2 research outputs found
Sanitation and Hygiene Behaviour Change at Scale: Understanding Slippage
As sanitation and hygiene programmes mature, the challenge shifts from bringing communities to ODF status to sustaining this status. In this context, many programmes are confronted with the issue of slippage. This concept refers to a return to previous unhygienic behaviours, or the inability of some or all community members to continue to meet all ODF criteria. This paper explores how to discern slippage nuances and patterns, strategies to address, pre-empt and mitigate it as well as alternative monitoring systems that capture the complexity of slippage more fully. The analysis and reflections are based on direct field experience, primarily from the GSF-supported programme in Madagascar. Moreover, the underpinning principle of the paper is that slippage is an expected aspect of behaviour change-oriented sanitation and hygiene interventions, especially those at scale, and not a sign of failure thereof
Local governance and community managed O&M
In South Africa, District Municipalities are the designated
Water Services Authorities (WSAs). They are responsible
for ensuring the provision of water and sanitation
services. They either may perform the function of Water
Services Provider (WSP), or contract a WSP. The WSP is
responsible for the actual provision of the services. This
includes responsibility for implementing, managing, operating
and maintaining schemes in terms of new projects, or
taking responsibility for the management, operation and
maintenance (O&M) of existing schemes. WSPs may be
local municipalities, water utilities, non-governmental organisations
(NGOs), private sector companies, or community-
based organisations (CBOs).
The Mvula Trust believes that rural development is most
sustainable when it is driven by the beneficiaries, and
therefore advocates the community-based WSP option.
This option is particularly valid for towns that became
responsible for remote rural areas previously outside their
boundaries, following the South African Municipal Demarcation
process in December 2000. These towns do not
always have sufficient expertise, capacity, and resources to
attend to their rural areas. In many cases, this has led to
gaps and problems with service delivery, and entire rural
areas remaining unserviced. In these areas, The Mvula
Trust advocates the establishment of community-based
WSPs