It is clear that there is a need for more effective strategies to increase sanitation coverage in rural areas, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. One such strategy which is expanding in the sub-continent is community-led total sanitation (CLTS). However, CLTS has been criticized for 'shaming' communities.
The rapid influx of Rohingya refugees into Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, has led to the formation of huge camps, built on difficult terrain, short of space and with high population density. All these factors present numerous challenges to agencies seeking to provide latrines, water points, and bathing facilities. Feedback gathered from women and girls highlighted significant challenges around access, safety, privacy, and dignity, including management of […]
A Positive Deviance/Hearth Nutrition Program (PD/Hearth) is a home- and neighborhood-based nutrition program for children who are at risk for protein-energy malnutrition in developing countries. The program uses the “positive deviance” approach to identify those behaviors practiced by the mothers or caretakers of well-nourished children from low-resource families and to transfer such positive practices to others in the community with malnourished children. The “hearth” or […]
Handwashing with soap effectively prevents diarrhoea, a leading cause of death in infants. Theory-based interventions are expected to promote handwashing more successfully than standard approaches. The present article investigates the underlying change processes of theory-based handwashing interventions. A nonrandomised field study compared a standard approach to two theory-based interventions that were tailored to the target population, the inhabitants of four villages in southern Ethiopia (N […]
A Refugee Camp Beautification project is proposed as a way to uplift both environment and to bring a positive identity to the refugees. A key component of the project is to maximize the sense of ownership and wellbeing. Two radical tools make this type of work possible: digital photography and large format printing onto high quality, durable, light-weight architectural fabrics. Regardless of the tool employed, […]
Although interventions that emphasize the role of knowledge in invoking behaviour change have recently become unpopular, the Community Health Club (CHC) model has demonstrated how group knowledge, consensus building, and peer pressure can be applied to achieve hygiene behaviour change. To date, the model has predominantly been implemented in rural settings, with limited testing in urban communities. In 2012, CHCs started in Haiti as a […]
This short guide to community engagement at a distance is designed to assist development and humanitarian agencies to think through how risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) activities related to COVID-19 can be carried out without face-to-face interaction with communities. It is intended for communities in Bangladesh and was produced by BBC Media Action on behalf of Shongjog multi-stakeholder platform (MSP), the national platform for […]
We introduce a new approach to behaviour change called ‘Evo–Eco’ because of its intellectual roots in evolutionary biology and ecological psychology. This approach is based on the inference that brains evolved to provide adaptive behavioural responses to rapidly changing or complex environmental conditions. From this foundation, we develop a model with three basic components: the environment, which presents some challenge or opportunity to the individual; […]
The handbook provides practical guidelines for evaluation water- and sanitation-related hygiene practices. An evaluation of hygiene practices can be used for the purposes of project planning, monitoring, or final assessment of the project’s impact. The main focus is on the practical concerns of field personnel working in water supply, sanitation, and health/hygiene education projects who want to design and conduct their own evaluations of hygiene […]
Tropical Cyclone Winston hit Fiji from 19 to 20 February as a Category 5 system with winds of 220 kmph, gusting up to 325 kmph, and this time through much more populated islands. TC Winston not only was the first Category 5 tropical cyclone of record to hit Fiji, but the strongest tropical cyclone of record in the Southern Hemisphere. The program of activities will […]
Zimbabwe implemented COVID-19-related restrictions early into the pandemic to limit the spread of the virus. These restrictions added to the ongoing macroeconomic crisis and high levels of inflation have had critical effects on individuals and businesses. Community perceptions associated with the virus and the restrictions, therefore, fluctuated throughout the pandemic.
Oxfam and Unilever’s Chief Sustainability Office carried out extensive research on handwashing practice in emergency contexts. We found nurture to be one of the most powerful motivators driving handwashing with soap among mothers. Even during a crisis, mothers continue to nurture their children to ensure they go onward in life and succeed in bringing fruition to their efforts and fulfillment to their lives. Handwashing fits […]
Oxfam and Unilever’s Chief Sustainability Office carried out extensive research on handwashing practice in emergency contexts. We found nurture to be one of the most powerful motivators driving handwashing with soap among mothers. Even during a crisis, mothers continue to nurture their children to ensure they go onward in life and succeed in bringing fruition to their efforts and fulfillment to their lives. Handwashing fits […]
Indicators are essential to monitor the progress of the Agenda 2030. An indicator summarizes information and helps policy makers to take important decisions regarding the implementation of measures to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, this requires data that is not available in many places. In order to fill this data gap, a transect walk with local stakeholders can contribute to the collection of […]