<![CDATA[Open Defecation (OD) remains a sanitation issue in Tanamon Village, East Amurang District, South Minahasa Regency. This situation is driven by low community awareness regarding sanitation, long-standing generational habits, and limited access to sanitary latrines. This community service activity aimed to enhance community knowledge regarding Pillar 1 of Community-Led Total Sanitation (STBM) to support behavioral change towards eliminating open defecation. A participatory education method with a one-group pretest-posttest design was employed. The activity involved 30 participants selected through purposive sampling. Education was delivered via interactive lectures, discussions, and Q&A sessions, utilizing visual aids to cover topics such as the dangers of open defecation, environmental pollution, environmental-related diseases, the use of sanitary latrines, the F-Diagram concept, and the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status. Evaluation was conducted using knowledge questionnaires administered before and after the educational intervention. The results demonstrated an improvement in community knowledge levels following the intervention. The proportion of participants in the "good" knowledge category rose from 40.0% to 50.0%, and the "fair" category increased from 10.0% to 30.0%, while the "poor" knowledge category decreased from 50.0% to 20.0%. The most significant gains in understanding were observed regarding the definition of open defecation (50.0%), the impact of helminth infections (43.4%), pollution caused by feces (36.7%), and the F-Diagram concept (36.6%). These findings indicate that STBM Pillar1 education is effective in improving community knowledge regarding sanitation and the prevention of environmental-related diseases. Sustained educational activities involving village authorities, health volunteers, and community leaders are expected to reinforce behavioral changes, ultimately leading the village toward Open Defecation Free (ODF) status.]]>
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