Development of a behavior-based monitoring system for the health education component of the rural water and health project, CARE-Guatemala

This WASH project, in conjunction with CARE-Guatemala, was to develop a simple monitoring system to track diarrhoea prevalence over time, and to assess progress towards reduction of water-borne diarrhoeal diseases. The monitoring approach is a continuous approach in contrast to traditional project midpoint and end evaluations. The choice was made to monitor health behaviour, by means of observations, i.e. if latrine seats showed stains and/or signs of wear, or if cleaning materials were present. Some of the other data acquisition instruments include surveys, checklists, community assessments and home visits, most of which are performed by CARE extension and promotion staff. Some of the recommendations for the continuation of the project are: redesigning latrines for children younger than 5 years, community participation in some of the more technical areas (choice of latrine type) and formative research in health education.