1. Guidance on Communication with respect to Safe Drinking Water and Household Hygiene Dr. James Webster Lecturer Community Water & Sanitation Cranfield University

2. Background 13 years in E Africa managing & capacity building rural water, sanitation & hygiene promotion programmes PhD in anthropology - the influence of culture on project outcomes 3 years consulting p-t Lecturer Community Water & Sanitation, Cranfield University

3. Cross-cultural clashes? Problem: One household still uses river water 50m closer than a gravity scheme tapstand in spite of intensive participation and health/hygiene training

4. Cross-cultural clashes? Example Byaruhanga’s rainwater jar lies on its side whilst he continues to send his children to collect water from a distant spring

5. Change Process Change Agents Water Users Pre-change- process behaviour Enters into International donors Government (local & national) Implementing agency All Stakeholders Intended Outcomes Actual Outcomes Intended outcomes Actual outcomes ? Promotes Typical stakeholder interactions

6. Cross-cultural perspectives Culture: “The values, beliefs and knowledge people use to generate and interpret social behaviour” (Webster, 2006)

7. Concern for public self-image Spirituality Resistance to change Individualism Power distance Masculinity Uncertainty Avoidance Hierarchy & inter-relations? Cultural Dimensions Webster / Hofstede

8. Concern for public self-image – an individual’s interest in how others perceive himself/herself, and how that perception is influenced (e.g. avoidance of negative self-image) Spirituality - the nature and degree of people’s beliefs and practices concerning … God, a god, gods, or a greater spiritual whole (inc. fatalism) Resistance to change - the degree society resists, or does not resist change, and promotes, or does not promote, long-term commitments and the perpetuation of traditional values Cultural Dimensions - Webster

9. Individualism (versus collectivism) – the degree society reinforces individual or collective achievement and interpersonal relationships Power distance – the degree of equality between people in the country's society (wealth and power) Masculinity (versus femininity) –the degree the society reinforces the traditional masculine work role model of male achievement, control, and power Uncertainty Avoidance - the level of tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity within the society - i.e. unstructured situations (versus rules- orientation) Cultural Dimensions - Hofstede

10. Others … Abstract versus Associative thinking – the former stressing logical cause-effect; the latter utilising links between events which may not have much logical basis (Kedia & Bhagat, 1988). Time – generally and sequence of past, present & future & preventive maintenance Communication: face-to-face versus through technology Space Body language

11. Cross-cultural clashes - revisited Main issues? Status Functional view of children Motivated to invest in the jar by active desire to either promote a positive or avoid a negative self-image. Prevented from seeing his children as having equal value by high power distance, masculinity and individualism. Problem Byaruhanga’s rainwater jar lies on its side whilst he continues to send his children to collect water from a distant spring

12. Major stakeholders must include water- users – how? Need to consider: –Explicit culture (such things as law - what people talk about and can be specific about) –Implicit culture (such things as feelings about water or success - what is taken for granted or what exists on the fringes of awareness) Major stakeholders / needs / gaps