Western Provincial Health Authority Public Health Manager and Acting South Fly District Health Manager, Mr Segela Gagole (Middle) addressing the community of Gii village.
Seventeen participants have successfully completed a five-day Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) training workshop. The CLTS training will be the foundation that will enable the participants to work towards achieving the Healthy Island Concept in the communities they will be engaged in the future. The training was jointly delivered by the Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF) and the Western Provincial Health Authority from 29 June to 3 July 2026. The training was facilitated by government health professionals with expertise in the CLTS and community health approaches, equipping participants with the skills and knowledge required to support healthier communities and promote improved sanitation outcomes across Western Province.
Western Provincial Health Authority Public Health Manager and Acting South Fly District Health Manager, Mr Segela Gagole, said one of the biggest challenges facing development programs was sustainability. He noted that many projects implemented by development partners in the past had struggled to deliver long-term benefits because communities had not fully taken ownership of them.
Mr Gagole commended OTDF for adopting a different approach through its WaSH program, which encourages communities to take responsibility for the services and infrastructure provided. He said this model would contribute significantly to the long-term sustainability of health initiatives.
He also stressed the importance of partnerships and collaboration, noting that the WaSH program aligns with the Papua New Guinea National Health Plan (2021–2030).
“Maintaining stronger cooperation between OTDF, the Western Provincial Health Authority, and district health services is essential to addressing serious health challenges in Western Province, including high infant and maternal mortality rates,’’ Mr. Gagole stressed.
Reflecting on the week-long training, he described it as an important opportunity to identify challenges and develop practical solutions.
“Community health education is a critical tool for driving behavioural change and improving sanitation outcomes.”
A key component of the workshop was a community triggering exercise conducted by Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) team at Gii Village. The activity aimed to encourage improved sanitation practices, strengthen hygiene awareness and support the community’s progress towards Open Defecation Free (ODF) status.
The community engagement attracted 110 participants, including 41 men, 36 women and 33 children. Following introductory remarks from community leaders, residents took part in a range of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) activities, from a transect walk to community planning exercises. The assessment revealed that of the village’s 133 households, 122 had toilets, representing a toilet coverage rate of 91.7 per cent, while 11 households remained without sanitation facilities.
The findings prompted a strong community response, with residents unanimously committing to end open defecation, improve hygiene practices, construct toilets for households without facilities and achieve ODF status within the next three months.
Village Planning Committee Chairman for Gii and Associate Director on the OTDF Board, Mr Nathan Samuel, thanked OTDF, the Western Provincial Health Authority and all participants for their contribution to the training. He described the program as a valuable learning experience that effectively combined classroom-based learning with practical community engagement.
According to Mr Samuel, the training has equipped participants with the confidence and capacity to apply their new skills within their own communities. While acknowledging that there were challenges throughout the training, he said the knowledge gained would help address important sanitation issues in the future.
Mr Samuel noted that while progress had been achieved in South Fly and Middle Fly, North Fly had yet to secure any ODF-certified communities. He challenged participants and community leaders to use their newly acquired knowledge to identify and support communities capable of achieving certification, particularly in the North Fly region.
“North Fly hasn’t been awarded any ODF certification. So, with this training, it is a challenge for these participants here. We have gained this experience, and we call out to the communities, making sure that we identify one of the communities to be certified with ODF certification. In order to achieve this, we will need partnership, cooperation, and a change of mindset in our communities and our leaders so that we will achieve the outcome that we want to achieve.”
Speaking at the closing ceremony, OTDF Acting Chief Executive Officer Mr Johanis Saferius outlined the background and purpose of the organisation’s WaSH program. He explained that health interventions/programs implemented between 2010 and 2018 by the Provincial Government, OTML and OTDF led to significant improvements in health outcomes across Western Province. However, when funding ended, health indicators began to decline, highlighting the need for sustained, community-driven health programs.
To address this issue, OTDF introduced the WaSH program as a preventative health initiative focused on empowering communities to take ownership of sanitation, hygiene and health practices. The program has concentrated largely on communities in the Middle Fly and South Fly districts, where many villages depend on river systems and have been affected by mining-related environmental changes. Few communities have already achieved ODF certification, but funding constraints have limited further expansion of the program.
Mr Saferius said the WaSH initiative aligns with district, provincial and national WaSH policies and seeks stronger partnerships with government agencies and development partners. He described the CLTS training as a groundbreaking initiative and congratulated participants for becoming the first cohort to complete the program.
He emphasised that lasting improvements in community health depend not only on infrastructure investment but also on personal responsibility, collective action and positive behavioural change. As newly trained participants were challenged to share their knowledge and become catalysts for change within their communities.
““Getting a certificate is not an achievement now. The real achievement is imparting the knowledge and skills and changing another person in the community. So, I challenge you all, participants who are getting a certificate, go and impart what you have learned and make a positive change by putting what you have learned into action.”
The workshop concluded with the presentation of certificates and Training Manuals from WPHA to all 17 participants in recognition of their successful completion of the training and their commitment to improving sanitation and public health outcomes throughout Western Province.
