Sanitation Software

Even when sanitation infrastructure and services are provided (especially if they are shared facilities) they are often not used or cared for by the users. Recent research suggests that, on average, 40% of women living in an emergency setting do not use the toilets provided. This is often because women feel unsafe and exposed visiting the toilets, the latrines are unclean, lack privacy, lighting and door locks: users conclude that open defecation may be a more suitable and convenient option. Lack of sanitation, due to a lack of infrastructure or limited use, creates health risks through increased exposure to faecal-oral transmitted diseases; it also affects people’s dignity and can increase sexual abuse.

Sanitation software includes all the elements needed to enable and mobilise women, men, and children to take action to mitigate these risks by promoting the adoption of safe sanitation behaviour (see also Hygiene Promotion).

A software package covers six areas of work, also outlined in the Compendium of Hygiene Promotion in Emergencies.

All six areas of work are interconnected. When implemented together with hardware interventions, health outcomes can be improved.

1. 1. Behaviour Change (see also Hygiene Promotion)

People affected may have previously had access to sanitation facilities and used them correctly before the disaster. In this case, hygiene promoters and sanitation engineers may help them to adjust to their new environment (e.g. a camp or host community) whilst taking into account their previous habits. Sanitation solutions in this scenario aim to support positive sanitation behaviour that existed before the disaster.

Others may not have had access to sanitation facilities in the past; they may have never, or only occasionally, used a toilet. In that case, hygiene promoters work with the community to promote and establish new behaviours. They communicate community perceptions and preferences to the engineers so that convenient, acceptable and attractive facilities can be provided that motivate new sanitation behaviours in potentially less receptive users.

Enabling behaviour change in an emergency can be difficult; it requires the use of appropriate tools, approaches and methods adapted to the given context. Some have defined hygiene promotion as an art, not a science. More detailed information on social and behaviour change can be found in the Compendium of Hygiene Promotion in Emergencies.

2. 2. Community Engagement (see also Inclusive Planning and Participation and How to Plan for Inclusive Sanitation?)

Hygiene promoters help affected people, especially the most vulnerable such as children, the elderly or people with disabilities, to participate in the identification of appropriate sanitation solutions. Their preferences and opinions inform the engineering designs in the planning phase before any construction or response has started; this is essential, even at the cost of delaying the intervention. Hygiene promoters continue to facilitate people’s participation, enabling users to feedback to the engineering team on their satisfaction with the design and their user experience throughout the intervention.

3. 3. Operation and Maintenance (see also Management and Operation Plans)

Hygiene promoters work closely with engineers to ensure affected people feel ownership of and responsibility for the facilities or services along the entire sanitation chain, from the toilet, collection and emptying to transport, treatment and ultimate safe disposal and/or reuse. The intention is that facilities are used with care and a system of cleaning, minor repairs and re-stocking of anal cleansing materials is established. When the sanitation chain is more complex and includes external service providers as part of the operation and maintenance system, then hygiene promoters may help affected people to accept the service providers and understand their roles and responsibilities. Hygiene promoters help users to file complaints when service providers do not perform and provide a link with the engineers to identify solutions.

4. 4. Special Equipment

Users, especially the most vulnerable (such as children under three years old, the elderly, people with disabilities or those suffering from incontinence) may have special sanitation needs that require non-engineering solutions. Hygiene promoters can help to identify and select appropriate sanitation options based on people’s preferences – such as nappies, potties, or sitting aids to meet their needs. Other items like soap and toilet paper are enablers of safe sanitation behaviour and protect human dignity and mental health. More information can be found in the WASH Cluster briefing note on Hygiene related NFIs (UNICEF 2007).

5. 5. Communication and Engagement with Stakeholders (see also Enabling Environment)

Hygiene promoters are often responsible for communication campaigns designed so that the affected population receive relevant information about sanitation behaviour and the services available using appropriate, tailored and effective communication channels. Hygiene promoters help to engage influencers such as community or religious leaders and land and house owners enabling them to become advocates and champions of sanitation.

6. 6. Monitoring (see also Response Monitoring)

Hygiene promoters, sanitation engineers, the affected population and local stakeholders should collectively monitor sanitation behaviours and levels of user acceptance and satisfaction.

Engineers working in sanitation in emergencies need to be aware that sanitation software is a core part of their work and to advocate for its integration into the programme. If appropriate they should ask their organisation to deploy additional capacity or seek external collaboration with other actors.

As well as hygiene promotion, sanitation software includes Inclusive Planning and Participation, the Identification of Technologies with the community.

In the longer term, a software package should also include:

• • Capacity Development

• • Response Monitoring

• • Creating an Enabling Environment