A Community-Based Sanitation Facility Design: Achieving Sustainable Sanitation of The Indigenous Community in Sitio Camachile, Nabuclod, Floridablanca, Pampanga

Sanitation and hygiene, along with secure access to safe water, remain significant problems in the Philippines, particularly inthe Indigenous community where, poverty, remoteness, exclusivity, and limited resources often amplify these challenges. Thislack of necessities contributes to the high propagation of waterborne diseases and other illnesses, compromising overall healthand well-being and negatively impacting the natural environment. Aeta residents of Sitio Camachile, Nabuclod, Floridablanca,Pampanga were assessed to better understand their conditions and situations in accessing safe water, sanitation, and hygiene(WaSH). The study utilized an embedded mixed-method design. The collected data and information from the developedassessment tool were scaled and rated based on the level of the WaSH services ladder set by the Joint Monitoring Programdeveloped by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN). The findings revealed that Sitio Camachilehad a basic level of service for drinking water, indicating that water came from an improved source and could be accessedwithin a relatively short distance of less than half an hour however, some Aeta residents still relied on open sources like theriver. Furthermore, the study found that more than half of the Aeta residents practiced unimproved sanitation, resorting to opendefecation due to inadequate sanitation facilities. Additionally, hygiene practices were found unimproved, due to the lack ofproper facilities to perform appropriate practices. These results showed that the Aeta community of Sitio Camachile neededinterventions and initiatives to improve their sanitation and hygiene conditions. Hence, the study provided recommendations forvarious sites and locations of the proposed sanitation facilities in the entire sitio. The design and plan of the sanitation facilitiesprioritized accessibility, efficiency, security, and privacy to promote inclusivity and sustainability.