JULY 2005 SOAPBOX The Public Private Partnership for Handwashing Newsletter UPDATES FROM ONGOING PROGRAMS Ghana Regional launch events have taken place in all the 10 regions and district-level launches of the handwashing campaign have taken place in all districts. The district launches were organized by the handwashing steering committees at the end of Phase One of the campaign, with funding from the Community Water Supply Project II. All launch events were well-attended and chaired by a highlevel regional political figure. The events attracted print and electronic media coverage. District-level activities to support the campaign continued throughout 2004 and the first half of 2005. The mass media program was back on air on Ghana Television (GTV), the national television station, to re-echo the handwashing message to the target audience. In January 2005, there was a repeat broadcast of the television discussion program in the six main local languages. In addition, several feature articles about the program appeared in a number of newspapers including two widely-read ones: Junior Graphic, a weekly paper targeted at school children, and Public Agenda, a bi-weekly private newspaper targeted at opinion leaders. Secretariat for the Global Handwashing Partnership In March 2005, the coordination of global PPPHW activities was transferred to the Secretariat for the Global Handwashing Partnership. The Secretariat is housed by the Water and Sanitation Program and is staffed by Coordinator Kate Tulenko and Communications Specialist Lene Jensen. The evaluation of the first six months of the communication campaign, undertaken in August 2004, confirms that the campaign has on the whole been effective in creating awareness about the importance of and critical times for washing hands with soap. However, to maintain visibility, promote behavior change, and maintain handwashing with soap, the PPPHW Initiative needs to continue to remind people of the handwashing with soap message, particularly at critical times. Table 1: Ghana Phase I Evaluation Results (%) Reported Handwashing Handwashing with Pre Post Change Soap Junctures Campaign Campaign Women After defecation 76 89 +13 Before eating 14 55 +41 Before feeding a baby 6 25 +19 Before preparing food 11 26 +15 After eating 53 31-22 Children After defecation 76 89 +13 Before eating 14 76 +62 After eating 61 41-20 Table 1 (above) provides highlights of the results from the evaluation of Phase One. The results show reported behavior change. The key issues for Phase Two are funding, planning, and developing the campaign to build on the results of Phase One. Partnership contacts have re-opened with all the key partners to discuss commitment and contributions to Phase Two. So far, DANIDA has agreed to support the initiative and is currently discussing the level of funding. The soap company PZ-Cussons has also promised support. The business plan has been updated to cover 2005-2007. 1
Peru The initiative reached a new phase with the commencement of the International Bidding Process for the design of the handwashing campaign. An official national launch of the PPPHW Initiative took place on July 18, 2005. In addition to promoting the initiative, the objective of this launch was to strengthen the commitment of health and education officials, as well as that of the private institutions and NGOs which have been involved since the beginning of the program. In early September, the launch of the mass media and direct consumer contact campaign will follow. Colgate-Palmolive has agreed to take part in the campaign launch and school program. The company will provide handwashing printed materials and soap samples for the classroom, and participate with a kiosk and personnel to promote handwashing practice trials with audience at the launch event. Boga Communicaciones S.A., a cable TV media company, has agreed to sponsor the production of a TV program to disseminate the handwashing practice and promote the initiative. Peru's main private radio station, Radio Programmas Peru (RPP), has been chosen to develop local campaigns for national dissemination and provide airtime to reach communities in the three geographical regions of Peru: coast, highland, and tropical rainforest. RPP reaches 85% of the country s population. The campaigns will be designed to reach the poorest segments of the population in peri-urban as well as rural areas. The media materials that will be produced and disseminated include: Radio soap operas Radio talk-show programs Handwashing contest in Spanish and Quechua (radio promotion) Professionally designed generic handwashing promotional campaign on (regional) television channels (with a large viewership in poor communities) The radio and television programs will involve local, well-respected professionals and community leaders (opinion leaders). The Japanese Social Development Fund (JSDF) grant, which was signed into effect in May 2005, will finance the design and implementation of the communication tools. In this phase, efforts are also being made to consolidate regional partnerships in the regions of Lima, Lambayeque, Ayacucho, Cusco, San Martin, Arequipa, and Piura. Once these partnerships have been consolidated, others will be established in other regions of Peru. The regional government of Lambayeque has confirmed its commitment to lead the initiative in the region. A regional handwashing committee will soon be set up, with a regional coordinator to carry out the action plan. Colombia The handwashing coordinator for Peru has continued to provide support for the establishment of the Colombia HW Initiative over the past 9 months. SKAT, a Swiss consulting firm, has been selected conduct the handwashing behavioral study in Colombia. The selection process for a coordinator of the Colombia HW Initiative has taken place and a coordinator was chosen by the Selection Committee and confirmed by Vice Minister of Environment Carmen Arevalo. The Colombia Handwashing Campaign is planned to be carried out in five regions of the country as a component of a World Bank funded project. Nepal The first phase of the Initiative comprised of a consumer baseline survey and the development of a Business Plan. Based on the findings of the survey, a marketing strategy was developed including IEC and promotional materials viz. posters, brochure, flip chart, radio spots/jingle and a TV commercial. The Nepal Handwashing Initiative was launched nationally in October 2004 followed by the district level launches. The Handwashing Initiative was launched using mass media advertising (TV, Radio) and social mobilization, which included training of frontline workers (Female Community Health Volunteers, Sanitation Motivators, and Community Based Organizations etc.), door-to-door visits, hand washing demonstrations and activities in schools and communities, and local event promotions in the focus program districts. All these activities are being organized in a continued manner. Monitoring and reporting at the community, district and central level is been organized on a regular basis during the implementation phase. 2
Regarding the involvement of the private sector, there are two major soap manufacturers involved in the Initiative, Nepal Lever Ltd. (a subsidiary of Unilever Inc.), the market leader in the soap segment and a local soap company, Aarti Soap and Chemicals. They have supported the campaign by providing free media airtime in prime time television and radio programs, soap samples and school promotions. During the recently concluded National Sanitation Action Week in May 2005, handwashing with soap promotion was incorporated as an integral component, particularly among the school children, in a majority of the districts. Senegal The Ministry of Hygiene has shown a strong interest in the PPPHW. A steering committee, headed by the Minister, will be set up and Office National de l'assainissement du Sénégal (ONAS; Senegal s National WSS Agency) will remain the executing agency. Since the Initiative s inception, partners have shown eagerness and support for the program. On the funding side, a proposal for funding has been submitted to the Belgium Technical Cooperation and the PPPHW team is discussing potential contributions with Plan International- Senegal. The already secured Japanese Social Development Fund grant for the Senegal PPPHW was signed into effect in May, 2005, enabling the direct consumer contact (DCC) component of the campaign to get underway. The national handwashing behavioral study (baseline) will begin in late July, 2005. The onset of the study has been delayed by recurrent cholera outbreaks in Senegal. The selection process for the Interpersonal Communication component of the DCC is underway and expected to be complete in August 2005. Launch of the Senegal National Handwashing Campaign is tentatively scheduled for November 2005. Madagascar Government backing for the Madagascar PPP for Handwashing continues to be solid. It has recently been confirmed that the Ministry of Energy and Mines will allocate US$350,000 annually to the Initiative in the period 2006-2008 (as part of the new Poverty Reduction Support Credit). The Partnership is also finding solid support in the private sector with four local soap manufacturers joining since September 2004. In June 2005, Madagascar was identified as a USAID/HIP focal country, a development that is expected to further strengthen the quality and reach of the Handwashing Initiative. A Communication Strategy and Business Plan have been agreed upon by all the partners in the Madagascar PPP. Harson Development was selected to develop and has at this point delivered all the media (logo, slogan, mascot, etc.). All media materials will be pre-tested with target audiences in rural and urban areas in early 2006. The campaign launch is tentatively scheduled for March 2006. NEW HANDWASHING PROGRAMS Indonesia The Coalition of for a Healthy Indonesia (KuIS) has been spearheading a Handwashing with Soap campaign to increase rates of handwashing in the Banten and North Sumatra provinces, with technical assistance from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Program (CCP) and support from USAID. The initiative is carrying out an integrated set of activities in these provinces, including the establishment of journalist forums, a mass media campaign, mobilization of stakeholders, and community organization. Radio has played a central role in the mass media campaign and the initiative has partnered with 14 radio stations in Banten and North Sumatra to air the radio campaign materials developed. The radio campaign has reinforced handwashing promotion activities at the community level. A Handwashing with Soap initiative has similarly been started in the Aceh province to support efforts to reduce the burden of diarrheal disease among those affected by the December 2004 tsunami. The Aceh initiative has adapted the already developed communication materials for use in the Aceh region. A new radio public service announcement (PSA) has been developed to promote the correct techniques involved in handwashing, a TV PSA is 3
under development, and three videos have been produced, using Community Theatre to convey the handwashing message. Further, the initiative has provided training for key change agents (health workers, IDP camp managers, ulamas, teachers, and radio stations) on the impact of handwashing with soap and effective ways to deliver the handwashing message. Benin The Government of Benin has expressed a strong interest in setting up a national PPP for handwashing. The incipient Initiative has received support from the Senegal handwashing coordinator, among other things in the drafting of a concept note, which has been submitted to the Government of Benin via WSP-AF. Next steps towards the establishment of the Initiative will be defined during a WSP visit to Benin in September. Vietnam A PPP for Handwashing is in the early stages. The PPPHW will be part of the Coastal Cities Environmental Sanitation Project, which is currently under preparation. Dr. Val Curtis of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine visited Vietnam in May 2005 to explore the potential for enhancing health through better hygiene in the three project cities, Nha Trang, Quy Nonh, and Dong Hoi. The visit strengthened support for a handwashing program among key government counterparts. Tanzania A PPP for Handwashing Initiative is in its first stages. A consumer research (baseline) study will be carried out in FY06 with funding from the Government of Ireland. Nathaniel Paynter of the Water and Sanitation Program will be heading up the Tanzania PPPHW. He will be relocating from WSP-HQ to Tanzania in the fall of 2005. PUBLICATIONS & RESEARCH Handwashing Handbook The Global PPP for Handwashing released a new publication, the Handwashing Handbook, in March 2005. The Handbook lays out the experiences of the Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing in a practical guidance document. It is designed for staff in governments and development organizations charged with carrying out handwashing programs. Decision makers in ministries and funding agencies will also find assistance in designing policies and programs to improve public health. The Handwashing Handbook outlines a large-scale approach to handwashing promotion and covers laying the foundation for a national program, consumer research, program implementation, and organization. The publication is available in hardcopy from the Secretariat and electronically on the Global PPP for Handwashing website at www.globalhandwashing.org NEWS IN BRIEF University of Handwashing March 7-8, 2005 Over 35 participants from soap industry, academia, development organizations, and PPPHW country programs gathered in Washington DC, March 7-8 2005, to partake in the third global learning workshop. Key topics discussed during the workshop included, among other things, Experience from the Private Sector, The Marketing Plan for Handwashing, Financing, and Building and Maintaining PPP s. The workshop report and presentations are available on the Global PPP for Handwashing website at www.globalhandwashing.org Micro-Finance Entrepreneurs Promote Handwashing in India According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Hindustan Lever Ltd., Unilever s Indian subsidiary, has embarked on a large-scale initiative to market its products to low-income consumers in rural parts of India and is promoting handwashing with soap in the process. Since 2000, Hindustan Lever has partnered with micro-credit programs in an initiative (titled Project Shakti) to help poor rural women set up small-scale businesses, selling and promoting the company s products. Hindustan Lever provides training and local marketing support to the small-scale entrepreneurs, whose marketing tools include showing how soap cleans hands better than water alone. Today, Project Shakti has expanded from Andra Pradesh, where the initiative was started, to India s 12 states, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Unilever s African units are looking to follow suit 4
shortly. Besides marketing its products, Hindustan Lever also advocates handwashing with soap in India. (Prystay, C. May 25, 2005. With Loans, Poor South Asian Women Turn Entrepreneurial. The Wall Street Journal. New York.) Indonesia Handwashing Festival June 19, 2005 On June 19, 2005, handwashing festivals were held in Lebak, Banten and Medan, North Sumatra. The festivals were part of community-level campaign activities carried out by KuIS. Festival activities included handwashing dance performances by mothers, handwashing dance competitions for kids, leisure-walk competitions, an easy stroll, physical exercises, and coloring competitions for kindergarten kids. We encourage and welcome your comments and contributions to SoapBox. Please send them to Lene Jensen at Ljensen@worldbank.org To learn more about the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap, visit our website at www.globalhandwashing.org. 5