Verifying open defecation free status: experiences and insights going to scale in India

Verification is a process to assess the open defecation free (ODF) and hygiene status of a community. Certification is the official recognition of ODF achievement. Verification and certification of village sanitation achievement may take place simultaneously, or may be undertaken apart. They may be conducted by the same agency, or by different agencies. There are a wide variety of practices used in verification and certification in different countries, and often within countries. In this paper we present background of the Government of India’s Nirmal Gram Puraskar clean village verification program, our field experiences verifying open defecation free communities, and challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for achieving quality sanitation verification at scale.