Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Advocacy and Communication

Strategy Framework 2012-17

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  

Knowledge

Attitudes

Social Environment

Individual

practices

CHANGE

STRUCTURAL ENVIRONMENTInfrastructure, economic barriers

PUBLIC POLICYNational, state, local laws

INSTITUTIONALStaff capacities, resources, mandate

SOCIO-CULTURALCommunity norms and social networks

INTERPERSONALFamily & friends

INDIVIDUALKnowledge,

attitudes, skills, practices

C 4 D - I C O

SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL MODEL

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 1Awareness 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 2Advocacy

• To empower individuals and families to make decisions based on correct information , Stigmatize risky practices, promote healthy norms and practices

PHASE 3Social 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

childrenBeing 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 TheoryHow 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 Production Social Behaviour Change Comm.

Key focus Production of communication materials based on technical solutions

Research, evidence-based strategy, audience-focused, media mix, participatory approaches

Comm. Mode One-way (monologic) Mix of one-way and two-way (dialogic)

Advantages Easy and quick to produce Higher impact and higher degree of sustainability

Disadvantages Of 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 WAY THE 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 Indicators To 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 Indicators Refers to milestones/intermediate results of the communication interventions

Process Indicators Used to assess how well the communication plan is being implemented and to adjust the activities to meet the objectives

Thank you