The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and the Department of Health are currently implementing the above-mentioned project as a joint initiative. The project aims to develop a National Health and Hygiene Strategy as well as Minimum Standards for Health and Hygiene Awareness initiatives in order to improve the planning, implementation and monitoring of sanitation health and hygiene awareness programmes.
This document aims to provide key role-players:
- The H&H strategy is a multi-organisational and inter departmental programme to be led by the Department of Health
- The NSTT, chaired by DWAF, is the national sanitation co-ordination structure where NSP progress is reported on
- There are provincial and in some areas district co-ordinating structures in place
- Key departmental initiatives need to be integrated within the overall strategy. I.e. Health promoting schools
- DWAF plays the leading role in the process of ensuring access to water and sanitation
- Challenges faced include:
- Slow rate of sanitation delivery
- There is no uniform approach to delivery
- There is a lack of capacity to implement H&H
- There has been a focus on meeting policy requirements and not on delivery objectives
- NSTT have identified the need for the Department of Health to be supported in the development of an H&H implementation plan with clear indicators to ensure that:
- Targets are reached
- A continuous H&H programme is implemented
- H&H must form part of all sanitation programmes
- Currently there is poor co-ordination of H&H activities
- There are various levels and standards of H&H activities being implemented. Therefore there is a desperate need for the development of minimum standards
- There are no H&H key performance indicators among the sector role-players
The project deliverables will aim to address many of these issues and provide a framework for the implementation of a well-structured and co-ordinated H&H programme.
To develop a National Sanitation Health and Hygiene Education and Awareness Strategy, within the context of the South African National Sanitation Programme and it’s associated role-players, implementation strategies and targets. The National Sanitation Health and Hygiene Education and Awareness Strategy will be based on the White Paper on Basic Household Sanitation policy principles. This strategy will highlight:
Key strategic interventions
Milestones and progress indicators
- Potential constraints
To develop acceptable minimum standards for the National Sanitation Health and Hygiene Education and Awareness Programme that will reflect compliance with a co-ordinated and integrated approach towards ensuring access for all South Africans in a sustainable manner.
The project aims will be achieved through the adoption of a consultative and participative project implementation methodology, taking into consideration:
- the fact that the National Sanitation Health and Hygiene Education and Awareness Strategy is an inter-departmental and multi-organisational programme led by the Department of Health, and
- The existence of national, provincial and district co-ordination structures.
In summary the project approach will entail:
- A consultative research phase involving all key stakeholders including:
- Department of Health (National and provincial)
- Department of Water Affairs (National and provincial)
- Department of Education (National and provincial)
- Department of Provincial and Local Government
- The National Sanitation Task team and the Provincial Sanitation Task Teams
- Other key role-players in the private and NGO sectors
Consultation will be achieved through a series of stakeholder workshops and key informant interviews.
- An extensive review of existing:
- Strategies
- Programmes
- Methodologies and
- Initiatives (in household and school sanitation programmes)
- Existing Health and Hygiene awareness resource materials
so as not to undermine or exclude existing initiatives BUT rather to consolidate, enhance and align these into a practical National Health and Hygiene Education and Awareness Strategy.
H&H Strategy and Minimum standards development phase, where the consultations and research findings will be assimilated and developed into comprehensive strategy document containing the following components:
Roles and responsibilities of the various role-players
Key sanitation H&H messages
Key sanitation H&H methodologies and approaches to implementation
Clear H&H minimum standards and associated KPIs that will help ensure a co-ordinated and standardised approach to the implementation of H&H activities and provide a framework for monitoring H&H progress.
Capacity building strategy
Implementation Plan
The project will be implemented over a six-month period from February – July 2004.
Further information on the project may be obtained from:
Mr T. Meso, DWAF, Tel: 012 3366519
Mr. Z. Zincume, DOH, Tel: 012 3123152
Mr. D. James, Ukuthula Development Consultants cc, Cell: 0824961112