Hygiene Promotion –Old Challenges and New Ideas
Over the past few decades the terminology within the sector has changed from “Wat” (water) to “WatSan” (water and sanitation) to “WASH” (water, sanitation and hygiene), representing an evolution toward a more holistic approach to activities undertaken in the field.
The value of hygiene education when well integrated into water and sanitation projects is indisputable. For example, while the provision of water and sanitation has the ability to reduce risk of diarrheal diseases by 15-20%, hand washing reduces risk by more than 40%! Diarrheal diseases are presently responsible for the deaths of some 1.5 million children under age 5 each year.
Yet, how to effectively promote good hygiene behaviors to replace deeply entrenched practices detrimental to human health remains one of the greatest challenges faced by those working in the field.
Hygiene promotion was one of the many topics discussed at this year’s WEDC Conference. One interesting example cited came from Nigeria, where the wives of Members of Parliament (MPs) and the President participated in the launch of a national campaign to promote hand washing.
The campaign utilized local radio, print publications and television to spread the message to nearly 90% of the Nigerian population. When asked why only women were used to promote the campaign and not men, the presenter replied that the actual power of the President and MPs lies in the “hands of the wives.” While the pun may have made the audience chuckle, the selection of female spokespeople for the promotion of this campaign was no doubt a strategic move.
Effective behavioral change campaigns begin with knowing who the most powerful agents of change are at the household and community levels and targeting messages accordingly. When it comes to hygiene practices women are key. In their role as mothers, homemakers and teachers their hygiene practices— such as storage of water, household cleanliness and frequency of hand washing— have enormous impacts on the health of their children and family members. Additionally, they carry the burden of caring for the ill, and have immense power to instill good hygiene practices in their children.
But, as in our culture, it’s more than just education. We and our partner organizations, which bring decades of hygiene promotion experience to bear on WaterCan-funded projects, are well aware that “knowing” does not mean “doing”. In other words, education about the connection between poor hygiene practices, germs and illness will not necessarily lead directly to behavioral change.
Effective hygiene promotion is a gradual process that involves critical involvement of communities in understanding existing practices and beliefs related to the spread of illness, in defining motivational and communications strategies and facilitating practical, locally appropriate steps toward positive behavioral change. High-profile government funded media campaigns, such as the one in Nigeria, work to complement and reinforce the hygiene promotion activities and messages undertaken by organizations such as ours at the community level.
The hygiene promotion component of WaterCan’s work will likely continue to be amongst the most time consuming and challenging, but done right and in conjunction with well planned water and sanitation solutions, it has the potential to dramatically improve the health status of entire communities.
Leslie's Fall 2008 Monitoring and Evaluation Trip Diary
