VOLUNTARY ACTION FOR DEVELOPMENT Presenter: Ms. Mary Namwebe March 2009 EXPERIENCES IN SCALING UP WASH IN SCHOOLS IN UGANDA

SCHEME OF PRESENTATION Background Expansion strategies Behavior change techniques Development of a mass behavior change technique How to achieve universal coverage of WASH in schools Conclusion. VAD’S PRESENTATION AT THE 5 TH WORLD WATER FORUM IN ISTANBUL 2

BACKGROUND VAD is a NGO Based in Uganda; initiated in 1996 and currently operates in Wakiso district.VAD has been engaged in the direct implementation of school WASH programs since WASH situation in schools is appalling in Uganda. e.g the national pupil stance ratio for primary schools was at 69:1 (W&S Sector performance report 2007) way beyond the recommended 40:1 Many rural schools in Uganda lack access to WATSAN facilities. Eg; In the three sub counties of Wakiso District where VAD works, the situation has threatened the health of school communities thus making them vulnerable to eye diseases, diarrhea & skin rashes. 3 VAD’S PRESENTATION AT THE 5 TH WORLD WATER FORUM IN ISTANBUL

REQUIREMENTS FOR EXPANSION Intersectoral collaboration and partnerships: Led by Ministry of Education and including the health, water and finance ministries; civil society and others. Political will – spanning the central and local government levels - support the initiatives by conducting campaigns Increased Government and Donor support - towards school WASH and emphasize separate budgets to increase numbers of facilities put in place with emphasis on hygiene education Capacity building - at all levels as well as developing plans for strengthening institutional capacities for children, teachers, mgt & administrative committees. (school, local government, community) Exploration of WASH technological options that could be more child friendly and putting into consideration the needs of children with disability. 4 VAD’S PRESENTATION AT THE 5 TH WORLD WATER FORUM IN ISTANBUL

BEHAVIOUR CHANGE TECHIQUES Child to Child approach School to home approach Advocacy campaigns, radio, hygiene and sanitation competitions Talking compounds Health parades School health clubs to ensure social cohesion which stimulates peer pressure to challenge poor hygiene practices 5 VAD’S PRESENTATION AT THE 5 TH WORLD WATER FORUM IN ISTANBUL

BEHAVIOUR CHANGE TECHNIQUES

MASS BEHAVIOR CHANGE Wide ranging partnerships need to be cultivated further with local communities, PTA, donors, NGO’s Continuous supervision even beyond the end of the project Careful identification of local cultural and behavior norms. Promote integration between school & community WASH activities Involve girls and boys in planning, design and implementation process Identify test best innovative approaches & scale up. 7 VAD’S PRESENTATION AT THE 5 TH WORLD WATER FORUM IN ISTANBUL

UNIVERSAL COVERAGE OF WASH Promote demand based approaches using extensive beneficiary participation to support dev’t of more cost effective WASH facilities. (Child friendly, gender sensitive env’t) Develop simpler monitoring checklists and ensure that quality control mechanisms are established at all levels. Accountability. Conduct pilot projects use the experiences gained to scale up. Adopt an incremental approach that recognizes schools to be part of where they are located. 8 VAD’S PRESENTATION AT THE 5 TH WORLD WATER FORUM IN ISTANBUL

CONCLUSION School WASH problems are generic but solutions are not. Hence the need to learn from the past & present experiences and use the experience to improve programs now and in the future. FOCUS ON CHILDREN AS KEY CHANGE AGENTS

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