Integrated projects–hygiene promotion

Hygiene promotion helps community members lean about ways in which they can utilize their new water systems and be healthier. When you ask most women in developing countries why they want a water project, they often say, “because I must spend so much time walking to collect water for my family.” So, most families are very excited to use their new water systems for domestic purposes such as drinking, cooking, bathing, and small vegetable gardens.

However, many illnesses, especially in young children, are caused by unsafe hygiene practices such as not washing hands after using a latrines and contamination of stored drinking water. Hygiene promoters from our local partner organization talk to community members about hygiene practices that help prevent the spread of disease.

A great deal of effort is investing on the part of our local partner organizations in learning about the current local knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respect to hygiene. Participatory activities are used to initiate discussions and encourage involvement of community members in making decisions about what they can and want to do to address hygiene issues within the community and within individual households.

Children are a critical part of the hygiene promotion activities in communities, because they are the principal victims of the water crisis. Our local partner organizations make hygiene education fun for the children by using songs, games, skits, and puppets to demonstrate the importance of using a latrine and washing hands.

Experience has shown that knowledge is not enough. Having information can be very different from applying it. In the case of safe hygiene behaviors, people tend to know more than they practice. Personal contact, a variety of strategies, and time are needed in order to help motivate communities to turn their knowledge into behavior change. This is one of the many reasons why Water 1st works through locally-based partner organizations: because they can make a long-term commitment to communities to work on the issues that are important to improving the health status of the community.

The staff of our local partner organizations are uniquely qualified to undertake this work. In addition to having the ability to speak in local dialects, they have an understanding of local beliefs and practices. These hygiene promoters are often from communities similar to the ones where they are working, allowing them to gain trust and confidence quickly.

Our local partner organization staff also understand that if the goal is to effect behavior change, the changes must be the decision of the communities and individuals involved. Sustainable solutions to any problems come when they are identified and addressed by the communities themselves and not by outsiders.