The Vice Minister for Strategic Health Development (VMDES), Bonifácio Mau-Coli dos Reis, launched this Thursday, March 28, at the administrative post of Bobonaro, the campaign ALFA – Area La Soe Fo’er Boot Arbiru (zone where it does not defecate in the open air), from the Plan of Action of the Community, Sanitation and Hygiene. It is the fourth time that through this campaign ALFA villages have been declared in the municipality of Bobonaro.
This campaign aims to sensitize the population to the risks of defecating in the open air, encouraging the population to build bathrooms and declare their village as ALFA zone.
The Government of Timor-Leste has ratified the National Policy on Basic Sanitation through Resolution no.8 / 2012 of March 14, which defines the role and responsibilities of each ministry and has as its motto “Healthy East Timorese living in a clean and hygienic “.
In his speech, the Vice Minister stated that “in order to achieve the objectives of the Strategic Plan for Development (PED) 2011-2013, namely the National Strategic Plan for the Health Sector (PENSS) 2011-2030, objective of the VIII program Government and the Sustainable Development Objectives (ODS), the Executive cooperates with international agencies such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization, the Association for Human Development and the NGO PLAN International for the implementation of this project, having already managed to reach ALFA zones in most of the national territory.”
At the same time, the community toilets built under the World Sanitary Facilities Day, which was celebrated on November 19, were officially inaugurated, and certificates were issued to the Suco Chiefs and Village Chiefs who made a commitment to disseminate and implement the declaration ALFA in this municipality to reach the ALFA status in 2020.
The ceremony was strongly supported by the administrative authorities, local authorities, students and the local population.