Sanitation and water supply sector is one of the problems facing urban community. Unfortunately, the problem is not a priority that must be addressed as it has not become the needs of the community. For improving access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene behavior to communities in urban areas, USAID IUWASH PLUS collaborated with the Magelang City Government Health Office conducted a Participatory Assessment and Triggering training. The training held on July 10-12, 2017 is expected can improve the understanding and competence of sanitarians and cadres to conduct behavior change process in community.
The training facilitated by USAID IUWASH PLUS, is part of the preparation for the implementation of Community Based Total Sanitation (STBM) in Magelang City. The training was attended by 32 participants from five kelurahans representing government element, health promotion officer, health educator, sanitarian and agency for community empowerment and village development. Meanwhile, the community represented by promotion team of family welfare initiative unit (PKK) at subdistrict and kelurahan, non government organization and health cadres.
The community-based participatory assessment and triggering process aim to put the community as the subject. The participatory assessment consists of assessment of WASH condition and access, community activities and key sites where communities are gathered and engaged. While the triggering process itself is a process of raising awareness and community needs for safely managed sanitation and water supply services through a community-based participatory process itself. Therefore, it will create a sense of responsibility, ownership and confidence from the community that has understood the condition of water supply and sanitation around the areas where community lives. Those responsibility and ownership are expected can seek to sustain the next triggering activity and produce behavioral changes in the end.
This training aims to prepare reliable triggering resources from communities with correct skills and understanding of triggering through andragogic approaches. For that, the training is carried out in several participatory methods, namely sharing experiences on community facilitation; group discussion; an assignment to develop a triggering scenario during field work; demonstrations and simulations on facilitation of community meetings and initiatives; and field work.
In the field work, the participants in groups will created a triggering activity plan, facilitating the community’s triggering process using mapping techniques, transect walk and focus group discussions. The triggering activity is practiced at smallest neighborhood unit (RT) level along with other community activities such as social gathering and PKK meetings.
The community in Kelurahan Tidar Utara in the field work revealed the benefits it received during the process of triggering. One of them is Ibu Iin Oktaviana, a woman who daily work as factory workers, which became informed that inside the latrine without septic tank, sludge and domestic wastewater can seep into the soil and water resources, as well as potentially transmit diseases to community
During these three days, the training participants also discussed four major material units on sanitation, water supply, facilitator skills and participatory assessment, with interesting topics such as community based sanitation, safely managed sanitation, Water Supply System and Water Safety Plan, basic techniques of facilitation and advocacy, as well as triggering the community.
The participants acknowledged that this triggering training helped add to their understanding and skills on water supply, sanitation and hygiene behavior (WASH) issues, and provided skill in doing the triggering. ” This training is useful to help understand WASH issues, and also very helpful in looking at WASH issues in more detail,” said Dini Komalasari, trainee who became PKK Cadre in Kelurahan North Rejowinangun.
Pak Mohamad Basir, the Head of RT 05 in Kelurahan Tidar Utara as a location for triggering activities, also shared the same opinion. “This training has resulted in a powerful triggering force that can provide understanding as well as changes in the attitude of community related to water supply, sanitation, and hygiene behavior,” he said. The change of behavior is shown by the willingness of two families who spontaneously said they will build a family latrine with septic tank because they are triggered by the trainee during field work.
“The results of the triggering activities in the form of WASH Area Map and the community activity plan will be used as the supporting documents to advocate the Housing and Settlement Office of Magelang City in order to get sanitation program assistance,” Pak Basir continued.
After the training, the participants are expected to immediately conduct triggering activities in their respective neighborhoods assisted by sanitarians, staffs from the puskesmas (community health center), and USAID IUWASH PLUS. This triggering activity is also producing community activities plan and WASH Area Map, which is a map that can describe the condition of water supply and sanitation in the community.
This participatory assessment and triggering training is one of the strategies for implementing the increase access to WASH for households held in all 32 districts/cities as the USAID IUWASH PLUS partners. In Central Java, Magelang is the first city that conducted the training in July 2017, followed by Salatiga City and Sukoharjo District. The next training will be held in Solo City and Magelang District.
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(Edy Trianto/USAID IUWASH PLUS Central Java)
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