Equality and Non-discrimination (EQND) in Sanitation Programmes at Scale (Part 1)

A well-facilitated Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) programme that pro-actively considers and involves people who might be disadvantaged has been shown to have many benefits. A lack of this can and will often have negative impacts and make programmes and ODF unsustainable.This issue of Frontiers of CLTS looks at who should be considered potentially disadvantaged, how they can effectively participate and what may be needed to address diverse needs in order to make processes and outcomes sustainable and inclusive. Using a range of examples from GSF programmes that were part of a recent study on Equality and Non-Discrimination, it explores the challenges that may occur and concludes with suggested good practices that will strengthen the processes to the benefit of all

Good mums: a gender equality perspective on the constructions of the mother in handwashing campaigns

The first part of this paper provides a brief overview of the framing of women in hygiene interventions. The following section provides a review of the literature on best practices for handwashing and hygiene, as framed by discourses on the good mother. The goal of this paper is to illustrate how promotional approaches are targeting mothers to change handwashing and hygiene behavior, and to contrast such interventions with the possibility of more gender transformative approaches. We argue that women don’t always implement the handwashing practices they would prefer. This is clearly not due to laziness and thoughtlessness, and it is important to understand the factors women negotiate when making decisions. Furthermore, we argue that by reinforcing, legitimating, and perpetuating the idea of the good mother, hygiene promotion seeks to achieve short-term gains on hygiene at the expense of long-term gains on sustainable behavior change coupled with gender justice and equality

Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools in South Asia: Synthesis Report

There is increasing recognition that menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is a multi-sectoral issue that requires integrated action, particularly from the education, health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sectors.Numerous studies have shown that the lack of MHM-friendly facilities and support for schoolgirls and female teachers is a barrier to their full participation in school and thus to quality education.The South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) and WASH in Schools International Learning Exchange (WinS-ILE) platforms have played a significant role in mobilising action on this critical issue. UNICEF and WaterAid are among the organisations that have incorporated menstrual hygiene (MH) and MHM into WinS programmes in order to help girls and women overcome stigma and marginalisation.These reports detail the status of MHM in schools in South Asia. They identify progress and gaps in achieving sustainable and inclusive MHM services at scale, and draw together opportunities for further promoting and mainstreaming MHM in schools across South Asia

The capacity gap in the water and sanitation sector

In 2006, WHO estimated that 4.3 million additional health workers are needed worldwide - 1.5 million health workers for Africa alone - to alleviate the current human resource crisis. UNESCO (2008) estimates that 18 million new teachers are needed to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of achieving universal primary education sub-Saharan Africa alone needs to increase the number of its teachers by 1.6 million or 68 per cent. It is also expected that adequate quantity and quality of service providers is one of the preconditions to making progress towards the MDG targets for safe water and basic sanitation. Yet the human resource gap in this sector is relatively unknown. This paper outlines a piece of research that is being conducted to provide reliable data on the extent of the capacity gap in the water and sanitation sector

The Addis Agreement: Using CLTS in peri-urban and urban areas

The CLTS Knowledge Hub with the support of Plan International Ethiopia, convened a three day workshop focusing on ‘Using a CLTS Approach and Tools in Peri-Urban and Urban Environments’ in Addis Ababa in June 2016. Over the course of three days participants from across the world and different organisations shared their experiences with urban CLTS and discussed what added value a CLTS approach in the urban context could bring. This Learning Paper has two purposes. It can be read as a record of the different discussions that took place. However, it is much more than a workshop report. Based on practical examples of what has worked it highlights the key stages of any urban CLTS programme. Furthermore, it provides guidance, advice and experiences of these different stages. Its purpose is not a guide but the beginnings of a toolbox for those interested in following a similar approach

Using a CLTS Approach in Peri-Urban and Urban Environments: Potential at Scale

This note summarises the potentials and limitations of using a CLTS approach in peri-urban and urban environments. It identifies the actions needed to take the approach to scale. It is one output from a workshop convened by the CLTS Knowledge Hub at the Institute of Development Studies, and Plan International Ethiopia in Addis Abba between June 13th-15th 2016. A more detailed report can be found on the CLTS Knowledge Hub website: www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/using-clts-approach-peri-urban-and-urban-environmentsThis series is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation (Sida)

Equality and Non-Discrimination (EQND) in Sanitation Programmes at Scale (Part 1 of 2)

A well-facilitated Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) programme that pro-actively considers and involves people who might be disadvantaged has been shown to have many benefits. A lack of this can and will often have negative impacts and make programmes and open defecation free (ODF) unsustainable. This issue of Frontiers of CLTS looks at who should be considered potentially disadvantaged, how they can effectively participate and what may be needed to address diverse needs in order to make processes and outcomes sustainable and inclusive. Using a range of examples from Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) programmes that were part of a recent study on Equality and Non-Discrimination, it explores the challenges that may occur and concludes with suggested good practices that will strengthen the processes to the benefit of all.Sid

Scoping and Diagnosis of the Global Sanitation Fund's Approach to Equality and Non-Discrimination

In 2016, WSSCC's Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) recruited an independent team of experts to undertake an in-depth two-part diagnosis of GSF's approach to equality and non-discrimination (EQND). The first part of the diagnosis – an assessment comprising of visits to six countries (Ethiopia, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo) and a review of documentation across all GSF-supported programmes – was completed in 2017, resulting in this study. While confirming that many people who may be considered disadvantaged have benefitted positively from GSF-supported programmes, the study emphasizes that more proactive attention is needed to ensure no one is left behind. Several recommendations are offered to better integrate EQND throughout the components and stages of all GSF-supported programmes

Breaking the Next Taboo: Menstrual Hygiene within CLTS

Most adolescent girls and women menstruate. This means that for five to seven days each month they bleed through their vagina. This monthly bleeding is often accompanied by abdominal cramps, headaches, mood changes and general lethargy all of which can be exacerbated by social stigma, myths and a lack of requisite infrastructure to manage menstruation safely, privately and hygienically. The accumulated impact of these issues have significant implications for women and girls and the potential to limit their opportunity for education, equality, income generation and societal participation, all of which hamper self-worth and confidence. This edition of Frontiers of CLTS illustrates how CLTS programmes can be expanded to address menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in schools and communities to alleviate these stresses on women and girls.This series is funded by Sid

Water use and rights

United Nations treaties guarantee the human right to water. Although states must fulfill this human right and businesses must respect the state’s obligation, approximately 900 million people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water. Despite growing awareness of the need for sustainable water use by companies, increasing global population and inequitable access to water will create controversy and lead to conflict