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NETWAS Uganda

LeaPPS Uganda Learning for Practice and Policy on Household and School Sanitation and Hygiene

Striking Communications Knowledge and Information

Sharing

Experiences with District Based Learning in UgandaAn initiative of NETWAS, IRC and SNV.



NETWAS Uganda


What is special about the case?

Strengthening Dialogue:Understand before you can be

Understood



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Background• Decentralization in Uganda: The 90 Districts are the

implementers of the Policies and Strategies• Obstacles at the Districts towards Hygiene &

Sanitation:– Limited prioritization of hygiene and sanitation

by the district departments and the political side– Limited collaboration between the sector

stakeholders; district departments, NGOs, Private sector etc.

– Limited innovation and learning at the district level

Can we do better through District Based Learning?



NETWAS Uganda


Methodology of District Based Learning

Aim: Increase profile of Hygiene and Sanitation, Improve communication and collaboration, learn from each other

Target group: Heads of departments, extension staff, political leaders, NGOs, private sector etc at the district.

Methodology:• Learning Alliance: Learning sessions 3 x a year,

including field trips in 4 districts• Action Research: Technology and Communication

Approaches targeting 8 schools• Capacity Building of the stakeholders on demand• Advocacy and Documentation of best practices



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During the sessions the extensions staff of the Government and NGOs reported of “Stubborn” communities:– They don’t come for our meetings and

ask for money to attend– They don’t change their behavior– They don’t understand what we are

trying to achieve!– They are lazy, they don’t dig a latrine!– We need byelaws to force them!!!!

Question Emerged:Do we communicate effectively …?



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Understand to be Understood:• Field trips and Analysis of behavioral

change: how did an NGO trigger sustainable behavioral change?

• Analysis of “stubborn” households: why people don’t have a latrine

• Presentations and Analysis of Participatory and Social Marketing Approaches

• Roll play of byelaw enforcement-how does it feel?



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Reasons for no latrine; Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, Culture,

Environment, Leadership, etc

• “Our ancestors defecated in the bush and never felt sick”

• “Conditions of the soils make latrines collapse”

• “No trees in the areas, so no materials”• “Our leader doesn’t have a latrine, so why

should I have one?”• “Our households are close and we share”• “ Open defecation produces fertilizers”• “We fear to fall in the latrine, specially

pregnant women”• “Short of land, so no space for a latrine”• “Latrines smell, and we feel nausea after

using a latrine”



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Effective Communication lessons:• Empower rather than Teach: “Stubborn

communities” have their reasons….- you better find out which ones!

• Tailor the intervention based on the needs of the communities

• “Unrealistic expectations” are reflections of the design of a campaign eg.: Meetings should be scheduled inline with the “community calendar”- not the staff schedule

• Practice what you preach…eg: local leaders campaigning for latrines

• Are the needs of the community at the heart of the intervention, or the needs of the donor?

• Byelaws can compliment, not as a stand alone



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Results of the Pilot• Increased Prioritization of H&S:

– Increased budget allocation by all 4 district on “software” activities

– Increased involvement of politicians• Increasingly Working Together:

– District departments jointly undertaking activities– Two NGO’s combining communication and

hardware• Shift of Approaches: Trainings of Government and

NGO extension staff on participatory approaches• Improvements in H&S status in the 4 districts inline

with the national average increments. Significant increases; – Ario sub county in Arua made striking

improvements driven by exemplary leadership– Targeted school with Action Research was chosen

model school in the district



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Lessons Learned• Communicating and Learning from each

other can improve campaigns and approaches- more district based learning recommended.

• Seeing is believing! – a field trip can convince better than a million words!

• Using a “participatory approach” in the field doesn’t make it participatory - it’s the whole design of a program

• Training staff on participatory approaches- doesn’t deliver effective facilitators- people are stuck in their old ways of teaching

• Trickling down of Learning to lower levels is limited and driven by individuals, need for an institutional framework to ensure this trickeling down



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SNV Brecht Mommen,

Jacinta Nekesa

[email protected]

[email protected]

NETWAS Uganda

Brenda Achiro

Solomon Kyeyune

[email protected]

IRC Jo Smet,

Rene van Lieshout

Valerie Bey

[email protected],

[email protected],

[email protected]

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