When faced with a difficult problem, one of the best ways to determine the way ahead is to ask the advice of someone who has faced a similar situation. This logic motivated a group of extremely enthusiastic WASH practitioners from Liberia and Sierra Leone to visit Bangladesh in November 2010. They came to talk to people in Dhaka and rural Chittagong about how to address issues of sanitation, hygiene and water supply.
Published on: 17/03/2011
When faced with a difficult problem, one of the best ways to determine the way ahead is to ask the advice of someone who has faced a similar situation. This logic motivated a group of extremely enthusiastic WASH practitioners from Liberia and Sierra Leone to visit Bangladesh in November 2010. They came to talk to people in Dhaka and rural Chittagong about how to address issues of sanitation, hygiene and water supply.
Bangladesh was chosen as their destination because the country has been a global leader in implementing new approaches driven by community-led demand creation. The countries have much in common. They share similar challenges including the disruption of societies torn apart by war and violence[, certain geographic features, increased urbanisation, extreme poverty among many members of society and huge challenges to improve the access to safe sanitation. But they also share many of the same advantages: community leaders committed to improving social and economic development, forward looking populations who are optimistic about the prospects for their children, and dedicated professionals who recognise the urgency of ensuring good sanitation, hygiene and water for all members of society.
The delegates from West Africa, nine from Liberia and two from Sierra Leone, represented a cross-section from government and civil society, including faith-based groups, women’s alliances and youth groups. The week-long programme involved meetings and site visits to examine different programmatic approaches, including Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), sanitation marketing, and urban programming. Participants were enthusiastic to learn about sanitary toilets adapted for disabled people, and about ecological sanitation and biogas. Staff members from the national NGOs Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK) and Village Education Resource Centre (VERC), the Water and Sanitation Program of the World Bank (WSP), and members of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) National Coalition Bangladesh were generous in sharing their expertise and time with the delegates. The learning trip was devised, and primarily funded by WSSCC, with support to individual delegates being offered by WaterAid and WASH Consortium Liberia. Visits to programme sites resulted in questions and discussions with project staff and members of the community. In the evenings, delegates shared their impressions and planned how to apply what they had learnt to challenges back home.
The participants left with notebooks full of good ideas, a draft plan for implementation in their countries, and names and email addresses of many in Bangladesh who offered to stay in touch. They had also been glad to have the opportunity to share their own solutions and approaches with colleagues in Bangladesh – in clear recognition that good learning is always a two-way process.
WSSCC sees this style of learning trip as a great example of South-South exchange. Preparation before the trip, hard work in country, and ongoing follow-up, have all been aimed at ensuring lasting benefits – especially when these experiences will be used to improve WASH for the poorest and those in most need.
More details about the learning trip can be obtained from amanda.marlin@wsscc.org.
