The main areas of support are capacity building at district levels, improvement of behavioural patterns with respect to use of safe water and sanitation facilities, improved access to safe water in rural areas and small towns and improved access to environmental sanitation facilities in the target regions.
Information from other projects such as CIDA, World Bank and DANIDA indicate very low priority for household latrines. All programs have had difficulties in meeting their targets even in spite of generous subsidies given in earlier projects.
After several unsatisfactory results emanating from previous programs, there was a need for a paradigm shift from the normal way of operating. The DBWSC program now seeks to withhold subsidy but rather promote total sanitation with emphasis on household latrines through campaigns targeting behavioural change.
GSMF International which is now in charge of piloting this Total Sanitation Project seeks to use behaviour change communication techniques in social marketing to promote the use of household latrines. The project seeks to use social marketing strategies and other effective means for promoting household latrines in the selected communities. The Central Region Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CRCWSA), in collaboration with Awutu-Efutu-Senya District Assembly (AESDA) selected three communities. The project’s duration is sixteen weeks starting from February 2006.
The Implementation Advocacy workshops are organised for the stakeholders of the project. The first workshop is targeted at the formal groups among the stakeholders, such as members of the district assembly, heads of academic institutions, health authorities such as midwives and community health workers. The second targeted the informal groups such as the opinion leaders, traditional authorities, religious bodies as well as members of the general populace. The District Chief Executive and his officials are given the opportunity to be present at both workshops. These workshops have the purpose of strengthening the sense of ownership of the project among the members and also encouraging communal decision-making, in matters pertaining to the project.
GSMF in collaboration with some influential members in the selected communities, select local artisans and other community members to be trained who would serve as good sanitation agents in their communities. Communal activities are periodically carried out in these targeted communities.
GSMF develops new messages and BCC materials for the Total Sanitation project based on the PORTAL Concepts by using results from the various researches conducted. The developed materials and messages are pre-tested at the project’s intervention sites. The materials are assessed based on five criteria: comprehension by community members, acceptability, attractiveness, whether people are engaged by the materials and inducement to action (whether the material inspired action or change in behaviour). Community members at each site are shown each material and asked a series of questions. Based on this assessment, materials are either discarded or refined according to the community members’ suggestions. Messages are developed in local dialect and standardized by using research results to modify messages that were relevant to community members.
Lots of communication materials are produced to aid the campaign. These materials included t-shirts, polo-shirts, baseball caps, posters, picture cards, billboards, cue cards and soap nets. Other materials such as washing bowls, soap and towels were purchased for the schools and some individuals to motivate and sustain the interest in the newly acquired behaviour.
GSMF proposed to use drama in place of video shows as a medium to educate members of the community. Drama was selected due to its effective impact in reaching out to people and at the same time the lasting memory it creates on their minds. Theatre for Extension Communication (TEC) was used. Some members of the community were involved in the production of the drama. The roles they played which addressed the issues in the community in relation to sanitation were discussed after the show and staging. This type of drama gives us the opportunity to correct any misconception or misunderstanding that might have been created on the minds of people. On the other hand, since community members are involved, people tend to identify themselves with the drama and are more likely to remember the lessons taught several months after the show.
Since the theme of the project touched on total sanitation, it was imperative to lead community members to practice good personal and communal hygiene. House-to-house education is done by some members of the ‘ambassador’ in collaboration with the project team. Various communal labour activities were organized to help clean the communities. During these periods, community members weeded some areas in their communities, swept and cleaned some vital community places such as the community refuse dumps. The communal activities normally ended up with a short durbar to celebrate the achievements of the day.
Achievements
After five months of project implementation, about 20 community members in all the three communities have constructed latrines without subsidy. 45 others have also dug pits waiting for assistance to construct their latrines.
Sanitation committees have been formed in all three communities and are headed by the chief of the community. This committee is responsible for ensuring total sanitation in the community. Some of these committees have issued letters to punish people who defecate on refuse dumps.
About sixty artisans, carpenters and masons have been trained and equipped to assist community members to construct their latrines at a small fee and also educate the community members on the importance of total sanitation.
