The Role of Strategic Community Engagement in Sustainable WASH Initiatives: A Reflection on Nigeria and India’s Contexts
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The Role of Strategic Community Engagement in Sustainable WASH Initiatives: A Reflection on Nigeria and India’s Contexts
Access to safely managed water, sanitation, and hygiene services is fundamental to human health, dignity, and well-being. Despite significant advancements in technology and infrastructure, a large portion of the global population still lacks proper access to these basic necessities. One key approach that has proven to be effective in addressing this issue is strategic community engagement.
Strategic community engagement refers to a deliberate and well-planned approach involving local communities, CSOs and key players in the planning, decision-making, and implementation of WASH projects. It goes beyond simple information sharing and aims to create meaningful partnerships between stakeholders, including community members, organizations, and institutions. Strategic community engagement involves thoughtful planning, clear communication, active participation, and a focus on achieving specific goals that benefit both the community and the broader initiative. Strategic community engagement in Nigeria’s WASH sector is a multifaceted concept that involves collaboration between local communities, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders because it is beyond the mere provision of infrastructure and focuses on fostering ownership, participation, and empowerment within communities through needs assessment, goal setting, stakeholder mapping, effective communication, participation and inclusivity, capacity building, collaborative decision making, sustainability, as well as measurement and evaluation. Engaged communities, CSOs and key stakeholders are active partners in ensuring the sustainability of WASH initiatives. Where diverse cultural norms and geographical disparities exist, strategic community engagement in Nigeria becomes pivotal in tailoring solutions that resonate with local contexts.
One remarkable example of strategic community engagement is the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach. CLTS focuses on creating awareness about the adverse impacts of open defecation and open urination, inspiring behavioral change within communities. This approach has yielded significant results. As of 2021, more than 66 million people across 71 countries had achieved open defecation-free status due to the adoption of CLTS, as reported by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). Nigeria’s experience with community-led approaches, akin to the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) method, showcases the transformative power of engaging communities in WASH initiatives. The Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) project, funded by the European Union and UNICEF, illustrates this impact. As of 2020, RUSHPIN had enabled over 2.5 million people in rural areas to gain access to improved sanitation facilities, illustrating the effectiveness of strategic community engagement in driving behavioral change and infrastructure development.
The impact of strategic community engagement on WASH outcomes is profound. According to UNICEF, in regions where communities are actively involved in WASH projects, the likelihood of long-term service sustainability increases dramatically. In contrast, projects that lack community involvement face higher risks of failure, often due to inadequate maintenance, limited understanding of local needs, and low ownership.
Statistics vividly highlight the positive correlation between strategic community engagement and improved WASH access. The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene reported that from 2000 to 2017, over 1.6 billion people globally gained access to improved sanitation facilities. Much of this progress can be attributed to community-driven initiatives that tailored solutions to local contexts. Studies also reveal a mixed yet encouraging picture of WASH progress in Nigeria. The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) reported that as of 2017, approximately 70% of Nigeria’s urban population had access to improved sanitation facilities, a notable increase from previous years. While rural sanitation access remains a challenge, strategic community engagement initiatives like RUSHPIN are gradually bridging the gap.
Engaged communities, CSOs, and key stakeholders do not just benefit from improved health and well-being; they also experience economic advantages. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that every dollar invested in WASH generates an economic return of between $3 and $34, thanks to increased productivity, reduced healthcare costs, and improved quality of life. A report by the WaterAid Nigeria found that for every $1 invested in water and sanitation, Nigeria’s economy could gain $4.3 in increased productivity and reduced healthcare costs. This underscores the potential for community-driven WASH initiatives to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth and development.
India’s Swachh Bharat Mission is a prime example of a nationwide effort that harnessed strategic community engagement to tackle open defecation and open urination. By leveraging community-led initiatives and behavior change campaigns, the program successfully built millions of household toilets and achieved open defecation- and urination-free status for many regions. As of October 2020, over 600 million people in India had gained access to sanitation facilities through this initiative, as reported by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
The sustainable achievement of WASH goals requires more than just infrastructure; it necessitates a collective effort from communities, CSOs and key stakeholders themselves. The role of strategic community engagement in the WASH sector is paramount, as evidenced by initiatives like CLTS and the Swachh Bharat Mission. In Nigeria, strategic community engagement is often facilitated through partnerships between governmental bodies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Clean Nigeria Campaign, launched by the Nigerian government, exemplifies the significance of collaborative efforts. This campaign aims to end open defecation by 2025 and leverages the expertise of CSOs, grassroots organizations, and community leaders to drive change at the local level. As we move forward, it is imperative to recognize that true progress in WASH access and sustainability hinges on empowering communities, CSOs and key stakeholders to take ownership, make informed decisions, and drive positive change within their own contexts.
Christopher Ononukwe, ISWSC Communications Desk Officer, writes via Christopherononukwe@gmail.com