Abstract:
Background: Community-Led Total Sanitation and Hygiene (CLTSH) was introduced & implemented in Gorodolla by the Woreda health office. As in many other woredas it was found to have been successful in triggering motivation to end open defecation, however it was not known how sustainable these changes had been. 10 health extension workers working in 4 kebeles participated in the data collection with their view to assessing CLTSH’s sustainability.
Objective: This study was aimed to understand perspectives of HEW’s, feeling and ideas towards the sustainability of CLTSH and drawn conclusions and recommendations.
Methods: Purposive sampling considering 10 health extension workers at primary health posts after seeking their consent for in-depth interview which was administered by the principal investigator. The interview was carried out in a separate room in the health post to keep the quality of data. Notes and voice records in audiotapes was taken and analyzed through coding and categorization using open code software. Emphasized codes were selected as themes and analyzed.
Results: The analysis had shown that almost all of the health extension workers feel that CLTSH is strong in promoting sanitation and hygiene, sustainability of community led total sanitation will be challenging in safety net covered pastoralist areas, and where strong support from kebele administrative and woreda health office is lacking. Some of them have an idea that sustainability could not be practical where follow up during implementation is weak.
Conclusion and recommendations: From the perspectives of health extension workers, it continuous follow up to work on the sustainability of the behavioral change process is required. There has to be technical support and facilitation of transport, cooperation from all stakeholders and integrate new water supplies with building of more durable latrines, to enhancing sustainability, but also can be used as an indirect incentive to achieve ODF in pastoral communities.
......................................... Thesis available at ACIPH Library