Day 1 of the workshop brought many animated discussions, informative presentations and enthusiastic stories about the value of sharing experiences. Some people had been to the workshops in 2010 and 2008 and were motivated to come again, to be inspired and challenged, to network and improve their own practice. For others this is the first time, but their interest to learn and share resulted in lively discussions in small groups.
Equity was the cross cutting theme of the day. Across the region, the poorest are the ones who have the lowest access and use of toilets. Although there are geographic areas where sanitation coverage is extremely low, an analyis of national data done by WaterAid Bangladesh revealed that government programs don't target these areas.
In other words, despite ambitious policies, funds and efforts are often not focused on reaching the poorest and most marginalised groups. There are many questions about how to translate these ambitions into practical actions. A few of the programmes discussed today give some some pointers:
Force, an NGO in India has developed a monitoring approach for community toilet complexes which has helped improve the service provided (cleanliness, timely repairs, operation, transparency and other issues) and increased the community's awareness of their rights and obligations. This innovative and simple monitoring system strengthens the government system and is being taken to scale by the government.
In the ADB-Assisted 3rd Water and Sanitation Sector Project in Sri Lanka, vulnerable groups were identified using indicators prepared by a committee including representation from the local community based organisation and the local authority. Contributions in cash and in labour were made by local households and the poorest who could not provide either were sponsored by local 'well wishers' and the project to purchase labour from others in the community.
Equity was the cross cutting theme of the day. Across the region, the poorest are the ones who have the lowest access and use of toilets. Although there are geographic areas where sanitation coverage is extremely low, an analyis of national data done by WaterAid Bangladesh revealed that government programs don't target these areas.
In other words, despite ambitious policies, funds and efforts are often not focused on reaching the poorest and most marginalised groups. There are many questions about how to translate these ambitions into practical actions. A few of the programmes discussed today give some some pointers:
Force, an NGO in India has developed a monitoring approach for community toilet complexes which has helped improve the service provided (cleanliness, timely repairs, operation, transparency and other issues) and increased the community's awareness of their rights and obligations. This innovative and simple monitoring system strengthens the government system and is being taken to scale by the government.
In the ADB-Assisted 3rd Water and Sanitation Sector Project in Sri Lanka, vulnerable groups were identified using indicators prepared by a committee including representation from the local community based organisation and the local authority. Contributions in cash and in labour were made by local households and the poorest who could not provide either were sponsored by local 'well wishers' and the project to purchase labour from others in the community.
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