3 Various

(version français ci-dessous)

Authors: Mr. Tanmoy Das, Sr. Program Officer - Health & WASH, and Ms. Tanvi Chattoraj, Monitoring, valuation and Learning Manager, Terre des hommes Foundation, India
Photo credits: Terre des hommes Foundation, India

Sepsis is a leading cause of maternal and newborn mortality, with a significant number of cases linked to healthcare-associated infections (HAI). In low- and middle-income countries, the strain on healthcare facilities has negatively affected both the quality of care and the birth environment, particularly in terms of infection prevention and control (IPC) and HAIs. Studies show that hospital cleanliness plays a crucial role in reducing HAI rates, and maintaining good hand and environmental hygiene is essential for quality care. However, those responsible for keeping healthcare environments safe and clean often go unrecognized as part of the healthcare workforce.

In India, the saying "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" is commonly promoted, yet culturally and socially, sanitation workers are often stigmatized. Per government sources[1], 92% of workers engaged in hazardous cleaning roles belong to communities which have traditionally been assigned the lowest value in the community (Scheduled Caste), are socially and/ or educationally underprivileged (backward class community) or are indigenous (Scheduled Tribe). Caste realities have historically dictated occupational boundaries and societal sanctions, as a result, cleaning workers, belonging to marginalized communities, are often invisible and dehumanized. They face low status within healthcare facilities, societal marginalization, and receive inadequate training, low pay, and poor working conditions. As custodians of cleanliness in the health care facilities that are at the bottom of the hierarchy, the ill treatment faced by cleaners is two pronged: from other staff members within the facility as well as patients and caregivers.

Terre des hommes, with the support of the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium (SWSC), is implementing Project Arogya Swasthyakendra (Lit. translated as healthy health care facility), which aims to enhance infection prevention and control (IPC) in healthcare facilities by improving water, sanitation, and hygiene services. A key component of the project is the capacity building of cleaning service providers, who play a vital role in maintaining hygiene. In collaboration with district health authorities, Tdh has organized training programs for these workers, focusing on IPC and cleaning procedures. Despite many cleaners having worked in healthcare facilities for over a decade, they have never received formal training.

Group picture after a training with ten cleaners and infection control nurses (the women in the middle and the two men to their left)

During one such training program organised by Tdh, the team encountered a poignant moment when a cleaner hesitated to sit on the chairs provided for the training participants. When asked about it, she tearfully explained, "Our role is to clean the dust and litter under the chairs; we have never been asked, nor have we ever thought of sitting on one." This statement reflects the deep-rooted stigma and discrimination cleaners, especially women, endure in their roles, which gets internalized and embodied in their perception of self. It highlights the profound marginalization they face, not just in the workplace but also in how they are perceived and treated within society.

The intersection of occupation, caste, and gender results in a complex web of social relationships that constitute lived experiences. Nearly half of the cleaning workforce in the health care facilities are female, and in a patriarchal society the power imbalance experienced by female cleaners is augmented by their caste and gender identities. They often face gender-based discrimination, particularly regarding the distribution of workload at their workplaces and at home. Therefore, they often continue to face the double burden of labor despite being earning members of the household. Additionally, cleaners are marginalized and are not recognized as an integral part of the healthcare facility workforce. The lack of safety nets at the workplace, which is often unregulated and contractual in nature, implies a complete disregard for cleaners’ well-being and security, particularly of female cleaners, even when they fall victim to gender based violence. In a powerful account, a female cleaner expressed her difficulty in cleaning cobwebs within the health facility due to chronic neck pain caused by prolonged exposure to domestic violence. She explained how years of physical injury suffered by her had rendered her unable to lift her head and look up for long durations. This heartbreaking account underscores the hardships of their work and the violence they endure at home.

Practicing handwashing steps during the training

The interventions with cleaning service providers through the Arogya Swasthyakendra project is seeking to bring this marginalized and stigmatized segment of the healthcare workforce into the mainstream. By doing so, the project has taken an important step towards fostering a sense of empowerment among these workers, addressing their long-standing social exclusion, and visualizing their critical role in maintaining hygiene in our healthcare facilities.


[1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/92-of-workers-cleaning-urban-sewers-septic-tanks-are-from-sc-st-obc-groups/article68697861.ece


Adrishya Shakti - Les nettoyeurs, la main-d'œuvre invisible

Auteurs: Mr. Tanmoy Das, Sr. Program Officer - Health & WASH, and Ms. Tanvi Chattoraj, Monitoring, valuation and Learning Manager, Terre des hommes Foundation, Inde
Crédit photo: Terre des hommes Foundation, Inde

La septicémie est l'une des principales causes de mortalité maternelle et néonatale, un nombre important de cas étant lié aux infections associées aux soins de santé (IAS). Dans les pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire, la pression exercée sur les établissements de santé a eu un impact négatif sur la qualité des soins et l'environnement de l'accouchement, notamment en termes de prévention et de contrôle des infections (IPC) et d'IAS. Des études montrent que la propreté des hôpitaux joue un rôle crucial dans la réduction des taux d'IAS et que le maintien d'une bonne hygiène des mains et de l'environnement est essentiel à la qualité des soins. Cependant, les personnes chargées de veiller à la sécurité et à la propreté des environnements de soins ne sont souvent pas reconnues comme faisant partie du personnel de santé.

En Inde, le dicton "La propreté est proche de la piété" est communément promu, mais culturellement et socialement, les travailleurs de l'assainissement sont souvent stigmatisés. 92 % des personnes exerçant des fonctions de nettoyage dangereuses appartiennent à des castes répertoriées ou à des communautés auxquelles on attribuait traditionnellement la valeur la plus basse dans l'ordre de stratification sociale, aujourd'hui proscrit (69 %), à des tribus répertoriées ou à des communautés indigènes (8 %) et à d'autres classes arriérées en raison de leur retard social ou éducatif (15 %), d'après des sources gouvernementales.[1] Les réalités de la caste ont historiquement dicté les limites professionnelles et les sanctions sociétales, de sorte que les travailleurs du nettoyage, qui appartiennent à des communautés marginalisées, sont souvent invisibilisés et déshumanisés. Ils ont un statut inférieur dans les établissements de santé, sont marginalisés par la société, reçoivent une formation inadéquate, sont mal payés et travaillent dans de mauvaises conditions. En tant que gardiens de la propreté dans les établissements de santé qui se trouvent au bas de l'échelle hiérarchique, les nettoyeurs sont victimes de mauvais traitements à deux niveaux : de la part des autres membres du personnel de l'établissement et de la part des patients et des soignants.

Terre des hommes, avec le soutien du Consortium suisse pour l'eau et l'assainissement (SWSC), met en œuvre le projet Arogya Swasthyakendra (Lit. traduit par établissement de soins de santé sain), qui vise à renforcer la prévention et le contrôle des infections (IPC) dans les établissements de soins de santé en améliorant les services d'eau, d'assainissement et d'hygiène. Un élément clé du projet est le renforcement des capacités des prestataires de services de nettoyage, qui jouent un rôle essentiel dans le maintien de l'hygiène. En collaboration avec les autorités sanitaires des districts, Tdh a organisé des programmes de formation pour ces travailleurs, en mettant l'accent sur les IPC et les procédures de nettoyage. Bien que de nombreux nettoyeurs aient travaillé dans des établissements de santé pendant plus de dix ans, ils n'ont jamais reçu de formation formelle.

Photo de groupe après une formation avec dix nettoyeurs et infirmières de contrôle des infections (les femmes au milieu et les deux hommes à leur gauche)

Lors d'une formation organisée par Tdh, l'équipe a vécu un moment poignant lorsqu'une femme de ménage a hésité à s'asseoir sur les chaises mises à disposition des participants à la formation. Interrogée à ce sujet, elle a expliqué en larmes : "Notre rôle est de nettoyer la poussière et les détritus sous les chaises ; on ne nous a jamais demandé et nous n'avons jamais pensé à nous asseoir sur une chaise". Cette déclaration reflète la stigmatisation et la discrimination profondément enracinées que les agents d'entretien, en particulier les femmes, subissent dans leur rôle, et qui sont intériorisées et incarnées dans la perception qu'ils ont d'eux-mêmes. Elle met en évidence la profonde marginalisation à laquelle ils sont confrontés, non seulement sur le lieu de travail, mais aussi dans la manière dont ils sont perçus et traités au sein de la société.

L'intersection de la profession, de la caste et du genre se traduit par un réseau complexe de relations sociales qui constituent des expériences vécues. Près de la moitié des agents d'entretien des établissements de santé sont des femmes et, dans une société patriarcale, le déséquilibre de pouvoir auquel elles sont confrontées est accentué par leur appartenance à une caste et leur identité de genre. Elles sont souvent confrontées à une discrimination fondée sur le sexe, notamment en ce qui concerne la répartition de la charge de travail sur leur lieu de travail et à la maison. Par conséquent, elles continuent souvent à faire face à la double charge de travail bien qu'elles soient des membres du ménage qui gagnent de l'argent. En outre, les femmes de ménage sont marginalisées et ne sont pas reconnues comme faisant partie intégrante du personnel des établissements de santé. L'absence de filets de sécurité sur le lieu de travail, qui est souvent non réglementé et contractuel par nature, implique un mépris total du bien-être et de la sécurité des agents d'entretien, en particulier des femmes, même lorsqu'elles sont victimes de violences basées sur le genre. Dans un témoignage saisissant, une femme de ménage a fait part de ses difficultés à nettoyer les toiles d'araignée dans l'établissement de santé en raison de douleurs cervicales chroniques causées par une exposition prolongée à la violence domestique. Elle a expliqué que les blessures physiques qu'elle avait subies pendant des années l'avaient rendue incapable de lever la tête et de regarder en l'air pendant de longues périodes. Ce récit déchirant souligne les difficultés de leur travail et la violence qu'elles subissent à la maison.

Pratiquer les étapes du lavage des mains pendant une formation

Les interventions auprès des prestataires de services de nettoyage dans le cadre du projet Arogya Swasthyakendra visent à intégrer ce segment marginalisé et stigmatisé du personnel de santé dans le courant dominant. Ce faisant, le projet a franchi une étape importante dans la promotion d'un sentiment d'autonomie parmi ces travailleurs, en s'attaquant à leur exclusion sociale de longue date et en visualisant leur rôle essentiel dans le maintien de l'hygiène dans nos établissements de soins de santé.


[1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/92-of-workers-cleaning-urban-sewers-septic-tanks-are-from-sc-st-obc-groups/article68697861.ece

(version français ci-dessous)

Authors and photo credits for Benin: Abdias Bio Sika, Helvetas Benin
Authors and photo credits for Bangladesh: Rakibul Amin, Terre des hommes Foundation, Bangladesh

Commemoration days are a perfect occasion for awareness raising, sensitizing and celebrating in the institutions with all system actors. Find below two examples of this year’s global handwashing day celebration in a school in Benin and a health care facility (HCF) in Bangladesh:

Handwashing relay race

To mark Global Handwashing Day 2024, Helvetas Benin organized the Hand Hygiene Olympics at the Baobab public elementary school in the commune of Kandi, Benin. In the spirit of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, schoolchildren representing their respective classes competed in fun and instructive sports games for learning about handwashing. The aim of these games was to reinforce the importance of handwashing among schoolchildren. Two sequences of games were run. the “handwashing relay race”, involving handwashing at handwashing stations or devices, enabled the learners to master the different stages of handwashing in a participative way. And “the jute bag or the germ jump” enabled them to understand that handwashing (represented by jumps) helps to avoid germs (represented by obstacles) and thus avoid falling ill (represented by literal falls).

Prepared for the game germ jump

At the end of the celebration, all those involved (teachers, parents, pupils, etc.) made and signed a commitment to promote and practice handwashing at the school. The parents pledged to guarantee the continuous availability of soap for handwashing in the school.

This year Tdh Bangladesh celebrated the global handwashing day at the Community Clinic, Kacchapia Nurbanu, Baharchara union, Teknaf sub district. Union Parishad members, Community Health Care Provider, healthcare personnel, teachers, students, members from Community Group, Community Support Group and the community in general were present and participated in the activities of the day consisting of an interactive question-and-answer session, a discussion and a dialogue. In line with this year’s theme “Why are clean hands still important?”, the focus was on reinforcing the critical importance of handwashing even in the post-pandemic world, where hand hygiene continues to be the frontline defense against spread of infections, illnesses, and harmful germs as well as on the importance of knowledge sharing and community collaboration for improving hand hygiene practices.

Group picture of the global handwashing day celebration in Bangladesh

Sensibilisation, mobilisation et célébration 

Auteurs and crédit photo pour Bénin: Abdias Bio Sika, Helvetas Benin
Auteurs and crédit photo pour le Bangladesh: Rakibul Amin, Terre des hommes Foundation, Bangladesh

Les journées de commémoration sont une occasion idéale pour sensibiliser et célébrer dans les institutions avec tous les acteurs du système. Vous trouverez ci-dessous deux exemples de célébration de la journée mondiale du lavage des mains de cette année dans une école au Bénin et dans un établissement de soins de santé au Bangladesh :

Course de relais pour le lavage des mains

A l'occasion de la Journée mondiale du lavage des mains 2024, Helvetas Bénin a organisé les Olympiades de l'hygiène des mains à l'école primaire publique Baobab dans la commune de Kandi, Bénin. Dans l'esprit des Jeux olympiques de Paris 2024, les écoliers représentant leurs classes respectives se sont affrontés dans des jeux sportifs ludiques et instructifs pour apprendre le lavage des mains. L'objectif de ces jeux était de renforcer l'importance du lavage des mains auprès des écoliers. Deux séquences de jeux ont été réalisées. La « course relais du lavage des mains », impliquant le lavage des mains à des stations ou dispositifs de lavage des mains, a permis aux apprenants de maîtriser les différentes étapes du lavage des mains de manière participative. Et « le sac de jute ou le saut des microbes » leur a permis de comprendre que le lavage des mains (représenté par des sauts) permet d'éviter les microbes (représentés par des obstacles) et donc d'éviter de tomber malade (représenté par une chute littérale).

Saut de germe

À la fin de la célébration, toutes les personnes impliquées (enseignants, parents, élèves, etc.) ont pris et signé un engagement à promouvoir et à pratiquer le lavage des mains à l'école. Les parents se sont promis de garantir la disponibilité permanente de savon pour le lavage des mains à l'école.

Cette année, Tdh Bangladesh a célébré la journée mondiale du lavage des mains à la clinique communautaire, Kacchapia Nurbanu, Baharchara union, Teknaf sub district. Les membres de l'Union Parishad, les fournisseurs de soins de santé communautaires, le personnel de santé, les enseignants, les étudiants, les membres du groupe communautaire, le groupe de soutien communautaire et la communauté en général étaient présents et ont participé aux activités de la journée qui consistaient en une session interactive de questions-réponses, une discussion et un dialogue. Conformément au thème de cette année « Pourquoi les mains propres sont-elles encore importantes ? », l'accent a été mis sur le renforcement de l'importance cruciale du lavage des mains, même dans le monde post-pandémique, où l'hygiène des mains continue d'être la première ligne de défense contre la propagation des infections, des maladies et des germes nocifs, ainsi que sur l'importance du partage des connaissances et de la collaboration communautaire pour l'amélioration des pratiques d'hygiène des mains.

Group picture of the global handwashing day celebrationPhoto de groupe de la célébration de la journée mondiale du lavage des mains

(English version below)

Auteur et photo credits: Bachir Moukaila Mossi, Chargé de programme eau, hygiène et assainissement, Swissaid Niger

Au Niger et particulière dans les zones d’intervention de SWISSAID, les questions liées à la gestion de l’hygiène menstruelle (GHM) constituaient un sujet tabou dans une société fortement attachée aux valeurs ancestrales et religieuses.  

Dans le cadre du Swiss Water & Sanitation Consortium, SWISSAID et l’ONG AGIR PLUS 21, son partenaire de mise en œuvre ont progressivement réussi à briser le tabou en faisant de la thématique GHM un sujet de discussion en famille et en public.  

Fatima Ibrahim point focal GHM du village de Faya partage son expérience sur comment le tabou a été brisé sur le sujet de la GHM. 

Depuis 2020, SWISSAID et l’ONG AGIR PLUS 21 interviennent dans les communautés et les écoles de 92 villages des départements de Kollo, Boboye et de Dogondoutchi (région de Tillabéry et Dosso) pour la promotion des bonnes pratiques d’hygiène, d’assainissement et de GHM. Chaque village dispose d'un point focal GHM qui constitue l'interface entre le projet et la communauté et qui est chargé du soutien local à la GHM au sein de la communauté. Les activités réalisées en matière de GHM ont porté entres autres sur les causeries éducatives dans les langues locales pour briser le silence et promouvoir le dialogue entre les parents et les enfants sur la GHM ; la formation des points focaux, des leaders communautaires et des enseignants sur la GHM et la confection de serviettes hygiéniques ; l’appui des communautés, des points focaux GHM et des écoles en équipements de salubrité et de GHM. Ces réalisations dans les 92 villages d’intervention du projet, ont permis d’améliorer l’état sanitaire/ risques d’infection des filles et femmes et de réduire les abandons scolaires, les mariages précoces tout en favorisant leur autonomisation. 

Lisez ci-dessous comment de nombreuses personnes décrivent le changement:

Avant le forum communautaire sur la GHM et la formation sur la GHM organisés par L’ONG AGIR PLUS 21 et LE PROJET SWISSAID personne ne parlait de ce sujet, nous les femmes n’en parlaient pas non plus à nos filles. On se débrouillait avec les vieux morceaux de pagnes ou d’habit pour absorber le sang et s’il y’avait des douleurs et infections on ne savait pas quoi faire. Nos filles restaient dans l’angoisse et chômaient l’école. Mais depuis que nous avons reçu la formation, nous parlons à nos filles de leurs menstrues. Nous n’avons plus honte de parler de la gestion de nos règles au niveau du puits, lors des cérémonies de mariage et de baptêmes. Nous sommes à l’aise dans la gestion de nos règles, et nos filles sont devenues nos amies."

Mme Fatima Ibrahim, point focal GHM du village de Faya commune de Dankassari, lors d’une assemblée villageoise tenue à l’occasion de la visite du conseiller régional du consortium en mai 2024 
Hassia Sombéizé

Grâce à Swissaid nous sommes à l’aise avec les serviettes propres pour gérer nos menstrues, nous n’utilisons plus les tissus sales pour gérer nos menstrues, nous parlons tranquillement sans honte avec nos enfants, et surtout nos filles partent à l’écoles avec trois ou quatre serviettes de rechange fabriquées par nous même avec la machine à coudre offerte par Swissaid."

Hassia Sombéizé, point focal GHM de Diawando, mars 2024

Les filles souffrent pendant le moment des menstrues, elles quittent les classes au moment des cours et ne reviennent qu’après la fin des règles. Cette situation fait partie des causes de d’échecs et d’abandons scolaires des filles. Nous remercions Swissaid et Agir Plus 21 d’avoir aidé à ce niveau, et nous les enseignants allons intégrer la sensibilisation sur la GHM dans nos cours. 

Professeur Idrisssa du collège de Matankari , Avril 2024

Menstrual Hygiene Management is no longer a taboo subject in SWISSAID intervention areas in Niger

Author and photo credits: Bachir Moukaila Mossi, WASH Project Manager, Swissaid Niger

In Niger, and particularly in SWISSAID's areas of intervention, issues related to menstrual hygiene management (MHM) were a taboo subject in a society strongly attached to ancestral and religious values.  

Within the framework of the Swiss Water & Sanitation Consortium, SWISSAID and its implementing partner, the NGO AGIR PLUS 21, have gradually succeeded in breaking the taboo by making MHM a topic for family and public discussion.  

Fatima Ibrahim, MHM focal point in the village of Faya, shares her experience of how the taboo has been broken on the subject of MHM

Since 2020, SWISSAID and the NGO AGIR PLUS 21 have been working in the communities and schools of 92 villages in the departments of Kollo, Boboye and Dogondoutchi (Tillabéry and Dosso regions) to promote good hygiene, sanitation and MHM practices. Each village has a MHM focal point which is the interface between the project and the community as well as in charge of local support for MHM in the community. MHM activities have included educational talks in local languages to break the silence and promote dialogue between parents and children on MHM; training for focal points, community leaders and teachers on MHM and the production of reusable pads; and support for communities, MHM focal points and schools with sanitation and MHM equipment. These achievements in the project's 92 villages have helped to improve the health status of girls and women and reduce the risk of infection, school drop-out and early marriage, while promoting their empowerment. 

Read below how people describe the change:

Before the community forum on MHM and the training on MHM organized by the NGO AGIR PLUS 21 and the SWISSAID PROJECT, nobody talked about this subject, and we women didn't talk to our daughters about it either. We made do with old pieces of cloth or dress to absorb the blood flow, and if there was pain or infection, we didn't know what to do. Our daughters were left in anguish and didn't go to school. But since we received the training, we talk to our daughters about their periods. We're no longer ashamed to talk about menstrual management at the well, or at weddings and christenings. We feel comfortable managing our periods, and our daughters have become our friends."

Mrs. Fatima Ibrahim, MHM focal point in the village of Faya, commune of Dankassari, during a village assembly held on the occasion of the visit of the consortium's regional advisor in May 2024

 

Hassia Sombéizé

Thanks to Swissaid, we are comfortable with clean towels to manage our menstrual periods, we no longer use dirty cloths to manage our menstrual periods, we talk quietly without shame with our children, and above all our daughters go to school with three or four spare towels made by ourselves with the sewing machine donated by Swissaid."

Hassia Sombéizé MHM focal point from Diawando, March 2024

Girls suffer during the menstrual period, leaving the classroom at the time of classes and returning only after their period is over. This situation is one of the causes of girls' failure and dropping out of school. We'd like to thank Swissaid and Agir Plus 21 for their help in this area, and we teachers will be incorporating MHM awareness into our lessons." 

Professor Idrisssa from Matankari secondary school , April 2024 

Thirty-two participants from 8 countries working in 13 different projects and 8 organizations met to exchange, discuss and learn from each other on the topic of Water Integrity and Blue Schools. For the Water Integrity sessions, two experts from the Multi-Country Water Integrity Program provided specific input and the projects presented their experiences.

It has been a rich, inspiring and fruitful learning for all. Let's put the learnings in practice in our projects and - hopefully - meet again next year!

Good Water Integrity Practices documented by the project teams are:

POSTER: La Cartographie: Un Outil de Bonne Gouvernance, de Proximité et d'Equité en WASH; Presented by Fastenopfer / Taratra Madagascar

POSTER: Le "Club des Mères" Assure la Qualité de l'Eau au Quotidien; Presented by Croix-Rouge Togolaise / Croix-Rouge Suisse

POSTER: Le Point Focal Eau et Assainissement; Presented by SWISSAID Niger

POSTER: Transparence et Participation pour Améliorer la Redevabilité du Service de l'Eau; Presented by Terre des hommes Guinée

Website_TitlePicture_EndPhase2Report

The End of Phase 2 Report higlights the main achievements and lessons learnt of the Swiss Water & Sanitation Consortium during the period July 2014 to December 2017. The report emphasizes achievements at outcome level, presents selected lessons learnt and describes the strategy on how to continue to work as a Consortium.

Additional information and success stories are published on the Consortium website under Results, News and Publications.

The full report is here: End of phase 2 Report

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Sous le haut patronage de
son Excellence l’Ambassadeur de Suisse
et de
Son Excellence le Ministre de l’Eau, de l’Energie et des Hydrocarbures
Les membres du Swiss Water & Sanitation Consortium à Madagascar
Action de Carême Suisse
HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation
en partenariat avec l’Organisation TARATRA
vous invitent à honorer de votre présence le partage des acquis de leurs projets RANO AINA et RATSANTANANA
le vendredi, 20 avril 2018
à l’Hôtel PANORAMA de 9 heures à midi trente.

Programme « Partage des acquis » du Swiss Water & Sanitation Consortium à Madagascar

Trouvez plus de détail sur le succes et le contenu de l'évènement dans le communiqué média.

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Workshop participants coming from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal and Switzerland

 

Day 1 - Opening and getting acquainted with Water Integrity

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The Asia Regional workshop has started on 3rd April at Pokhara, Nepal which will continue until 6th April. The main theme of the workshop is "Water Integrity". The objectives of the workshop is to maintain collaboration among all consortium partners organization with knowledge sharing among the different project teams in the WASH and small scale irrigation sector. Furthermore, it is also to main external visibility of the consortium and to keep up exchange and maintain trust and relationship between and among all members. A total of 30 participants from six organizations including resource persons and donor representatives from six countries are participating in the event.

Major highlights of the day…..
  1. The flash back Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium phase II was very impressive. It augurs well for the future continuation. The modality and issues are presented.
  2. Integrity is the key issue rather than resources for sustainability of WASH intervention.
  3. "Multi-stakeholder Led Total Integrity (MLTI)" approach has been created by the participants to tackle the lack of coordination among policy makers, relevant departments and other sector stakeholders as one selected integrity challenge.
  4. Integrity is not limited only to WASH sector rather it can be practiced in any thematic area and project.

 

Day 2 - How are Water Integrity elements transferred into project's practice?

Good Practice Posters

All the participating organizations and project teams had the opportunity to present their good practices regarding water integrity or highlight water integrity aspects within their project implementation process. All posters were discussed in detail and feedback for improvements of good practices provided by the other participants.

Furthermore, all organizations and project teams prepared concrete action plans on how to put water integrity elements in action after returning back home.

Authors: Govinda, Avash, Resham, Laxman, Deepak, Yogesh

Documented Good Practices of Consortium member organizations & partners:

POSTER: Promoting Water Integrity in Nepal and VIDEO: Rawatgaun Water Lifting Project Dang; Presented by Nepal Red Cross Society / Swiss Red Cross

POSTER: Step-wise approach for Improved Integrity and Sustainability in WASH; Presented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation Nepal (WARM-P)

POSTER: Promotion of School WASH in the earthquake hit district in Nepal; Presented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation Nepal & Caritas Switzerland Nepal

POSTER: Organization Capacacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) ; Presented by Terre des hommes Nepal

POSTER: Ecological Sanitation (Eccosan); Presented by Terre des hommes India

 

Day 3 - Field visit to Deurali Drinking Water Supply Scheme

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One hour drive from the main city of Pokhara the team reached Deurali which is in Rupa Rural Municipality. The team reached the site to observe a drinking water supply system constructed with support from HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation 15 years ago.

After arriving at the location, the group first went for a site visit where the water collection tank were placed. Following this, the water users committee led the visiting team to their office. The chairperson of the committee explained the various aspects of the water supply scheme including the history, background, on-going progresses and future plans for extension. While doing so, he also shed light on the various aspects of transparency, accountability, participation and anti-corruption.

Observations
  • Technically sound project which is well operated and is a progressive. It has been evolving as required to meet the needs.
  • Well-coordinated committee and has been active to reach out to possible available support to upgrade the water supply system as well as initiating community based activities which includes awareness raising on health and sanitation.
  • The roles and responsibilities of different community group is well-defined and different committee have performed different tasks. It’s ensured more participation and accountability.
  • The committee has been active in sustainable use of the water supply system. They have provisions to train local women in management of trainings. Also, for major repairs they have provision of a dedicated technical person to support.
  • Practice of users’ satisfaction survey annually has been a good tool for complaint and response mechanism.
  • Users’ committee leadership has performed very well during each of their tenure. Such trend in strong leadership has been one contributing factor to the sustainability of the water supply scheme.

Effect of availability of clean drinking water to other important areas such as improvement in human health, increase in school attendance of girls etc. were well publicized for reference.

Authors: Kamalendu, Kham, Anupama, Bijesh, Shrinkhala, Hemanta

Title page picture_2_1

The report presents the results of the period January to June 2017. It reflects achievements at project level as well as at regional and global level. It presents lessons learnt and other initiatives realised during the reporting period.

The internal review has shown that the collaboration has grown strong during phase II and that knowledge is shared openly. This led to improved project practice and up-scaling of approaches and good practices with the Consortium. It showed that the Consortium is helpful for replicating and that it plays a role in main-streaming of promising approaches or ideas. Advocacy and policy influencing remains challenging, even though first promising results have been achieved.

Additional information and success stories are available published on the Consortium website under Results, News and Publications.

The full report is here: 20171130_Consortium_HalfYearlyReport2017

The 2017 Water and Health Conference: Where Science Meets Policy, organized by The Water Institute at University of North Carolina, takes place from 16 - 20 October 2017 and considers drinking water supply, sanitation, hygiene and water resources in both the developing and developed worlds with a strong public health emphasis.

Two consortium representatives are attending and presenting  work on Blue Schools and Behaviour Change (RANAS). Please join us for the following events:

Workshop: How You Can Improve Your Behavior Change Interventions by Inferring which Behavioral Factors They Address
Eawag, Helvetas
Mountain Laurel, 16 October, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Oral presentation: Blue Schools: Linking WaSH in Schools with Other SDG 6 Targets
Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium
Redbud Room, 16 October, 4pm. You can find the handout for the presentation here.

For more details, please refer to the full conference program and the conference webpage.

 

Of interest for our Menstrual Hygiene Specialists:

The 6th Annual Virtual Conference on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in Schools, co-hosted by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and UNICEF, provides an opportunity to share the latest research and programming from around the world. The virtual conference is expected to bring together online over 1,000 participants.

For the first time ever, the virtual conference will be streaming live from Water and Health. Virtual attendees are asked to register at https://www.mhmvirtualconference.com/

 

Kategorie: News am von .

This year’s Stockholm World Water Week will take place from 27th August – 1 September. This conference for experts, practitioners, decision-makers and business innovators from a range of sectors and countries is to network, exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions to the most pressing water-related challenges of today.

The Swiss Water & Sanitation Consortium will participate at the booth of the Swiss Water Partnership (SWP) and the NGO tent. We will present what we do and share information on our promising approaches and experiences. We present first results of the Blue School Kit we are currently developing. It brings together our experiences from more than 200 schools in 7 countries.

Please join the Consortium for the following events:

  • Blue Schools 2.0: Closing the cycle to reach SDG6
    WASH in institutions is an integral part of Sustainable Development Goal #6.  In addition to the methods developed by the Wash in Schools (WINS) community of practice, the Blue School concept is a promising approach to raise children’s awareness about the link between water, waste, food and the environment.  Blue Schools has included a school garden to show relationships between food production and an efficient management of water; and the Blue Schools 2.0 version adds focus on waste, watershed and land management practices and also aims to inform and inspire children about professions in the water sector. Come join the Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium’s presentation to learn more about Blue Schools!Wed 30 Sept,  13:30 – 15:00
    Swiss Water Partnership booth Nr. 6 (same location as last year)
  • Innovation tentThis year, the SWP has been allowed to set up an IKEA better shelter tent additionally to the official booth. Based on a collaboration between Swiss Fresh Water and the IKEA Foundation, a water kiosk will be on display and  the space is open to other innovations from our SWP members. The Consortium will be present with a role-up illustrating the added value of working as a Consortium.

You will find the full program here.

Come and join us!

Kategorie: News am von .