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Table 1 Key components of the community mobilisation process and timing of activities

From: Promoting latrine construction and use in rural villages practicing open defecation: process evaluation in connection with a randomised controlled trial in Orissa, India

Component

Description

Dates

Introductory meetings

NGO cluster coordinator and village motivator meet with local government representatives, key opinion leaders and members of existing community-based organisations such as Self-Help Groups to explain details about the programme.

Feb-Apr 2011

Baseline survey

A second or third meeting is organised the following week to meet with key leaders and provide further details on the programme and collect preliminary information on the village structure, socio-economic profile and water, hygiene and sanitation conditions. During this visit, the village motivator may visit households door-to-door to prepare a list of households with details on BPL status to estimate number of beneficiaries per village. Whenever possible, the BPL list is verified against the BPL list maintain at the Gram Panchayat office.

Feb-Apr 2011

Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC)

The committee is typically composed of 10–15 members. The VWSC includes local government representatives, schoolteacher, kindergarten (Anganwadi) worker, community health worker (Accredited Social Health Activist, ASHA), villager elders, Self-help group members. At least a third of committee members should be women and lower socio-economic groups and schedule castes should be represented.

Feb-Apr 2011

The role of the VWSC is to inform community members about the programme and encourage participation, develop an action plan for their village, help with the identification of beneficiaries, liaise with NGO staff and community members to resolve any potential conflicts and issues, support latrine construction logistics such as material procurement and storage, and record keeping.

VWSC members attend a 2-day training organised by the implementing NGO and meet once a month thereafter to review progresses with the village motivator and local masons and to discuss and resolve issues arising during the implementation.

Participatory Rural Appraisal

Transect walk: The village motivator gathers community members in a public place in the village and walk through the village with community members to identify and discuss sanitation related issues, visit open defecation sites, village water sources etc.

Feb – Apr 2011

Village mapping exercise: The village motivator stimulate discussion about sanitation issues by encouraging community members to draw a map of the village on the ground and use stones, leaves and colour powder to show village landmarks, houses with and without latrines, defecation sites, and water sources.

Wealth ranking exercise: village motivator organises a meeting with community leaders and VWSC members at a central location in the village and encourage discussions to help them identify poorest households in their village.

Door-to-door household visits

Village motivators visit households door-to-door on a weekly basis to explain the programme, encourage participation, and follow-up on latrine construction progresses.

Feb 2011 – Mar 2012

Wall paintings

Wall paintings are located at the entrance of the village or visible location. Paintings typically include the F-diagram showing the transmission pathways for diarrhoea pathogens, breakdown of latrine construction costs and NGO contact details for transparency, and the map of the village as drawn during mapping exercise. One painting planned in each village.

Jan -Mar 2012

School rally

School-aged children are assembled at the village school and walk through the village with placards while chanting slogans about sanitation. One school rally planned to take place in each village.

Jan-Mar 2012

Adolescent girls group or ‘Kumari committee’

Adolescent girls groups engaged in communicating about good sanitation practices among family and friends, organise village cleaning campaigns. Group members attend a 2-day training organised by the NGO.

Mar 2012