Think globally, act locally: community action planning critical to attaining global sanitation targets

The sanitation programme in Kadadaba community is part of the Federal Government of Nigeria/UNICEF/ DFID programme in Zamfara state implemented by the Zamfara Rural Water and Sanitation Agency and the Maru Local Government Authority. It adopted a community–based integrated sanitation and hygiene approach with emphasis on community involvement. Kadadaba is a predominantly rural village in Northern Nigeria. Despite its socio-economic challenges, Kadadaba community in three months moved from a 48% sanitary pit latrine status to a 100% sanitation coverage and 100% borehole functionality which has been maintained. Maru LGA supported the community with development of community action plans and targets. This has resulted in amongst other things, the improvement in sanitation related status and demand in Kadadaba and environs, with the achievement of 100% sanitation coverage with attendant hygiene supportive behavior in other communities. This paper aims to share the best practices and lessons learnt from this case study.