(version français ci-dessous)

Authors: Prakash Bohara, Laxman Kharal Chettry and Sudarshan Neupane from Tdh Nepal
Photos: Tdh Nepal

As part of the SWSC project in phase III, municipality-led total handwashing campaigns were launched by Tdh Nepal and its local partner Geruwa in Thakurbaba municipalityof Bardiya district in Nepal. The purpose is to promote proper handwashing practices within communities, to achieve a significant behaviour change by encouraging individuals wash their hands with soap at critical times and with this create more hygienic and healthier communities. A special focus was on mothers and caretakers of children below five years.

 I have two children one aged seven and one aged 2 years. The handwashing bucket is very easy to use for washing hands before feeding my child and after cleaning his feaces. Likewise, my elder daughter likes to use the handwashing bucket with tap very much. Whenever she returns from school, she manages to wash her hands and legs on her own. When we did not have handwashing bucket with tap at home, I had to help my daughter to wash her hands at the hand pump. Now, she does not need my help and enjoys washing hands at the handwashing station.

Mother of two children

The “Municipality-led Total Handwashing Campaign” covered 11,115 households with a population of 57,755. The baseline and endline evaluation (external) revealed notable improvements in handwashing prevalence/frequency at critical handwashing moments. Thakurbaba municipality became the first in Nepal to be recognized as a Total Handwashing Municipality. The municipality has prioritized handwashing in their annual planning and budgeting process and even organized a sharing and advocacy meeting at the provincial level. Further the municipality plans to continue regular monitoring and follow-up activities to encourage ongoing handwashing practices. It aims to mobilize local stakeholders including child club members, village committee members and health institutions to sustain the behaviour change. These achievements demonstrate the successful implementation of the campaign and the positive impact it has had on handwashing practices.

Total Handwashing municipality declaration is just the beginning. Behavior change is difficult to maintain, so in order to ensure that the community people continue using installed handwashing stations, regular monitoring and follow up is a must.

Thakurbaba Municipality Health Coordinator

Check out the videos from Tdh Nepal on the SWSC youtube channel to learn more about various project components of phase III. For example about school gardening, characterization and quantification of healthcare waste and many more.

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Campagne totale de lavage des mains menée par la municipalité

Auteurs: Prakash Bohara, Laxman Kharal Chettry and Sudarshan Neupane de Tdh Nepal
Photos: Tdh Nepal

Dans le cadre de la phase III du projet SWSC, des campagnes de lavage des mains ont été lancées par Tdh Népal et son partenaire local Geruwa dans la municipalité de Thakurbaba du district de Bardiya au Népal. L'objectif est de promouvoir de bonnes pratiques de lavage des mains au sein des communautés, de parvenir à un changement de comportement significatif en encourageant les individus à se laver les mains avec du savon à des moments critiques et de créer ainsi des communautés plus hygiéniques et plus saines. L'accent a été mis sur les mères et les personnes s'occupant d'enfants de moins de cinq ans.

J'ai deux enfants, l'un âgé de 7 ans et l'autre de 2 ans. Le seau à main est très facile à utiliser pour se laver les mains avant de donner à manger à mon enfant et après avoir nettoyé son visage. De même, ma fille aînée aime beaucoup utiliser le seau à main avec robinet. Lorsqu'elle rentre de l'école, elle parvient à se laver les mains et les jambes toute seule. Lorsque nous n'avions pas de seau à main avec robinet à la maison, je devais aider ma fille à se laver les mains à la pompe manuelle. Maintenant, elle n'a plus besoin de mon aide et aime se laver les mains à la station de lavage

une mère de deux enfants

La "Campagne totale de lavage des mains menée par la municipalité" a couvert 11 115 ménages pour une population de 57 755 habitants. L'évaluation de base et l'évaluation finale (externe) ont révélé des améliorations notables dans la prévalence/fréquence du lavage des mains à des moments critiques. La municipalité de Thakurbaba est devenue la première au Népal à être reconnue comme une municipalité de lavage total des mains. La municipalité a fait du lavage des mains une priorité dans son processus annuel de planification et de budgétisation et a même organisé une réunion de partage et de plaidoyer au niveau provincial. En outre, la municipalité prévoit de poursuivre les activités régulières de contrôle et de suivi afin d'encourager les pratiques de lavage des mains. Elle entend mobiliser les parties prenantes locales, notamment les membres des clubs d'enfants, les membres des comités villageois et les établissements de santé, afin de pérenniser le changement de comportement. Ces réalisations démontrent la réussite de la campagne et l'impact positif qu'elle a eu sur les pratiques de lavage des mains.

La déclaration de la municipalité sur le lavage total des mains n'est qu'un début. Il est difficile de maintenir un changement de comportement, c'est pourquoi, afin de s'assurer que les membres de la communauté continuent à utiliser les stations de lavage des mains installées, un contrôle et un suivi réguliers sont indispensables

le coordinateur de la santé de la municipalité de Thakurbaba

Consultez les vidéos de Tdh Népal sur le canal youtube de SWSC pour en savoir plus sur les différentes composantes du projet de la phase III. Par exemple, le jardinage dans les écoles, la caractérisation et la quantification des déchets médicaux et bien d'autres choses encore.

Contributors: Jacques Louvat, John Brogan, Brigit Zuber
Photo Credits: Jacques Louvat

This week, the 9^th World Water Forum is taking place in Dakar, from March 21^st – 26^th, 2022, on the topic of “Water Security for Peace and Development”. The Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC) is also actively participating and contributing to the forum. 15 SWSC representatives came together to share their know-how and experience at the forum. The group consists of project team members and SWSC advisors from Terre des hommes, Swissaid, Helvetas, HEKS, Fastenaktion and Caritas Switzerland from 8 different countries – Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ethiopia, Sudan, Cambodia, Madagascar and Switzerland.

The SWSC Supports Three Official Sesssions

On Tuesday, March 22^nd, 2022, the SWSC contributes to the action group 2C1 under the forum priority "Water for Rural Development", with the session title “Building a collective vision of more robust systems for WASH in public institutions”. The session aims to raise awareness of government stakeholders and their partners of programmatic approaches and strategies that promote WASH improvements at scale in public institutions in their countries. The exchange of knowledge and learning will catalyse increased cross-sectoral commitment (WASH, health and education), investment and policy for WASH in public institutions by governments and its partners.

On Wednesday, March 23^rd, 2022, 9am – 10:30am, the SWSC co-organises a session on WASH in Institutions – Advocacy (2C2) with the title “Water is Politics: Professionalizing WASH Advocacy” in cooperation with UNICEF, the WASH advocacy expert John Oldfield and the Water Youth Network. In the session, WASH advocates from across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East will convene to discuss and debate best, worst, and promising practices in advocating for WASH in healthcare facilities and schools. How are advocates working with political leadership in their countries and communities to accelerate progress on WASH access? What are the challenges encountered, and what are the keys to successful advocacy?

On Thursday, March 24^th, 2022, at 1:30pm – 3pm, the SWSC co-convenes a session on WASH in Institutions – Technologies (2C3) with the title “Applying the right technologies for sustainable and at-scale WASH in institutions”. The session aims to stimulate discussion about emerging technology options and considerations for WASH services in specific geographic / climate contexts in order to draft guidance on how best to support government approval and inclusion of appropriate, sustainable technologies for schools and health care facilities.

Blue School Video in the Youth Village

In the youth village in the World Water Forum, the SWSC is featuring a short introduction video to Blue Schools. The project team members of the SWSC who are active in Blue Schools in Africa and Asia have worked together to create a short introduction video to Blue Schools. The 3-minute video explains what a Blue School is in a nutshell. In the video, the Blue Schools approach becomes tangible through images from Blue Schools in Nepal, Cambodia, Madagascar, Uganda, Ethiopia, Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger.

SWSC Presentations and Exhibitions at the Swiss Pavilion

On Thursday, March 24^th, 2022, 9:30am – 10:30am, the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium members, Caritas Switzerland, Fastenaktion, HEKS/EPER, Helvetas, Swissaid, Swiss Red Cross and Terre des hommes, together with the Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology will hold a presentation on Blue Schools – Practical, contextualized learning to inspire a generation of water and environment champions. The SWSC project teams from Africa and Asia will share stories of how Blue Schools is inspiring students, teachers and local governance actors, including a case study on the contextualization of the Blue Schools Kit in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Cambodia.

On Friday, March 25^th, 2022, 12pm – 1:30pm, the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium members, HEKS/EPER, Helvetas, Swissaid and Terre des hommes, together with WATALUX and Gravit’EAU will hold a presentation on WASH in Health Care Facilities – transformative methods and technologies. In this session, SWSC members will spotlight WASH commitments and investments made by local government authorities and facility management committees to prevent health care acquired infections. Project leads from Africa and Asia will relate how the WASH in Health Facility Improvement Tool (WHO, UNICEF) is catalyzing change. They will also welcome other Swiss partners to present promising, climate-smart technologies in health care facilities. These include the Gravit’eau water recycling systems that enable handwashing without water supply and energy and WATA’s robust electro-chlorinators rolled out in 550 health facilities since 2018.

Author: Seanghak Khin, Blue Schools and Water Integrity Advisor, Caritas Switzerland in Cambodia
Photo Credits: Caritas Switzerland in Cambodia

 

The Blue Schools Kit is an open-source compilation of inspirational support materials to guide schools in their pathway to improve water and sanitation services and to integrate environmental education and practice in the curricula. The Blue School Kit was developed in 2018 by the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC), Helvetas, Caritas Switzerland, Terre des hommes and Eawag.

In the project “Cambodia Goes Blue Schools” by Caritas Switzerland, the Blue Schools Kit was adapted to the Cambodian context in 2021/2022. The adapted Kit is in the Khmer language, includes locally relevant technologies as well as Cambodian pictures and illustrations. The aim of the adaptation is to give inspiration and support tailored to the context to teachers and other school stakeholders in Cambodia to improve their way of teaching with practical exercises by using the low-cost materials and technologies available at their schools.

The Cambodian Blue Schools Kit aims to give inspiration and support to teachers by complementing theoretical classes with practical exercise by using low-cost technologies and locally available resources. For each Blue Schools topic, a compilation of hands-on exercises is provided that align with the national school curriculum for different grades. The catalogue of practical exercise provides the participatory training and teaching by putting in place an enabling environment for children to practice.

The Cambodian Blue School Kit will be published in May 2022 and will be available here:

https://waterconsortium.ch/blueschool/

 

How the Cambodian Blue Schools Kit was Adapted

The Cambodian Kit, just like the general Blue Schools Kit, is structured into six main chapters:

1. My Drinking Water
2. Sanitation and Hygiene
3. Growth and Change
4. From Waste to Resource (waste management)
5. From Soil to Food (school gardens)
6. Environment

The sixth chapter on environment focuses on the sub-components My River, The Water Cycle and My Forest, underlining the importance of trees and the negative impacts of deforestation, as these are important challenges in Cambodia.

The topics were elaborated through discussions with the implementing partners of the project from different sectors – the Department of Education, Youth and Sport, local NGOs and private sector stakeholders, as well as the school staff and teachers and students practicing the exercises and activities in school. The original Blue Schools Kit was adapted to the Cambodian context by including locally available resource materials from local NGO and government partners – including their existing best practices, interpreting activities to local customs and conceptualizing new exercises with children in order for them to reach the learning objectives better. Finally, the Cambodian Blue Schools Kit was visually improved by a local graphic designer, including pictures and illustrations from the Cambodian context while keeping the overall layout and identity of the Blue Schools Kit.

The Catalogue of Practical Exercises promotes hands-on practical exercises and introduces materials for the six components of Blue Schools. It also recommends the appropriate grade for which a particular exercise is suitable.

Blue Schools practical exercise

Training of Trainers: Blue Schools training for school’s teachers 

 

The Catalogue of Technologies supports project staff, education authorities and school staff and stakeholders in selecting the appropriate technologies that can be put in place in a particular school. It provides references to low-cost technologies and points out general prices of local materials. It also includes Cambodia specific recommendations, for example Labobo [Happy Tap] or the touch-free handwashing unit. Environmentally friendly technologies are presented for students to experience them at school, learn how they work and get inspired to replicate these practices at home and in their communities.

In summary, the main features of the Cambodian Blue Schools Kit are the following:

• Inspiration for schoolteachers to engage students within the Cambodian cultural context
• Alignment of Blues School exercises to the existing national curriculum of Cambodia
• Adaptation of the exercises by aligning them with specific grades / learning levels
• All materials needed for the practical exercises are locally available
• Easy to follow layout with a nice local graphic design and pictures

Blue Schools training from teacher to students

 

The Original Blue School Kit

The Blue Schools Kit was developed in 2018 by the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC) project teams and advisors from Helevtas, Caritas Switzerland and Terre des hommes, in collaboration with Eawag based on field experience in WASH in Schools and lessons from piloting the environmental components in schools.

Between 2020 and 2023, the SWSC implements Blue Schools in over 150 schools in 12 countries. In addition, several other organisations are using the Blue Schools Kit in various countries.

The Blue Schools Kit is accessible online: https://waterconsortium.ch/blueschool

 (Version française ci-dessous)

Authors: Aboubacar BALLO, WASH Coordinator, Terre des hommes in Mali; Bruno PASCUAL, Head of Wash expertise, Terre des hommes
Photo Credits: Terre des hommes

 

The Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC) and its member organisations are contributing to the improvement of water and sanitation services worldwide – this is particularly crucial during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the intervention of Terre des hommes in Mali, several health care facilities offer improved water services, including the health care facility in Kodougouni.

 

Assessing the WASH Situation using FACET

At the start of the project in 2020, Terre des hommes and the health authorities carried out an assessment of access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in ten health care facilities (HCF) in the Segou region of Mali, using the consortium's FACET tool. The tool compiles standard questions on WASH, based on the standardised JMP indicators (WHO/UNICEF). The findings of the survey were worrying because while 70% of the HCFs offered basic water service, service was limited or non-existent in the areas of sanitation, medical waste management, hand hygiene and environmental cleaning. Furthermore, WASH issues were not prioritised in the budget plans of health facility managers.

Photo: Traditional well in the HCF of Kodougouni (before the project intervention)

 

Capacity Building: The WASH FIT Approach

In response to these findings, Terre des hommes, within the framework of the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium and with the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), supported the ten HCFs in implementing the WASH FIT approach.[1] In collaboration with the Ségou Regional Health Directorate, the capacities of the HCF managers (technical agents, town hall, community health associations) were strengthened using the WASH FIT tool. A participatory improvement and monitoring plan for water, hygiene and sanitation services was developed by each HCF.

[1] WASH FIT is a tool for improving water, sanitation and hygiene services in health facilities, developed by WHO and UNICEF.

Photo: Training health staff on WASH FIT

 

Infrastructure Improvements: Construction of Water Supply Systems

Before the project’s intervention, the Kodougouni HCF did not have a suitable water supply system. It only had a traditional well with unsafe water – it was polluted with faecal coliforms. In accordance with the improvement plan put in place by the WASH FIT committee, Terre des hommes supported the construction of a water supply system, which was the HCF’s highest priority need.

Photo: New water supply system

 

Mechanisms for the Sustainable Management of the Water System

Two local technicians were trained and equipped to maintain the water supply system. The Health Centre Committee (ASACO) has included a lump sum of 10,000 CFA francs in its monthly budget planning for the maintenance of the structure.

Photo: The water tower

 

As a result of these interventions, the HCF of Kodougouni, once one of the poorest in the Segou region, now provides basic water service to over 5000 people who rely on the HCF.

Following a national assessment by the Ministry of Health, the facility was furthermore selected to host a telemedicine unit, as part of a programme to improve the technical health platform targeting 15 HCFs in Mali. Progress in WASH services was one of the determining criteria for the selection process.

Photo: A doctor examines a child in a health centre in Mali

 

"Before, women used to fetch water outside for deliveries. We had to go out into the yard to get water from the polluted traditional well. Now we have access to quality water right under our noses, in the delivery room, in all the other units and in the courtyard. This makes our work much easier. Deliveries are much safer!”

Korotimi Tangara, midwife of the Kodougouni health centre.

Photo: A midwife washing her hands at the sink

 

For more information, please visit:

• Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC) website on WASH in HCF: https://waterconsortium.ch/wash-in-health-care-facilities/
• Article on lessons learned and best practices from WASH activities in health care facilities: "Improved Sanitation and Hygiene in Health Care Facilities in Mali through WASH FIT and Community Mobilization"

Contact:

Aboubacar BALLO, WASH Coordinator, Terre des hommes Lausanne in Mali
aboubacar.ballo@tdh.ch
+223 91 57 96 08

 

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Terre des hommes favorise l'amélioration durable du système WASH dans les centres de santé au Mali

 

Auteurs : Aboubacar BALLO, Coordinateur WASH, Terre des hommes au Mali ; Bruno PASCUAL, Responsable de l'expertise WASH, Terre des hommes
Crédits photos : Terre des hommes

 

Le Consortium suisse pour l'eau et l'assainissement (SWSC) et ses organisations membres contribuent à l'amélioration des services d'eau et d'assainissement dans le monde entier, ce qui est particulièrement crucial pendant la pandémie actuelle de COVID-19. Grâce à l'intervention de Terre des hommes (Tdh) au Mali, plusieurs établissements de santé offrent des services d'eau améliorés, notamment l'établissement de santé de Kodougouni.

 

Évaluation de la situation EHA à l'aide de FACET

Au début du projet en 2020, Tdh et les autorités sanitaires ont réalisé une évaluation de l'accès à l'eau, à l'assainissement et à l'hygiène (EHA) dans dix établissements de soins de santé (ESS) de la région de Ségou au Mali, en utilisant l'outil FACET du consortium. Cet outil compile des questions standard sur le EHA, basées sur les indicateurs du JMP (OMS/UNICEF). Les résultats de l'enquête étaient inquiétants car si 70% des ESS offraient un service d'eau de base, le service était limité ou inexistant dans les domaines de l'assainissement, de la gestion des déchets médicaux, de l'hygiène des mains et du nettoyage de l'environnement. Les questions relatives à l'eau, à l'assainissement et à l'hygiène n'étaient pas prioritaires dans les plans budgétaires des gestionnaires des établissements de santé.

Photo : Puits traditionnel dans le ESS de Kodougouni

 

Renforcement des capacités : L'approche WASH FIT

Face à ces constats, Terre des hommes, dans le cadre du Consortium Suisse pour l'Eau et l'Assainissement et avec le soutien financier de la Direction du Développement et de la Coopération (DDC), a appuyé les dix ESS dans la mise en œuvre de l'approche WASH FIT.[2]  En collaboration avec la Direction Régionale de la Santé de Ségou, les capacités des gestionnaires des ESS (agents techniques, mairie, associations de santé communautaire) ont été renforcées en utilisant l'outil WASH FIT. Un plan participatif d'amélioration et de suivi des services d'eau, d'hygiène et d'assainissement a été élaboré par chaque ESS.

[2] WASH FIT est un outil destiné à améliorer les services d'eau, d'assainissement et d'hygiène dans les établissements de santé, mis au point par l'OMS et l'UNICEF.

Photo : Formation du personnel de santé sur le WASH FIT

 

Amélioration des infrastructures : Construction de systèmes d'approvisionnement en eau

Avant l'intervention du projet, le ESS de Kodougouni ne disposait pas d'un système d'approvisionnement en eau adapté. Il ne disposait que d'un puits traditionnel dont l'eau était insalubre - elle était polluée par des coliformes fécaux. Conformément au plan d'amélioration mis en place par le comité WASH FIT, Terre des hommes a soutenu la construction d'un système d'approvisionnement en eau, qui était le besoin le plus prioritaire du ESS.

Photo : Nouveau système d'approvisionnement en eau

 

Mécanismes pour la gestion durable du système d'eau

Deux techniciens locaux ont été formés et équipés pour entretenir le système d'approvisionnement en eau. Le Comité du Centre de Santé (ASACO) a inclus une somme forfaitaire de 10.000 francs CFA dans sa planification budgétaire mensuelle pour l'entretien de la structure.

Photo : Le château d'eau

 

Grâce à ces interventions, le ESS de Kodougouni, autrefois l'un des plus pauvres de la région de Ségou, fournit désormais un service d'eau de base à plus de 5000 personnes qui dépendent du ESS.

Suite à une évaluation nationale du Ministère de la Santé, la structure a en outre été sélectionnée pour accueillir une unité de télémédecine, dans le cadre d'un programme d'amélioration du plateau technique sanitaire ciblant 15 ESS au Mali. Les progrès en matière de services EHA ont été l'un des critères déterminants du processus de sélection.

Photo : Un médecin examine un enfant dans un centre de santé, Mali

 

« Avant, les femmes effectuaient la corvée d’eau pour les accouchements. Il nous fallait sortir dans la cour pour nous approvisionner en eau à partir du puits traditionnel pollué. A présent, nous avons accès à de l’eau de qualité sous nos nez, dans la salle d’accouchement, dans toutes les autres unités et dans la cour. Cela nous facilite beaucoup la tâche. Les accouchements se font dans des conditions plus sûres ! »

Korotimi Tangara, matrone du centre de santé de Kodougouni.

Photo : Une sage-femme se lave les mains au lavabo

 

Pour plus d'informations, veuillez consulter le site :

• Site web du Consortium suisse pour l'eau et l'assainissement (SWSC) sur le EHA dans les ESS : https://waterconsortium.ch/wash-in-health-care-facilities
• Article sur les leçons apprises et les meilleures pratiques des activités EHA dans les établissements de soins de santé : "Improved Sanitation and Hygiene in Health Care Facilities in Mali through WASH FIT and Community Mobilization"

Contact :

Aboubacar BALLO, coordinateur WASH, Terre des hommes au Mali
aboubacar.ballo@tdh.ch
+223 91 57 96 08

(Version française ci-dessous)

Author: Arsène Raveloson, Coordinator, Taratra
Photo Credits: Luc Ratsimiah et Rahantanirina Esperance, Taratra

Fastenaktion, in cooperation with their local partner Taratra, implements the project “Rano Aina 3” in the south of Madagascar. In their twelve Blue Schools in the districts of Betioky and Ampanihy, students learn about water and hygiene as well as environmental conservation and reforestation. For this purpose, the “One Student One Tree” approach is applied – a way to inspire students to take care of trees and the environment.

In the current project, 52,000 tree seedlings have been planted since 2017. At the beginning, only four schools participated, namely the schools of Ankopia, Vohipotsy, Amborompotsy and Agnaramaika. The trees do not only serve for the embellishment of the school surrounding and shade, but they also help the soil to store more water and to reduce rainwater runoff as well as soil erosion. This is key in order to maintain the groundwater levels in the region, as the south of Madagascar is a semi-arid region with an average rainfall of only 350 mm/year.

The Rano Aina 3 project has fostered the environmental awareness of the school community through information sessions. The knowledge about the interlinkages in the water cycle has inspired teachers, students and parents to protect the groundwater tables through reforestation. Through the collaboration with the water and forestry service in the area, forest and fruit tree seedlings were supplied, such as orange, eucalyptus and other native trees.

The Reforestation Initiative is Gaining Traction Beyond the Project

This year (2022), the chiefs of CISCO (Circonscription Scolaire) of the two districts of Betioky and Ampanihy have planned with the twelve Blue Schools and other schools under their administration to plant 2'400 trees per school per year. In parallel, this initiative is also taken up by families in the communities where the schools are located: The communities have committed to planting two trees per family.

 

« Nous avons été particulièrement ravi d’avoir été parmi les Écoles Bleues parce que c’est une approche transformatrice, c’est une approche qui intègre à la fois la dimension environnementale mais aussi la dimension sociale, éducative et même économique. »

Harena, student CM2, Andranomena Mahasoa

 

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Fastenaktion et Taratra à Madagascar promeut la reforestation grâce aux écoles bleues

 (English Version above)

Auteur : Arsène Raveloson, Coordinateur, Taratra
Crédits photos : Luc Ratsimiah et Rahantanirina Esperance, Taratra

Fastenaktion, en coopération avec son partenaire local Taratra, met en œuvre le projet "Rano Aina 3" dans le sud de Madagascar. Dans leurs douze écoles bleues situées dans les districts de Betioky et d'Ampanihy, les élèves apprennent des notions d'eau et d'hygiène ainsi que de conservation de l'environnement. À cette fin, l'approche "Un élève, un arbre" est appliquée – un moyen d'inciter les élèves à prendre soin des arbres et de l'environnement.

Dans le cadre du projet actuel, 52 000 plants d'arbres ont été plantés depuis 2017. Au début, seules quatre écoles ont participé, à savoir les écoles d'Ankopia, Vohipotsy, Amborompotsy et Agnaramaika. Les arbres ne servent pas seulement à l'embellissement des environs de l'école et à l'ombrage, mais ils aident aussi le sol à stocker plus d'eau et à réduire le ruissellement des eaux de pluie ainsi que l'érosion. Il s'agit d'un élément essentiel pour maintenir le niveau des eaux souterraines dans la région, car le sud de Madagascar est une région semi-aride où les précipitations moyennes ne sont que de 350 mm par an.

Le projet Rano Aina 3 a favorisé la prise de conscience environnementale de la communauté scolaire par le biais de séances d'information. La connaissance de ces liens dans le cycle de l'eau a incité les enseignants, les élèves et les parents à protéger les nappes phréatiques par la reforestation. Grâce à la collaboration avec le service des eaux et forêts de la région, des plants d'arbres forestiers et fruitiers ont été fournis, tels que des orangers, des eucalyptus et d'autres arbres indigènes.

L'initiative de reboisement gagne en popularité au-delà du projet

Cette année (2022), les chefs de CISCO (Circonscription Scolaire) des deux districts de Betioky et Ampanihy ont prévu avec les douze écoles bleues et les autres écoles sous leur administration de planter 2'400 arbres par école et par an. En parallèle, cette initiative est également reprise par les familles des communautés où se trouvent les écoles : Elles se sont engagées à planter deux arbres par famille.

« Nous avons été particulièrement ravi d’avoir été parmi les Écoles Bleues parce que c’est une approche transformatrice, c’est une approche qui intègre à la fois la dimension environnementale mais aussi la dimension sociale, éducative et même économique. »

Harena, élève CM2, Andranomena Mahasoa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author: Debi Nabukeera
Photo Credits: Rogers Musiitwa

Community Initiative to Construct Latrines in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement

Uganda hosts many refugees from neighboring countries, especially from South Sudan. The Bidibidi refugee settlement (in the Yumbe district) is one of the biggest refugee camps in the North of Uganda. In the settlement, many refugee families do not have access to proper water and sanitation services: A third of the population in the Bidibidi settlement does not have access to a toilet (UNHCR, June 2021). Having no access to sanitation facilities leads to cycles of disease and poor health outcomes among the families and communities.

To change this and to improve access to sanitation services, the Agency for Cooperation Research and Development (ACORD) Uganda with support from HEKS/EPER and the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC) work with the families in the Bidibidi settlement. With the help of the Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation approach (PHAST, see more information below), families are sensitized about hygiene and health. The hygiene promoters of ACORD Uganda work with the communities in weekly sessions to promote improved WASH practices. An important part of their work is also to encourage families to construct pit latrines for their own use.

Below are two success stories of families who build their own latrines at home:

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Elida Ajonye, a 30-year-old South Sudanese refugee, who lives in the Bidibidi refugee settlement, also attended a PHAST awareness session in her village, carried out by ACORD Uganda. Elida became aware of the benefits of having her own latrine and was determined to construct one in her home. Her determination was also anchored on her prior experience of sharing a latrine with her neighbors, which came with a lot of restrictions.

Elida recalls digging the latrine pit herself using the digging tools given to the community by ACORD Uganda. This is hard work, due to the rocky nature of the soil in the village. Elida also collected other materials, including logs and grass from the bush. She hired a mason from the community to support her with the construction work and the roofing of the latrine. She also installed a hand-washing facility, using a recycled five-liter jerry can.

Having a latrine in my home has come with tremendous benefits including reduced cases of open defecation in and around my home and reduced diarrheal cases. Now I have more respect in the community and – best of all – I am living in harmony with the neighbors, which was not the case before. I feel confident to have visitors in my home because there is no need to worry about where they will go in case they need to use a latrine.

Elida Ajonye

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Anite Scovia is a 35-year-old single mother, a South Sudanese refugee, and lives in the Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda. Also Anite’s family now owns a latrine, thanks to ACORD Uganda and their sensitization campaigns on sanitation and hygiene in the communities.

Anite explains that before having an own latrine, the family had to ask neighbors to use their latrines. This was inconvenient and caused stress as some neigbours did not allow the family to use the latrines, other neighbors would ask Anite to first sweep their latrine before using it. At times, the neighbors would also lock their latrine. And, especially at night, it was difficult for Anite’s family to find a latrine to use. Anite recounts that her family was not respected in the community and that family members constantly suffered from diseases related to poor sanitation.

After attending a hygiene and sanitation awareness session in our village, I became motivated to build a latrine in my home to improve the health of my household. I bought nails, collected logs and grass from the bush and paid UGX 20,000 (approx. $5.50) to the mason for the construction work. I’m very happy that I no longer have to go through the experience of asking permission to use the latrine from my neighbors. I can use my own latrine at any time and live peacefully with my neighbors. I am also not so worried about diarrhea anymore which has disturbed my family for so long.

Anite Scovia

The Project in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement

The Agency for Cooperation Research and Development (ACORD) Uganda with support from HEKS/EPER and the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC) implements the project “Improving Sustainable Services and Schools in Bidibidi Settlement”. The overall objective of the project is to improve sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services for 12,542 South Sudanese refugees and 1,680 host community members in Bidibidi. The project builds on past phases, which promoted Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), improved Water Supply and WASH infrastructure development.

In the current project phase, ACORD uses the PHAST approach (“Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation”, WHO) at household level. The aim of the approach is to further a community’s understanding of how improved WASH services prevent diarrhea and other gastrointestinal diseases. With specific participatory activities, community groups discover for themselves the faecal-oral contamination routes of disease, analyse their own hygiene behaviours and plan how to block the contamination routes.

The hygiene promoters of ACORD Uganda work with the communities in weekly sensitization sessions to promote improved WASH practices. The hygiene promotion sessions include the following topics:  

• Safe excreta disposal (identification of pit latrines)
• Improved hand washing practice (tippy tap installations at households)
• Safe water chains at household level and at water points
• Community health, hygiene and sanitation awareness meetings (advocacy meetings and focus group discussions)
• COVID-19 prevention messages
• Jerry can clean up campaign
• Monitoring functionality of water points (tap stands and hand pumps)

Contributors: Abdias Bio Sika, Jacques Louvat, Thijs van der Velden, Brigit Zuber
Photo Credits: Brigit Zuber, Abdias Bio Sika

The project teams of the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC) from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Madagascar and Benin met in Benin for an experience exchange. The regional Workshop took place from November 15^th – 18^th 2021. Twenty-three participants working in seven different projects and six organizations met to exchange, discuss and learn from each other. The workshop focused on the two signature approaches of the SWSC: Blue Schools and WASH in Health Care Facilities (WASH FIT).

Focus on Menstrual Health and Hygiene

The project teams exchanged their diverse experiences and extracted lessons learned in order to improve their project implementation. An important cross-cutting issue that the workshop focused on was Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH). By using the RANAS approach (Risks, Attitudes, Norms, Abilities and Self-regulation), the project teams worked on effective messages and ways of communication to fight the tabus and the misconceptions around MHH.

Spotlight on the Helvetas Project “Nim’Dora” in Benin

On Wednesday 17 November 2021, participants of the SWSC regional workshop visited the project sites of the Helvetas Benin project "Nim'Dora". The project operates in the north of Benin in the department of Alibori. The overall objective of the project is to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people through access to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation services. It targets twelve schools and five health facilities in the communes of Banikoara and Segbana.

During the field trip, the participants visited a school and a health centre in the commune of Banikoara:

The Public Primary School of Founougo is one of the schools where Helvetas Benin is supporting the implementation of the "Blue School" concept. A Blue School is a school that provides a healthy learning environment and introduces students to environmentally friendly technologies and practices that can be replicated in their community.

The visit to the school provided an opportunity to observe the implementation progress of the project and to discuss with the various actors in the school system, including teachers, pedagogical advisors, representatives of parents and local officials, such as the community responsibles for water and sanitation, the village chief and the district chief.

Furthermore, the team was able to visit a demonstration model of an MHH-friendly toilet. This toilet provides a safe environment for menstruating girls to wash and change inside the toilet building in the school with sufficient space, running water, soap and disposal facilities. The project also builds a borehole with a solar powered pump in the school which will provide the children with water.  

At the health care facility (HCF) in Gama, which is a target HCF of the project, the workshop participants visited the centre and met the responsible staff. Before the project intervention, the health centre did not have a water point, and water had to be fetched from far away. The WASH FIT process, which was recently started, enabled the HCF to develop a WASH improvement plan. The improvement plan includes among others the instalment of a solar-powered water supply system with taps inside the HCF in all key locations, such as the treatment rooms and the maternity ward, as well as improved waste management practices. The workshop participants discussed the implementation of the WASH FIT improvement plan with the local WASH FIT committee and exchanged experiences.

Moreover, a meeting with the municipal authorities of Banikoara was held to discuss the governance of the WASH services in the area. The meeting showed how the collaboration between the project team of Helvetas Benin and the local officials evolved and was strengthened over the past five years. The project teams also exchanged their regional experiences and perspectives as well as discussed best practices with the municipal team.     

Authors: Tigist Gebremedhin (WASH Coordinator at HEKS/EPER in Ethiopia); Zelalem Mitiku (Program Manager at Enhanced Rural Self Help Association ERSHA)

Photo: Woret Shewangezaw, a 6^th grade student at Hedase Primary school in Ethiopia, carrying her daily water supply for drinking and handwashing
Photo Credits: ERSHA

 

The Amhara Region in Ethiopia: Background

The Amhara region is the second most populous region in Ethiopia. Nearly 84% of the population reside in rural areas and are engaged in agriculture. Although, technically, there is enough water available in the Amhara region,  the population and institutions, such as schools, lack access to clean and safe drinking water. The sources of water for drinking for the majority of the people are unprotected springs and manual hand dug wells. Major WASH related challenges in the region include: lack of access to safe water, poor sanitation and hygiene practices, high workload on women and children to fetch water leading to school dropout, high incidences of water borne diseases and low community awareness on the relationship between water sanitation and health.

 

The “Angolelana Tera WaSH Project” of HEKS in Ethiopia

To complement the government’s effort of increasing access to improved WASH services, Swiss Church Aid (HEKS) in collaboration with a local NGO partner, Ethiopian Rural Self-Help Association (ERSHA), is implementing the “Angolelana Tera WaSH Project” in the North Showa Zone of the Amhara Region. The project involves the construction of a multi village water scheme that will create access to safe water supply for more than 8,600 people and 2,200 students in 3 primary schools. It also creates safe water access for 2 health care facilities. The project is in progress and the construction of the water scheme is ongoing.

Photo: Hedase Primary School, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
Photo Credits: ERSHA

 

Strenuous Everyday Routine at Hedase Primary School: Children Carry Water to School for Drinking and Handwashing

Woret Shewangezaw is a 6^th grade student at Hedase Primary school. She is 14 years old and lives in Tsigereda Kebele (North Shoa Zone, Amhara Region). Hedase Primary school is one among the three target schools of the HEKS’ Angolelana Tera WaSH Project.

Woret said the school is far from her village, and she walks one hour (one way) every day to her school. When Woret talks about her school days, she says:

“My parents are farmers and only have a low income. I have four brothers and one sister. Since we don’t have access to clean water at our school, every school day, I have to bring 2-3 liters of water from my home to school. The water that I take to school is not safe since it is collected from an unprotected spring. At the same spring, also our cattle drinks water. Usually, I share the water that I take to school with my younger brother, Abreham, who is a 5^th grade student. Since we use this water both for drinking and hand washing, it is not sufficient, and we always have to use it with great care. Before we take our lunch, we use a very small amount of water to wash our hands.”

Woret also mentions the increased challengers for girls regarding menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) and she adds:

“The lack of water in the school has a profound negative impact on girls’ education. Due to lack of water in our school, we girls have a hard time in getting water for hand washing and keeping our hygiene, especially during our menstruation. Girls like me carry water not only to ourselves but also to our little brothers and sisters.”

Swiss Church Aid/HEKS and ERSHA will extend the water scheme, which is under construction, for 3 km, so that it can reach the Hedase School and create access to safe water for the students and teachers there. Woret said that she and the school students are happy and are looking forward to the water scheme to reach their school compound. In the meantime, the  parents and teachers encourage the children to take water to their schools for drinking and hand washing. The parents and the teachers said although the amount of water they bring to the school is very small, it is important that the children wash their hands, specially in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

Authors: Mithila Rahman Soshy, Intern, HEKS/EPER; Noor Kutubul Alam Siddique, Project manager-Health, HEKS/EPER; Shahid Kamal, Regional Humanitarian Aid Delegate-ASIA, HEKS/EPER.

 

The WASH Interventions of HEKS in Bangladesh

HEKS/EPER, a member of the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium, has been implementing the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT) in Bangladesh since 2018. WASH FIT is a risk-based, participative continuous quality improvement process for health care facilities (HCF) launched by WHO and UNICEF in 2018. Until 2020, the HEKS interventions in HCF in Bangladesh focused on Rohingya refugee communities and adjacent host communities. The current phase is focused on infection prevention and control and maintenance of facility infrastructure to protect staff, patients and carers in the government HCF in all the eight sub-districts of Cox’s Bazar.

Photo: People from the local community entering and waiting outside to receive healthcare from the Natun Mahal Community Clinic, Chowfaldandi, Cox’s Bazar Sadar Upazila, Cox’s Bazar
Photo Credits: HEKS/EPER

 

Natun Mahal Community Clinic

The Natun Mahal Community Clinic is a government primary healthcare facility situated in Chowfaldandi Union in Cox’s Bazar Sadar Upazila. For over 20 years, this community clinic (CC) has been providing health services to a population of over 12,000. Seven HCF staff members provide comprehensive primary healthcare services including the Community Health Care Provider (CHCP), currently Mr. Harun Ar-Rashid. Since 2013, he has supported community members with services regarding immunization, family planning, sexual and reproductive health, maternal neonatal and child health. Despite being a significant part of the local health-care system, Natun Mahal had received minimal maintenance support over the years, particularly in the area of water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) infrastructure.

HEKS and its local partners use WASH FIT. The project worked with the management staff and the Upazila Health and Family Planning Office to form and train a team to participate in the WASH FIT process and develop a facility improvement plan to undertake comprehensive repair and reconstruction activities. The WASH FIT assessment completed in October 2020 identified several risks owing to the absence of WASH facilities and inadequate infrastructures. There were broken floors, damaged roofs, two unusable toilets, open dumping of waste, absence of hand washing stations with water and soap and no functional water source.

Photo: The Community Healthcare Provider at the Natun Mahal Community Clinic is providing healthcare services to a local woman
Photo Credits: HEKS/EPER

 

After the repair and reconstruction activities, the overall accessibility and utilization of WASH services in Notun Mahal CC have significantly improved, as have capacities of the CHCP to manage facility infrastructure maintenance. Mr. Ar-Rashid states that this coincided with an increase in health care seeking behaviour and that the number of patient visits rose. Mr. Ar-Rashid concludes:

”The improvements in our clinic are unprecedented in my years of service. I will always be grateful for such support, especially the recasting of the roof to prevent leakage of rainwater.”

The testimony of the CHCP and the patient registers draw a correlation between the improvement of WASH infrastructures and quality of care provided by the clinic.

Authors: Lucie Leclert (SWSC Regional Advisor East Africa), Adeline Mertenat (project officer, EAWAG-Sandec)

The Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC) is proud to announce that the Blue Schools Kit (available here) is listed as an example of good practices for waste education by UN-Habitat under the Waste Wise Cities Campaign. In 2020, UN-Habitat called for innovative educational practices on waste management at school and 19 best practices were selected worldwide and summarized in factsheets.

• The UN-Habitat factsheet on Blue Schools is available here.
• All the UN-Habitat factsheets are available here.

 

Collaboration between SWSC and EAWAG

The SWSC collaborates with EAWAG, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, on monitoring for Blue Schools and on the topic of solid waste management. Thanks to this collaboration for the development of the Blue Schools Kit, solid waste management is one of the core components of Blue Schools. Furthermore, EAWAG and the SWSC co-designed the monitoring framework for the waste management component of Blue Schools based the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP; WHO/UNICEF) service laddered approach for WASH. Currently, EAWAG supports the SWSC with a resource person on waste management issues who helped to organize two Community of Practice meetings dedicated to the exchange of experience on solid waste management. The fruitful exchanges with project teams in both English and French have inspired the SWSC teams to replicate good practices in Blue Schools around the globe, such as waste segregation and other initiatives for reducing, reusing and recycling waste.

Photo: Print screen from the Blue Schools Facilitator’s Guide: Topic 8 on Solid Waste
Source: Blue Schools Kit 

 

The SWSC Blue Schools

The SWSC promotes the innovative approach called Blue Schools (more information available here). The projects of Phase III of the SWSC (2020 – 2023) target more than 150 schools in ten countries around the globe, benefitting more than 50’000 students and teachers.

Becoming a Blue School is a step by step process. The starting point is to ensure that children drink safe water, use well-maintained latrines and maintain good hygiene practices. Among others, the SWSC project teams rehabilitated or constructed a total of 130 drinking water supply systems and 1044 handwashing facilities in schools until mid-2021. The Blue Schools projects also promote menstrual hygiene and health, gardening activities, safe management of solid waste and environmentally friendly practices. It is the aim that children learn about these topics through practice and experiments.

Photo: A teacher in a Blue School in Cambodia demonstrating to students how to reuse pet bottles as plastic cups (project of Caritas Switzerland)
Photo Credits: Lucie Leclert