Patrick Sijenyi, 13th July 2012

Can Community Led Total Sanitation accelerate sustainable progress towards achieving the MDG sanitation target?

Case Study: Eritrea

Preview:1.0 Background and Country context

2.0 Study Objectives vis a vis Learned Concepts

3.0 Critical evaluation of the Relevance & Applicability of learned concepts to current sanitation situation.

4.0 Sustainability.

5.0 Next Steps…suggested areas for further work

1.0 Background & Country Context

Area approx 122,000km2

Est. pop’n = 3.46m (GSE, 2011)

Rural Pop’n = approx 2.4 m

Access to improved latrine facilities (rural pop’n) = 4% (UNICEF/WHO, 2010)

Open Defecation = 70-96%

Sanitation Policy developed and rolled out.

CLTS rolled out in 2009, out of 2,644 villages, only 117 declared ODF

Unlikely to meet the MDG sanitation target of 54%

1. What method(s) does CLTS use to motivate and empower communities to become open defecation free?

2. How sustainable is the CLTS approach? What is sustainability-as understood in relation to CLTS?

3. Can CLTS achieve results at scale?  

• This study focuses specifically on open defecation free declared villages.

2.0 Case Study Questions vis a vis Learned Concepts

3.0 Critical evaluation of the Relevance & Applicability of learned concepts to current sanitation situation

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Objective No.

Learned Concept Relevance and Applicability

1 (Motivation & Empowerment)

Norm shift and Norm creation

1. Move from Open Defecation to a new social norm2. Open defecation-custom: actors respond in similar

motivation, convenient, meets an existing need, no investment needed.

3. Open defecation free: New social norm: people believe conforms to normative (most people in their relevant network believe they ought to conform to it) and empirical expectations (most people in their relevant network conform to it)

4. Empirical expectations and normative expectations have to be kept “alive” to sustain new norm.

1 Organized Diffusion (from core to community)

• Tailored along the Outreach model.• Utilizes a Core Group of Change Agents to

implement programme

3.0 Critical evaluation of the Relevance & Applicability of learned concepts to current sanitation situation

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Objective No.

Learned Concept Relevance and Applicability

2 (Scaling Up)

Organized Diffusion (community to community)

• Observed during ODF celebrations• Leaders from OD practicing villages invited during

the celebrations. Some take it upon themselves to champion CLTS within their areas.

1 Change of approach in sanitation programming-social norm lens

From supply driven, subsidy based approaches to demand responsive, community based participatory approaches.

Subsidy approach-No social expectations created around sanitation

Critical Evaluation (Cont’d)-Change of Approach explained

Establish whether there is a social norm problem, assess

existing networks, establish trust between

community and implementer

Establish whether there is a social norm problem, assess

existing networks, establish trust between

community and implementer

Pre-Triggering Triggering

Create personal normative expectations

through the identification of natural leaders,

development of community action plan

Create personal normative expectations

through the identification of natural leaders,

development of community action plan

Triggering

CLTS programme implementation process

Assess individual believes, normative expectations and creation of common

knowledge through participatory tools used

e.g. transect walk/walk of shame, open defecation

mapping, food and faeces, water and faeces, shit and

shake

Assess individual believes, normative expectations and creation of common

knowledge through participatory tools used

e.g. transect walk/walk of shame, open defecation

mapping, food and faeces, water and faeces, shit and

shake

Critical evaluation (Cont’d)-Change of Approach explained

Establish normative expectation

Through latrine constructionand empirical

expectation during ODF certification, ODF Declaration and

celebration .

Establish normative expectation

Through latrine constructionand empirical

expectation during ODF certification, ODF Declaration and

celebration .

Post -Triggering

“CLTS and beyond”-strengthen established

factual and personal believes and

sustenance of normative and empirical

expectations. Incentives

(internal/external) and sanctions in place.

“CLTS and beyond”-strengthen established

factual and personal believes and

sustenance of normative and empirical

expectations. Incentives

(internal/external) and sanctions in place.

Post –Triggering

CLTS programme implementation process

4.0 Sustainability

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Issues:a)Lack of common clarity on theme/guiding principles on sustainability-many dimensions;b)Only 117 villages out of 2,644 villages are ODF;c)Critical mass of villages yet to become ODF thereby reaching the tipping point and creating the necessary expectation that would sustain this new, positive norm. d)Social norms-opportunity to focus on “behavioural” sustainabilitye)Diagnostic tool to assess sustenance of created norms within ODF declared villages drafted. 

Factual Beliefs Personal normative beliefs

Empirical expectations

Normative expectations

If you defecate in the open, even if it is far away from a water source, is it possible for faeces and water to mix?

If the latrine fills up or collapses, in your opinion, do you think it’s OK to defecate in the open?

How frequently do other people use latrines for defecation?

If you defecate in the open, what would others think?

Does defecating in the open affect the health/disease of a community

Do you think you should use a latrine?

Who in your community (adult/children) is using latrines?

If latrine fills up or collapses within your community, would others think it’s ok to defecate in the open?

1. Sustainability (behavioural): develop & implement diagnostic tool-to include robust monitoring regime.

2. Going at Scale (diffusion & networks): conduct a detailed formative research to better understand how these two processes operate at the village, sub region and regional level. Develop strategy based on findings.

3. CLTS and Beyond: Enhance inter-sectoral coordination, especially in light of the fact that a number of tasks to be undertaken within the context of “CLTS and beyond” are outside the traditional domain of MoH.

4. ODF verification and certification: Establish a system where verification process is conducted by an independent monitor e.g. staff from neighbouring region/sub region etc.

5. Enhance documentation: Step towards evidence based programming.

5.0 Next Steps……

Q & A time

THANK YOU!