Community based responses to climate change for rural sanitation
Client: Institute of Development Studies
ISF-UTS and the Sanitation Learning Hub at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) are partnering to write a publication on community-based responses to climate change to support rural sanitation. The publication contains tips, advice, and activities for rural sanitation implementers that are new to climate change programming and interested in integrating considerations of climate change into their programming and services.
Frontiers of CLTS: Support mechanisms to strengthen equality and non-discrimination (EQND) in rural sanitation (Part 2 of 2)
Client: Institute for Development Studies
This Frontiers of CLTS issue examines the potential of support mechanisms to produce more equitable outcomes for Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and considers implications for the wider rural sanitation sector. CLTS has had great success in improving latrine coverage in rural areas worldwide, but concerns have been raised about the equality of its outcomes. Disadvantaged groups often are the first to revert back to open defecation or are inadequately reached by CLTS processes. Support mechanisms, when designed appropriately and used at the right times, can help to ensure no one is left behind.
Research outputs and reports:
Frontiers Number 13: Support mechanisms to strengthen equality and non-discrimination (EQND) in rural sanitation (Part 2 of 2)
Webinar recording
Presentation slides
Climate change response for inclusive WASH
Client: GHD - DFAT Water for Women Fund
This research project, as part of the DFAT Water for Women Fund, supports civil society organisations to assess climate change impacts to improve the service, gender and social inclusion outcomes of WASH programs. Climate change affects the sustainability of WASH services in numerous, interconnecting ways with a disproportionate burden falling on women and people living with disabilities. Understanding these unequal and complex impacts is key to developing solutions that ensure climate change does not deepen inequalities in access and services.
For more information visit www.waterforwomen.uts.edu.au/climate-change-response
Beyond the finish line: Inclusive, climate-responsive rural sanitation
Client: SNV Development Organisation
ISF-UTS is the research and learning partner for SNV’s Beyond the Finish Line program (2018-2022), which is part of DFAT’s Water for Women Fund. Beyond the Finish Line seeks to achieve equitable and universal access to safely-managed sanitation and hygiene in seven districts in Bhutan and Lao PDR, and to strengthen the sustainability and resilience of rural water supply services in two districts in Nepal.
In Bhutan, ISF-UTS and SNV are engaging local government on the human right to sanitation and developing strategies to strengthen women’s leadership in WASH. In Laos, our partnership supports integration of climate resilience principles in rural sanitation programs in flood prone areas.
Sanitation and hygiene for all: a comparative study of approaches to leaving no one behind across five countries
Client: SNV Development Organisation
This research reviewed SNV’s experience striving to reach all through the Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for All (SSH4A) program in rural areas across five of the 11 implementation countries including: Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, Zambia and Tanzania.
The breadth of SNV approaches to understanding potential disadvantage, as well as strategies used to ensure inclusive uptake and use of sanitation services was investigated.
Research outputs and reports:
Journal article: Reaching all in rural sanitation: experiences from inclusive programming in five countries
Pro-poor sanitation evaluation: Bantaey Meas Cambodia
Client: SNV Development Organisation
For this research, ISF-UTS reviewed SNV’s pilot pro-poor support mechanism in Banteay Meas District in Cambodia, which is part of SNV’s broader Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for All (SSH4A) program. Effectiveness of the pilot pro-poor support mechanism in enabling increased uptake of improved sanitation amongst poor households, as well as understanding the strengths and key enabling factors of the mechanism was investigated.
Piloting pro poor-support strategies in Banteay Meas district Cambodia – Learning brief
Review of SNV’s Pro-Poor Support Mechanism in Banteay Meas, Cambodia - Report
Enterprise in WASH
Client: Australian Development Research Scheme Award (ADRAS) Grant
This research investigated the role of small-scale enterprises in sustainable WASH service delivery, with a focus on equitable outcomes for the poor. Conducted in partnership with civil society organisations and local research institutions in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Studies included: systematic literature review; political economy analyses on private sector roles; sanitation value chain analyses; motivators and barriers for enterprises; water service outcomes for the poor; associations and business support mechanisms; women’s enterprise participation; and life cycle costs for rural water service delivery.
See the project website, enterpriseinwash.info, to read all of the above research outputs, additional resources such as learning briefs for civil society organisations, and more.
Supporting the poor to access sanitation in Bokeo, Laos
Client: Plan Laos and Plan Australia
Internationally, there has been debate over the last decade about effective ways to increase access to sanitation, as a basic human right and essential service to support public health.
Within Laos, a similar debate is underway, with a history of provision of hardware subsidies through public or non-governmental organisation funding, and a recent shift towards demand-driven approaches to motivate household investment and market support, to enable more efficient, affordable supply of sanitation products.
This is particularly important in areas such as Bokeo Province, Laos, where remote communities have limited access to the commercial sector.
This research examined strategies to ensure that the poorest members of rural communities in the province of Bokeo, Laos were supported to gain access to sanitation through a 'smart' subsidies approach.
Research outputs and resources
Supporting the poor to access sanitation in Bokeo Province, Laos - Research report
