Safe Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (SODIS-Unicef)

Objetives

  • Improve the Access to safe water consumption, hygiene and sanitary in Arque, Tacopaya, Bolivar and Sacabamba, four municipalities of the department of Cochabamba.
  • The aim is to manage social and behavioral changes in hygiene practices (washing hands with soap and water or other detergent), use of safe water (treatment, handling, storage at home), excreta disposal and proper use of supplied services within the framework of the policies of the Ministry and Health and Sports (SAFCI) and the Ministry of Environment and Water (decomposition for population under 2000 inhabitants) in four municipalities supported by UNICEF in the department of Cochabamba, from March 2010 to March 2011.
  • The strategy will be implemented in four municipalities allocated by UNICEF: Arque, Tacopaya, Bolivar and Sacabamba.
  • We will work with 11,000 inhabitants, distributed in 77 communities were selected taking into account the criteria suggested by UNICEF. The direct beneficiaries are women, men, teens, boys and girls of school age and teachers of the communities.
  • The indirect beneficiaries are children under 5 years and health personnel.
  • The strategy will be implemented in four municipalities allocated by UNICEF: Arque, Tacopaya, Bolivar and Sacabamba.
  • We will work with 11,000 inhabitants, distributed in 77 communities selected taking into account the criteria suggested by UNICEF. The direct beneficiaries are women, men, teens, boys and girls of school age and teachers of the communities.
  • The indirect beneficiaries are children under 5 years and health personnel.

Methodology

This project is structured on the basis of three methods of intervention, they are interdependent and synergistic manner intended to achieve the objectives of the project.

Methodology 1: Community Participation and Empowerment of Women

This methodology is based on what women do, know and feel about what it is hygiene, safe water and sanitation, seeking intercultural dialogue of knowledge among health personnel, the project technicians and the community.
At the end of the process and with the participation of all actors and all the community, a Women's Organization will develop its own project in relation to hygiene, water and sanitation and they will assess the performance of their activities, goals achieved and changes in the sphere of knowledge and behavior.

Methodology 2: School hygiene

The application of this methodology aims to manage that school age children practice hygiene, use of safe water and sanitation, in school and at home, with the support of the teacher.

Methods 3: Mass Communication

The application of this methodology is intended to disseminate useful information aimed at supporting the adoption of practices expected by the synergistic implementation of the other methodologies.
Because the strategy aims to reach a wide, scattered and massive audience, it has been opted for an approach that uses as support local media (particularly radio). As it is already known, the radio in Bolivia, especially in rural areas, plays a fundamental role in social and cultural communities’ life.