Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Advocacy and Communication Strategy Framework

Key WASH behaviours addressed by the Strategy – based on available evidence Building and use of toilets The safe disposal of child faeces Handwashing with soap after defecation, before preparing and eating food, and after handling child faeces Safe storage and handling of drinking water

Strategy focus  Immediate objective is to raise awareness and change existing perceptions about the importance of sanitation and hygiene practices,  The long term objective is to change social norms making open defecation unacceptable and promoting the practice of safe disposal of child faeces, handwashing with soap and safe storage and handling of drinking water among all.

Promoting Individual Behaviour Change Focus on change at different levels Multiple dimensions influence individual behaviour as depicted in the figure below Interpersonal factors, socio- cultural and policy environments all influence sanitation and hygiene behaviours Focus on change at different levels Multiple dimensions influence individual behaviour as depicted in the figure below Interpersonal factors, socio- cultural and policy environments all influence sanitation and hygiene behaviours Knowledge Attitudes Social Environment Individual practices CHANGE

STRUCTURAL ENVIRONMENT Infrastructure, economic barriers PUBLIC POLICY National, state, local laws INSTITUTIONAL Staff capacities, resources, mandate SOCIO-CULTURAL Community norms and social networks INTERPERSONAL Family & friends INDIVIDUAL Knowledge, attitudes, skills, practices C4D - ICO

Communication Objectives Primary & Secondary Audiences Communication Approaches Messages/ Themes/Media Activities Needs, challenges, problems, opportunities Audiences’ Knowledge/ Perceptions Info-Com Systems Baseline & other studies The Core of the Communication Strategy

Communication Objectives  To raise mass awareness make the identified audiences more conscious about issues related to the importance of sanitation and hygiene  To influence decision makers and opinion leaders to advocate for improved sanitation and hygiene standards  Ensure that households have knowledge of the linkages between sanitation, hygiene and health leading to increase public demand for quality sanitation services and adoption of hygiene practices.

Three phases of the communication strategy Raise visibility of the importance of good sanitation and hygiene behaviours. Increase awareness on the risks and implications of open defecation PHASE 1 Awareness raising To provide influencers and decision makers with the information they need, encourage them to speak up take action for positive change. Get Support & create an enabling environment for change PHASE 2 Advocacy To empowe r individu als and families to make decision s based on correct informat ion, Stigmatiz e risky practices, promote healthy norms and practices PHASE 3 Social and Behaviour Change

Is knowledge enough to change? Knowledge, when packaged in messages, must have an effective appeal to promote the intended change, such as Love Reward (e.g. economic) Social recognition/compliance Fear Disgust

Audience? Action? Why do it?

The Problem/Solution Tree for getting more income Not being able to work Having to pay for medications Having to attend sick children Being Sick Etc. Not knowing what to do

Magazine ads Champions – Social emulation/pressure

Looking at Smoking from the Audience’s Point of View Allure of smoking Brand identity (cool, hip) Independence (rebellion) Individuality Nicotine high Relieves stress Allure of non-smoking Healthy (no sicknesses, no wrinkles) Makes feel some adults proud as they provide a good example

DISGUST

In addition to knowledge, behaviour change happens through IPC and social pressure Dialogue, counseling and open forum discussion are best methods to empower and internalize the need for change Social pressure is also key to promote change

14% Early Adopters 34% Early Majority 34% Late Majority 10% Late Adopters 6% Resistors The diffusion of Innovation Theory How do new ideas spread ? Innovators 2% Individuals and peers groups can effectively influence others groups and draw them in to be more open to new ideas, as their peers have already modeled before them.

Production Mode v. Strategic Mode IEC ProductionSocial Behaviour Change Comm. Key focusProduction of communication materials based on technical solutions Research, evidence-based strategy, audience-focused, media mix, participatory approaches Comm. ModeOne-way (monologic)Mix of one-way and two-way (dialogic) AdvantagesEasy and quick to produceHigher impact and higher degree of sustainability DisadvantagesOf little effectiveness, unless carefully researched, planned and integrated Require a longer process (but achieve better results)

A common fallacy when developing the communication strategy THE WRONG WAYTHE BETTER WAY Deciding the solution and developing the strategy based solely on WHAT is happening; e.g. Open defecation (how many and who) → Latrines (how many and for whom) Focusing on the causes of WHY it is happening (reasons, perceptions) and/or WHY the solution is not being adopted (with plus and minus) In any case, stakeholders’ participation and engagement is what can prevent many of the problems experienced in such instances

Implementation framework A detailed implementation framework has been developed based on the three identified phases It lists out the primary and secondary stakeholders, the activities to be used with each of them and the inputs required The implementation framework provides guidance for states to develop state-specific action plans for rolling out of the strategy. A district communication plan template has been developed.

Evidence of effectiveness in longitudinal studies shows: The most effective is: A wide range of interventions at different levels, for a sufficient time and according to the needs of states/districts and communities Isolated interventions, focused on behavior change at individual level are not sufficiently effective in the long run

Monitoring and evaluation framework (to be planned from the start) M &E framework has been developed with indicators for all the three phases. The indicators are organized at three levels- Outcome IndicatorsTo assess the effectiveness of the strategy in meeting the stated objective. These are defined by behavioural results, policy changes or changes in social norms specified from the very outset Output IndicatorsRefers to milestones/intermediate results of the communication interventions Process IndicatorsUsed to assess how well the communication plan is being implemented and to adjust the activities to meet the objectives

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