The Universal Languages for Behaviour Change (UL4BC) program promotes positive impacts and emotions to motivate people to adopt sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene practices. The approach uses arts, sports, dance, music, and games to create an atmosphere of joy and dignity where people can learn and experience how to deal with WASH issues. UL4BC inspires people to engage in collaborative problem-solving and take action for improved WASH services in the long term. The programme focuses on realising potential, enhancing existing skills, and empowering individuals to achieve self-determined and self-designed future growth. It also advocates upstream for human rights to water and sanitation, raising political and public awareness thereby catalysing systemic change at the local and national levels.

Art for WASH

Art 4 WASH is an initiative that uses art to educate people about water, sanitation, and hygiene. It employs Universal Languages for Behaviour Change to communicate information about WASH in a joyful and effective way. 

For example, in the Walls for WASH programme in South Africa, children worked with artists to explore WASH issues in their school and home lives, through educational workshops, assessment tools, and creative writing and drawing sessions. The artists created murals at the schools reflecting the children's ideas and unique WASHERO characters. The children also completed a second mural themselves, which was acknowledged at a handover ceremony.

© Papa Shabani/Viva con Agua Uganda

© Papa Shabani/Viva con Agua Uganda

© Viva con Agua South Africa

© Papa Shabani

© Papa Shabani/Viva con Agua Uganda

WASHHeroes

WASHeroes is a project that aims to introduce children to WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) knowledge in a fun and comical way with the help of manuals and illustrations. The project uses cartoon-like characters as positive role models who promote commitment to connection, joy, potential, and development. The creation of printed comic books that are co-designed and co-developed with the children ensures that they can be integrated into the education rhythm of schools and classes and can live beyond the timeframe of a particular project. 

The comics are not just about water, soap, and hygiene. They also address crucial topics such as gender equality, tolerance, diversity, and self-responsibility in their stories. In this way, the project not only promotes good hygiene practices but also helps children develop important life skills.

Viva Con Agua (2021) The WASHHEROES
On Their First Mission

Viva con Agua sees sport, music, and art as universal languages or forms of communication that everyone can understand, regardless of the language they speak. They use these universal languages as educational tools to create a joyful and engaging approach to topics like clean drinking water, hygiene, and sanitation. […]

Football for WASH (F4W)

Football is a widely popular sport with over 2.6 billion global enthusiasts. In East Africa, more than 40 million people play football competitively or for fun. Sports can play a significant role in promoting healthy and safe learning and development, particularly for children in challenging contexts.  Viva con Agua promotes Football4WASH, F4W, as part of UL4BC approach to create a fun and interactive learning environment that sensitises WASH-related health behaviour in a playful manner.  The program was developed in Uganda and extended to other countries like Mozambique, India, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Zambia. 

The F4W program is designed around a series of football exercises that are easy to learn and execute. Rather than relying solely on didactic means of information transfer and education or the use of feelings of shame and fear, the F4W program creates a fun-filled atmosphere where learning and the application of health-related behaviours are joyful and dignified.

Viva con Agua (2021) Football 4 WASH - Manual VcA

Football as a sport is enjoyed by over 2.6 billion people all over the world. In East Africa alone, over 40 million boys and girls, women and men are actively involved in football games, either competitively or as fun games. Football and getting engaged in physical activity in general can provide […]

Dance for WASH/ Africa Waterproof Project 2022-2023

Dance is not only a means of celebration but can also be used for learning, communicating, and mobilising. It is an effective tool to create and share messages in a developmental context. Dance is an integral part of culture and society and has the power to transform, connect, and bring people together. Additionally, it may not receive the same resistance or scrutiny as other means of communication because of its unassuming and fun-oriented nature.

Dancing can be a fun way to learn about water quality safety, proper toilet usage, and good handwashing techniques.

Viva Con Agua (2023) WASH IT!
The Manual for Pandemic Resiliance

Dance has the power to transform, connect, and bring people together. It does so through expression and movement. Beyond celebration, dance is used in various contexts for learning, communication, mobilization, and spiritual practices. Whether young or old, or with different physical abilities, all members of a community can take part. In […]

Africa Waterproof Project 2022-2023

The campaign effectively reached around 1.2 million young people across six countries for six months through dance, music, art, and social media. The campaign partnered with artists and musicians to create engaging content, using the slogan "WASH IT, SHAKE IT, MAKE IT AND BREAK IT". 

Wash it: Wash your hands with soap and water.

Shake it:  Shake off bad habits.

Break it: Break the spread of infection. 

Make it: Make the world a healthier, better place.

Dance4WASH collaboration with Ghetto Kids 

• https://youtu.be/75R7Vy7Up-k?si=RsSAlwbgdjeXjC_c
• https://www.instagram.com/reel/C09TbdRITJV/

In addition to the social media campaign under the Waterproof project, there were also in-person events held at various schools and community centres across the six participating countries. Visual wall art and a short comic film featuring the WASHeroes were among the creative endeavours that supported the online and in-person activities under the project.

The NRW Media Award for Development Policy Engagement's third prize was awarded to the Waterproof-Dance4WASH Campaign in 2023. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) provided financial support for the campaign.