Explanation of Diagram 1. This diagram charts the common progression of defecation practices that a child in rural Western Kenya undergoes when he or she is very young. The box in the bottom left corner of the diagram, “Unstructured Defecation Behaviors,” refers to open defecation practices that are considered within this context to be unsavory and less than ideal. The boxes that are placed above it chart a progression of defecation behaviors that are alternatives to open defecation, from the time a child is very young and still considered unfit to use the latrine, until the time he has achieved full latrine use. Throughout each of these stages of defecation behaviors, the child is trained and supported primarily by his morhter. When moving from bottom to top, these practices progress from exclusively childlike defecation behaviors (such as using designated defecation spots) to more adult-like behaviors (such as using the latrine). The last stage of this progression is exclusive latrine use, during which the child is fully toilet trained and has ceased all forms of open defecation. This stage is considered the ideal. Under each stage in the progression, there is a brief description of the positive improvement that the stage contributes to a child’s defecation practices, as well as the ways in which this stage still remains less than ideal. The boxes located on the right side of the diagram list the key barriers that keep young children in that stage from exclusively using the latrine. The arrows leading out from the bubble entitled “Latrine Training Mat as an Accelerant of the Toilet Training Process” show that the latrine training mat directly addresses the key barriers to exclusive latrine use during the progression of child defecation practices. The LTM specifically deals with a child’s fear of the latrine by making the latrine hole smaller; it facilitates more correct latrine use by providing features such as raised footings for proper positioning and handles for balance; and it makes the latrine a more sanitary place for a child to visit by providing a stable and more easily cleaned surface. Through addressing all of these factors, the latrine training mat has the potential to remove the need for the “Designated Defecation Spot” and “Non-exclusive Latrine Use” stages during this progression, and more quickly and easily allow children to achieve exclusive latrine use at an earlier age than might otherwise be possible.
