Executive Summary
Poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene practices remain major contributors to preventable diseases, particularly in low-income and vulnerable communities. Open defecation, unsafe waste disposal, limited access to clean water, and low awareness of hygiene behaviors significantly increase the risk of waterborne and communicable diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and intestinal infections. These health risks disproportionately affect women, children, the elderly, and marginalized populations, leading to high healthcare costs, lost productivity, and avoidable mortality.
This project aims to improve sanitation and hygiene practices to reduce public health risks through a comprehensive, community-based approach. Implemented over 36 months, the project will focus on strengthening sanitation infrastructure, promoting behavior change, enhancing hygiene education, and building local capacity for sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) management. The project will directly benefit 20,000 community members, with a strong emphasis on women, children, and schools, and indirectly improve health outcomes for surrounding populations.
By integrating infrastructure development with behavior change communication and community ownership, the project will contribute to healthier communities, reduced disease burden, and improved quality of life.
Background and Problem Statement
Access to safe sanitation and hygiene is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of public health. Despite global progress, millions of people still lack access to basic sanitation facilities and practice unsafe hygiene behaviors. In many rural and peri-urban areas, inadequate toilets, poor waste management, and limited handwashing facilities remain widespread.
Key challenges include:
- Widespread open defecation and poorly maintained sanitation facilities
- Limited access to safe water for hygiene purposes
- Low awareness of critical hygiene behaviors such as handwashing with soap
- Cultural norms and misconceptions that hinder behavior change
- Weak local systems for sanitation maintenance and waste management
These challenges contribute to recurring disease outbreaks, child malnutrition, school absenteeism, and reduced economic productivity. Addressing sanitation and hygiene requires not only infrastructure but also sustained behavior change and strong community engagement.
Project Goal and Objectives
Overall Goal
To reduce public health risks by improving sanitation infrastructure and promoting sustainable hygiene practices in vulnerable communities.
Specific Objectives
- Increase access to safe, inclusive, and climate-resilient sanitation facilities.
- Improve hygiene knowledge and behavior, particularly handwashing with soap.
- Strengthen community-led sanitation management and ownership.
- Reduce the incidence of sanitation-related diseases among target populations.
Target Groups and Beneficiaries
- Primary Beneficiaries
- Households in rural and peri-urban communities
- Women and girls, including pregnant women
- Children under five and school-going children
- Schools, health centers, and community institutions
- Secondary Beneficiaries
- Local health workers and sanitation volunteers
- Community-based organizations and local authorities
- Informal sanitation workers
Project Approach and Methodology
The project adopts a community-led, gender-sensitive, and behavior-focused WASH approach, aligned with national sanitation policies and Sustainable Development Goal 6.
Guiding Principles
- Community ownership and participation
- Equity and inclusion
- Behavior change rather than infrastructure alone
- Environmental sustainability
- Integration with public health systems
Key Activities
- Component 1: Sanitation Infrastructure Improvement
- Support construction and upgrading of household and community toilets.
- Promote inclusive designs for women, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities.
- Improve sanitation facilities in schools and health centers.
- Introduce safe fecal sludge management and solid waste systems.
- Component 2: Hygiene Promotion and Behavior Change
- Conduct community hygiene education sessions using participatory tools.
- Promote handwashing with soap at critical times.
- Distribute hygiene kits to vulnerable households.
- Use schools as hubs for hygiene education and child-led behavior change.
- Component 3: Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS)
- Component 4: Capacity Building and Local Systems Strengthening
- Train local sanitation committees and volunteers.
- Build capacity of local authorities on sanitation planning and monitoring.
- Strengthen linkages between health, water, and sanitation departments.
- Component 5: Monitoring, Learning, and Advocacy
- Establish community-based monitoring systems.
- Track sanitation coverage, hygiene practices, and health outcomes.
- Document lessons learned and promote policy dialogue at local level.
Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by poor sanitation due to safety, privacy, and health concerns. The project will:
- Ensure women’s participation in sanitation planning and decision-making.
- Promote menstrual hygiene management education and facilities.
- Address accessibility needs of persons with disabilities and elderly.
- Engage men and boys as allies in hygiene behavior change.
Expected Results and Outcomes
Outputs
- 4,000 improved or newly constructed sanitation facilities
- 300 hygiene promotion sessions conducted
- 200 sanitation volunteers trained
- 50 schools equipped with improved WASH facilities
Outcomes
- Increased adoption of safe sanitation and hygiene behaviors
- Reduced incidence of diarrhea and sanitation-related diseases
- Improved school attendance, especially for girls
- Stronger community ownership of sanitation systems
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)
The project will implement a robust MEL framework including:
- Baseline and endline surveys
- Routine monitoring of sanitation and hygiene indicators
- Health data tracking in collaboration with local health facilities
- Participatory review meetings and learning workshops
Sustainability Strategy
Sustainability will be ensured through:
- Community-led sanitation management structures
- Cost-sharing and household contributions
- Integration with local government sanitation plans
- Ongoing hygiene promotion through schools and health workers
Risk Analysis and Mitigation
Potential risks include resistance to behavior change, affordability of sanitation facilities, water scarcity, and weak institutional coordination. These risks will be mitigated through continuous community engagement, promotion of low-cost sanitation technologies, alignment with local water resource planning, and strong coordination with local authorities and health systems.
Implementation Timeline
Duration: 36 months
- Year 1: Baseline, community mobilization, initial infrastructure
- Year 2: Hygiene promotion, CLTS, scale-up of facilities
- Year 3: Consolidation, ODF sustainability, evaluation
Budget Summary (Indicative)
- Sanitation Infrastructure $XXXXXX
- Hygiene Promotion & IEC $XXXXXX
- Training & Capacity Building $XXXXXX
- Monitoring & Evaluation $XXXXX
- Project Management & Admin $XXXXXX
- Total $XXXXXX
Conclusion
Improving sanitation and hygiene is one of the most cost-effective investments in public health. Through a holistic, community-driven approach, this project will reduce disease burden, enhance dignity and safety, and contribute to long-term health and development outcomes. The proposed intervention offers a scalable and sustainable model to achieve healthier communities and resilient sanitation systems.
