How Non-Formal Environmental Education is Transforming Sanitation in Rural Communities
In the heart of Paraná's countryside, the rural community of Colonia Mergulhão, in São José dos Pinhais, lives a paradox typical of many Brazilian rural regions: surrounded by abundant nature, it lacks one of the most basic elements for human dignity - adequate environmental sanitation. While in large cities we discuss recycling and composting as conscious choices, here the conversation is more fundamental: how to prevent waste from contaminating the soil and water that supply entire families?
Inadequate waste disposal leads to soil and water pollution, affecting community health.
Non-formal education empowers communities to develop their own sustainable sanitation practices.
"This story, however, is not about scarcity, but about transformation. And the agent of this change has a specific name: non-formal environmental education."
To understand the quiet revolution occurring in communities like Colonia Mergulhão, we must first demystify the concept of non-formal environmental education. According to UNESCO, environmental education is "a continuous process that seeks to develop in individuals and communities the awareness, values and skills necessary to understand and address environmental problems" 1 .
Occurs in associations, NGOs and social projects, adapting to local realities 2
Does not follow rigid curricula or predetermined academic calendars
Learning by doing, solving concrete community problems
| Type | Formal Education | Non-Formal Education | Informal Education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setting | Schools, universities | Community centers, NGOs | Daily life, media |
| Structure | Structured curriculum | Flexible programs | Incidental, unstructured |
| Assessment | Formal evaluation | Participatory assessment | No formal assessment |
The experience in Colonia Mergulhão was built on a participatory method inspired by Paulo Freire's approach of "education as practice of freedom" 5 , adapted to the context of rural sanitation. The process, developed over eight months, followed a logical sequence of collective knowledge construction.
| Phase | Main Activities | Duration | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participatory Diagnosis | Transversal walks, spoken maps, semi-structured interviews | 1 month | Residents, community leaders, farmers |
| Collective Planning | Prioritization workshops, reverse planning (from dream to action) | 1.5 months | Working group formed by 30 community members |
| Practical Training | Biosafety workshops, construction of wetlands, ecological pits | 3 months | 15 local multipliers (youth and health agents) |
| System Implementation | Biweekly community efforts for collective construction of solutions | 2 months | Entire community (rotation of 20 families per effort) |
| Community Monitoring | Verification visits, registration in community logbook | 1.5 months | Local management committee (8 members elected by the community) |
Technicians and community members walked the territory together, identifying water sources, sanitary vulnerability areas, and points of inadequate disposal.
Community prioritized problems and co-designed solutions through workshops and participatory planning sessions.
Residents learned principles of greywater treatment through constructed wetlands and organic waste composting techniques.
Biweekly community efforts resulted in the construction of sanitation infrastructure with local materials and participation.
Local committee took responsibility for monitoring system performance and maintenance.
The project's quantitative data is impressive, but the qualitative transformations truly illustrate the impact of non-formal education on sanitation in Colonia Mergulhão.
| Indicator | Initial | Final | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Families with proper greywater disposal | 15% | 82% | +67% |
| Residents reporting knowledge about sanitation-health connection | 28% | 89% | +61% |
| Diarrhea incidence in children under 5 (cases/month) | 12 | 3 | -75% |
| Organic waste destined for composting (kg/month) | 40kg | 310kg | +675% |
| Families replicating techniques without direct assistance | 0% | 45% | +45% |
| Aspect Evaluated | Before Project | After Project |
|---|---|---|
| Participation in community decisions | Restricted to traditional leaders | Expanded to women, youth and family farmers |
| Perception of environmental problems | Focused on visible issues (garbage) | Understanding of cycles and interconnections (soil-water-health) |
| Willingness to invest time in solutions | Low, with expectation of external solutions | High, with understanding of co-responsibility |
| Appropriation of social technologies | Viewed as "provisional" | Recognized as "permanent solutions" |
The successful implementation in Colonia Mergulhão used a set of accessible tools and materials, many of which were adapted from traditional practices already known by the community, enriched with technical elements.
| Item/Material | Main Function | Local Adaptation |
|---|---|---|
| Native plants for wetlands | Natural filtration of greywater | Use of local species (papyrus, calla lily) |
| Reused plastic drums | Construction of ecological pits and composters | Sourced from regional agro-industries |
| Dry matter (sawdust, leaves) | Composting of organic and human waste | Use of sawdust from local woodworking shops |
| Visual educational kit | Non-textual diagrams and flowcharts | Illustrations with local elements (plants, animals) |
| Small-scale prototypes | Demonstration of system functioning | Made with PET bottles and recycled materials |
| Community logbook | Collective record of maintenance and observations | Use of shared notebook in community headquarters |
Using local plants for water filtration reduces costs and increases sustainability.
Reusing materials reduces environmental impact and project costs.
Visual tools and community records ensure knowledge transfer between generations.
The case of Colonia Mergulhão eloquently illustrates that rural environmental sanitation is not primarily a technical issue, but rather a social and educational one. As Professor Patrícia Carnasciali aptly summarizes, "when they feel heard, engagement is much greater" 4 . This is perhaps the most profound lesson: sophisticated technologies can fail without attentive ears and genuine dialogue.
"In these seeds of autonomy and environmental citizenship germinating in Colonia Mergulhão, perhaps lies the true formula for truly sustainable rural development."
Non-formal environmental education has shown itself, in this context, to be much more than a tool for transmitting information - it has proven to be a catalyst for community transformation. By connecting technical knowledge with local knowledge, by replacing imposition with collective construction, and by transforming passive beneficiaries into active agents of change, this approach reveals a transformative potential that far exceeds the specific goal of sanitation.
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