing! Sometimes when I return they say 'Ernest, I think about you after I defecate and wash my hands!'

I make a visit every three weeks and ask people why they aren't doing things and then make suggestions for other options. I say I'll be back to check how things are going.

The people are very nice and I like to visit their houses and talk to them. The people are so poor – they know it's a problem not to have hygienic sanitation. They work day to day so don't have money for a concrete sanplat [latrine slab] so they only use wood for the floor and they don’t have money to buy soap.

In future they will contribute what they can afford and then WaterAid will provide sanitation. If they can give a little that is OK, if not they can contribute their labour instead or help with materials.

I normally get lunch from a Malagasy hotely (small café) – something like zebu (beef) with bread or rice. I change every day. Sometime I will have zebu lips – I like it – but you wouldn't! I stop at 12pm then I go straight back to work.

Credit: WaterAid / Marco Betti

Two Saturdays a month I also do a puppet show – I am the speaker who talks to the community. It makes a very good way to pass messages to the people. It is really attractive and new so up to 700 and 1,000 people come each time. It is the first time that people have seen a giant puppet so they are very surprised to see a puppet who speaks!

The show tells the life story of two houses. The first family is very hygienic and the second is not. There is a dispute and after a while the man in the non-hygienic family is bitten on his bum by a mouse as their latrine is full – the children love this part! The man has diarrhoea as he doesn't wash his hands after he goes to the loo or when he eats food. Soon he has to go to hospital, which costs the family money.

Then the animator explains the problems of unhygienic latrines and not cleaning around the house. They explain how to change these things. At the end of the story the families become friends and it is like a happy ending in a film.

After the audience always ask 'when will you come again?' I tell them we will go back regularly and remind people about the messages.

"It was beautiful, wonderful and nice," exclaimed 10 year old Victorine after watching the hygiene education puppet show. "I have learnt lessons about washing my hands and am going to go home and tell my family about it."

Credit: WaterAid / Marco Betti

I love my work. I like contact with people, I like to make relationships and I am interested in helping people.  I am happy if I can do a little thing for my country. I like to help poor families and if people change their behaviour because of me it's a good thing. When I do this I also realise that I am not as poor as I think as there are many people who are worse off than me and I want to help them.

Sometimes I finish at 3pm or 4pm. Then I go home on the bus – sometimes it takes one hour, sometimes two, depending on the traffic. When I get home I play with my babies because I don't see them during the day. My wife arrives home after me, then we all have dinner.

Normally we eat Malagasy food but once a month if we have enough money we go to a restaurant for a change.

I go to bed at 10pm or 11pm because I love watching TV – Prison Break is my favourite!