Healthy-home approach: lasting changes in hygiene behaviour in rural Bangladesh

NGOs have been struggling for over a decade in Bangladesh to bring visible changes in hygiene behaviour at the community level. However, few of these initiatives focus specifically on promoting hygiene behaviour at the practice level. Providing hygiene messages following traditional approaches achieves numeric figures, but often fails to bring real changes on the ground. WaterAid Bangladesh piloted an approach called “healthy home” under its rural programme, which encourages communities to promote safe water and sanitation through recognition and owners of “healthy home”. A wide range of stakeholders engage in the process led by local government institutions (LGIs).. Over an eight months period of time, more than 80% household owners have been awarded as healthy-home promoters against targeted numbers, and have been declared so by LGIs publicly. Recognition, dignity and ownership work as motivating factors in this process, which could be capitalised for greater achievement in other programmes.