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In the past, residents of Soya in North Kivu relied for water on a stream during the dry season. Few families had access to a latrine; most would defecate in the bush near their houses, and hand-washing was rare. Illnesses such as diarrhoea, stomach aches and skin problems, on the other hand, were common., Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam is supporting Soya to implement the government-approved ‘Healthy Villages and Schools’ approach through local partner Hydraulique sans Frontières (Hyfro), which has constructed four new water points in the village and has trained ‘community motivators’ in hygiene awareness., Hyfro has helped the community set up a water users’ committee to maintain the new system, and a management committee to monitor and oversee the process of reaching ‘healthy village’ status. Find out how committee members feel about their roles, and how they intend to ensure the changes in their village are sustainable.

In the past, residents of Mwandiga I, a semi-urban village in South Kivu, had no access to clean water, instead using water from Lake Tanganyika for drinking, washing and cooking. Defecation took place mostly in the surrounding bush, hand-washing with soap or ash wasn’t practised, and the importance of good hygiene wasn’t understood., Now, however, as a result of work done through the SWIFT programme, the community has easy access to clean water, and thanks to the Community Health Club set up by Tearfund with the support of Africa AHEAD, the village has been transformed., A free, voluntary club that holds weekly discussions on health and hygiene topics, the Community Health Club has brought about significant improvements in the well-being of residents, with a noticeable fall in the incidence of sickness and even a beneficial effect on the village economy.

The ‘Healthy Villages and Schools’ approach is a step-by-step process of village mobilisation that is supported by DRC’s Ministry of Public Health and UNICEF. Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam is supporting Kasitu to implement the approach through local partner Centre de Promotion Socio Sanitaire (CEPROSSAN)., CEPROSSAN has rehabilitated Kasitu’s water source and capped it to provide safe, sustainable water. It has helped the community set up a water users’ committee, whose job it is now to maintain the spring, and a ‘healthy village’ committee to monitor and encourage progress. Four community motivators trained in hygiene awareness now visit each household to check that good hygiene behaviour is being practised., Residents have already noticed a fall in the incidence of sickness, leaving them with more time and energy to cultivate crops, and are using money that previously paid for clinic visits to fund school fees instead.

The ‘Healthy Villages and Schools’ approach is a step-by-step process of village mobilisation that is supported by DRC’s Ministry of Public Health and UNICEF. Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam is supporting Soya to implement the approach through local partner Hydraulique sans Frontières (Hyfro)., Hyfro has helped Soya establish a village management committee, and train ‘community motivators’ in hygiene awareness. It has assisted the village to upgrade latrines, dig rubbish pits, and promote hand washing, and has constructed four new water points in the village, from which clean, safe water is always available. Hyfro has also helped the community set up a water users’ committee, whose job it is now to collect money from households and use it to maintain the system., The health of Soya’s children in particular is reported to be significantly better as a result of the changes, and the positive impacts of improved hygiene and sanitation have created their own momentum.

In the past, sanitation was poor and illnesses such as diarrhoea were rife in Matongo, a semi-urban village in South Kivu. Defecation used to take place mostly in the bush, hand-washing with soap or ash wasn’t practised, the importance of hygiene in preparing food wasn’t understood, and discarded rubbish rotted in the roads., Under the SWIFT programme, Tearfund with the support of Africa AHEAD set up a Community Health Club: a free, voluntary club which holds weekly discussions on health and hygiene topics. As a result, the village has been transformed. Awareness of the importance of good hygiene practices has improved dramatically., Villagers have noticed an improvement not just in their environment, but in their health and their sense of community. The incidence of sicknesses has fallen, and villagers are enjoying a new community spirit.

In Katchungwe, a semi-urban village in South Kivu, defecation used to take place mostly in the bush. Hand-washing with soap or ash wasn’t practised, the importance of hygiene in preparing food wasn’t understood, and discarded rubbish rotted in the roads. Sickness and disease were widespread. Now, however, thanks to the Community Health Club set up through the SWIFT programme by Tearfund with the support of Africa AHEAD, the village has been transformed., The Community Health Club is a free, voluntary club which holds weekly discussions on health and hygiene topics and sets practical assignments. Members have already seen the benefits of adopting the new behaviours in terms of a drop in the incidence of sickness, and are sharing what they have learned with their neighbours.

Ungwa Sangani, a single mother who lives in Lulinda, South Kivu, used to leave home very early in the morning to make a two-hour round-trip to a river to fetch contaminated water for herself and her three children. She would stop work in her field early to collect water again in the afternoon, and had little time for her business producing palm oil., Now, however, as a result of work done by Tearfund through the SWIFT programme, the community has access to clean, safe water in the heart of the village. Ungwa’s children are less sick, and now she doesn’t have to get up so early to collect water, she can spend more time in her field and developing her palm oil business., As a result, Ungwa is able to buy more food for her family to eat, as well as new clothes for herself and her children. Like the other residents of Lulinda, she is determined that the recent changes in her community will last.

In the past, the women of Katungulu had no alternative but to make a two-hour round-trip to a contaminated river to collect water. The scarcity of water meant that villagers couldn’t wash themselves, their children or their clothes. It was also a source of conflict., Now, however, as a result of work done by Tearfund through the SWIFT programme, the community has access to clean, safe water in the heart of the village. Many families have constructed latrines with ‘tippy-taps’ where they can wash their hands, and hygiene behaviour has improved dramatically., Katungulu’s women report a sharp drop in the incidence of sickness in the village as a result. The fights over water with their husbands have stopped, they are less tired, and they have been given information about women’s hygiene issues for the first time. They are determined to pass on what they have learned and ensure the changes to their lives are sustainable.

The residents of Katungulu used to have to make a two-hour round trip to a contaminated river to collect water. Defecation took place mostly in the bush; the few latrines were dirty and poorly maintained; and hand-washing with soap or ash wasn’t practised. Diarrhoea, malaria and water-borne diseases were rife., Under the SWIFT programme, Tearfund has been working with the residents of Katungulu to implement the government-approved ‘Healthy Villages and Schools’ approach to village mobilization. Sickness in the village since it received access to clean, safe water and since the ‘healthy village’ process began has dropped sharply. Having taken over responsibility for the new network, the community is determined to ensure its long-term sustainability.

The women of Nakalale Naduat-Lokichar village used to face long journeys to collect water from 'scoop holes' in riverbeds. They could carry just enough back with them for drinking and watering their goats, and had little time to look for food or work., Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam worked with the women to install a low-maintenance BluePump in the village itself, and the community is now able to access all the water it needs., The women now have time to focus on their livelihoods, such as making charcoal to sell. They are setting up a management committee to collect water fees and ensure the pump is protected and maintained, and are determined to ensure its long-term sustainability.

In the past, residents of Morung'ole in Kakuma, Turkana, in northern Kenya, had no access to sanitation and would defecate in the bush. This caused fear and shame among women in particular, and illnesses such as diarrhoea and cholera were common., Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam has been implementing the government-approved Community-Led Total Sanitation approach in Morung'ole, and many residents have built their own latrines as a result., Find out how Oxfam modified the CLTS approach to overcome challenges such as poor soil formation, flooding and the unsustainable use of timber, and how the Turkana County government has given its full support to the changes.

The town of Lodwar is the driest spot in the arid county of Turkana in northwest Kenya. Getting water to the town’s residents is the responsibility of a private utility, the Lodwar Water and Sanitation Company (LOWASCO), and has long been a problem., Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam has been working with LOWASCO to address the challenges it faces: mapping the water supply to put together funding proposals, installing solar-powered pumping systems to avoid high running costs, and increasing the utility's management capacity., Now, more than 30,000 residents have access to clean, safe water at their homes. Read about the difference this has made to Regina Aemun and her family, who are enjoying better health, better food, and being able to bathe whenever they want.

Residents of Kabokorit in Turkana, Kenya, used to rely on 'scoop holes' dug in a river for their water. Water-borne diseases were common, and each trip took around three hours., Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam has been supporting local utility KAWASEPRO to improve the water infrastructure, and residents can now access clean water from three kiosks in the village., Find out how the lives of Rose Akuwam and her family have changed as a result, and how Oxfam continues to work with KAWASEPRO to build capacity and ensure the long-term sustainability of the system.

In the past, residents of Namorputh in Turkana often spent over three hours a day queuing for water, or collected unsafe river water instead. However, following work by Practical Action to upgrade and extend the water system, villagers can now access clean, adequate water at any time., Claire Arunye is using the time she used to spend queuing for water on her livelihood instead, increasing the opening hours of her kiosk and spending the extra income on food, medicines, school uniforms and books., Find out how Namorputh's Water Users' Association is overcoming the past reluctance of residents to pay for water, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the upgraded network.

The women and children of Chokchok in Turkana used to get up at 4 a.m., walk 4km to the nearest water point, queue up to collect water, and then carry their heavy load home again, hoping it would last the day., Under the SWIFT programme, Oxfam has laid a 4km pipeline to the village and built two water kiosks, from which residents can access as much water as they need. It has also supported the community to set up a management committee to ensure the long-term sustainability of the system., Jacinta Atiir and her five children already report suffering less from diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases. The children are no longer missing school to collect water, and Jacinta is spending the extra time she has on her livelihood, collecting palm leaves and using them to make brooms which she sells in the market.

In Nadapal, a village in northern Kenya, residents had no access to sanitation, and instead practised open defecation in the bushes. Illnesses including diarrhoea, malaria and cholera were common., Now, however, many of the households in Nadapal have built their own latrines within easy reach and have access to safe, sustainable sanitation for the first time, after Practical Action began implementing the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach., Read about how Beatrice Lokwawi’s life has changed: how her children are no longer sick, how she no longer worries about being bitten by snakes, and how she now encourages others to build their own latrines.

Among residents of Lodwar in Turkana County, in Kenya’s northern Arid and Semi-Arid Lands region, open defecation is common practice, and awareness of the importance of hygiene behaviours such as handwashing with soap, treating drinking water and using latrines is low., However, things have changed since BBC Media Action began working with local radio station Radio Maata, supporting it to produce and broadcast informative, interactive and locally relevant programmes which promote the adoption of good sanitation and hygiene practices., Read what Radio Maata presenter Maureen Ndamwe has to say about what has changed, why it matters, and what she’s learned about influencing hygiene behaviour.

Among residents of Lodwar in Turkana County, in Kenya’s northern Arid and Semi-Arid Lands region, open defecation is common practice, and awareness of the importance of hygiene behaviours such as handwashing with soap, treating drinking water and using latrines is low., However, things have changed since local radio station Radio Maata (meaning ‘greetings’) began producing and broadcasting informative, interactive and locally relevant programmes and public service announcements which promote the adoption of good sanitation and hygiene practices., Read what Radio Maata presenter Elim Baasha has to say about what he’s learned, the challenges he’s faced, and how he’s trying to promote accountability for WASH issues among local authorities and empower his listeners to demand better services.

People living in the informal settlement of Dandora in Nairobi often have to walk long distances from their homes to collect water, queue for lengthy periods and pay high prices to vendors. Under the SWIFT programme, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) has been working in partnership with the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) to upgrade the water supply to Dandora and improve the access of low-income consumers., In this story, resident Alice Wambui describes the difference it has made to her to have access to a reliable supply of safe drinking water at as little as a fifth of the cost she had previously been paying. With the extra two to three hours she has each day she is earning additional money, and she is looking forward to the health benefits a community clinic and new sewerage extensions will bring when they are completed., To ensure the changes will be sustainable, NCWSC has engaged field sociologists to work closely with a project task team, landlords and residents to understand potential customer groups, their attitudes, practices, perceptions and preferences, and their willingness to pay for an improved service. Their research and the task team itself are enabling WSUP and NCWSC to respond to residents’ concerns and encourage a sense of community ownership.

More than three years after it was initiated in the aftermath of the 2011 famine, the early-warning, early-action trigger mechanism for Somalia remains a work in progress. This paper looks at how the mechanism has functioned during the 2016/7 drought crisis response, uncovers a widespread consensus about the value of the tool, and explores the challenges involved in developing the dashboard, generating support and putting in place an accountability framework. It looks for learning around the effectiveness of such tools, which could potentially support similar models in other countries. This paper also highlights suggestions from a range of stakeholders regarding actions that might support greater buy-in to the dashboard and broader collaboration at all levels, helping ensure the mechanism meets its aim of facilitating decision making for early action, thereby better protecting the people of Somalia.

People living in the informal settlement of Dandora in Nairobi often have to walk long distances from their homes to collect water, queue for lengthy periods and pay high prices to vendors. Under the SWIFT programme, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor has been working in partnership with the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company to upgrade the water supply to Dandora and improve the access of low-income consumers., The community is now enjoying a reliable supply of safe drinking water at as little as a fifth of the cost they had previously been paying. Women have more time to spend with their families and on their livelihoods, and children have more time for their education and homework. Health in the community is reported to have improved, and new housing plots are being developed., To ensure the changes will be sustainable, WSUP and NCWSC have focused on being inclusive and encouraging a sense of community ownership. Information sharing is playing a key role, as is the project task team: 16 people who act as advocates for their community, including representatives of the elders, youth, women, religious leaders, people with disabilities and leaders from each ‘village’.