Changing The Changing The Currency By Currency By

Which Safe Water Which Safe Water Is PurchasedIs Purchased

Annual Per Capita Humanitarian Aid FundingMyanmar $3Laos $67Cambodia $47Vietnam $29

Average Per Capita Annual IncomeMyanmar $130Laos $580 Cambodia $540Vietnam $790

Why?

And because at the 2005 HWTS And because at the 2005 HWTS Conference in Bangkok , Han Conference in Bangkok , Han

Heijnen said:Heijnen said:

"Education, training, and programmatic "Education, training, and programmatic support to promote behavior change may be support to promote behavior change may be

90% of the issue in household water 90% of the issue in household water treatment and safe storage…….”treatment and safe storage…….”

BackgroundThirst-Aid’s role in Myanmar

Knowledge Transfer

Scale-up

QC

Facilitate Ease of Adoption

Program GoalsProgram Goals

Develop a non-pecuniary means for Develop a non-pecuniary means for beneficiaries to beneficiaries to buybuy safe water. safe water.

Leverage available funding by increasing Leverage available funding by increasing sustained use of HWTS technologies.sustained use of HWTS technologies.

Effect positive and lasting behavior change Effect positive and lasting behavior change relative to improved hygiene and safe water relative to improved hygiene and safe water practices regardless of technology.practices regardless of technology.

How?How?•By promoting education and

knowledge as the principal tools for safe-water intervention.

•By assigning a value to education.•By making safe water and

improved hygiene education accessible.

In short, we based the program on the assumption

that: “Educated people

do not willing and knowinglydrink contaminated water –

much less give it to their children.”

What Did We Learn?What Did We Learn?

Behavior change begins at home!Behavior change begins at home!

Little did we know that theLittle did we know that the

biggest barrier to biggest barrier to

behavior change behavior change

was going to be NGOs!was going to be NGOs!

110,000 CWFs were purchased and distributed in the 14

months following Cyclone Nargis

•Pre-distribution education varied greatly

•Follow-up education, reinforcement and monitoring practices varied greatly

•Results varied greatly

NGO A – Zero pre-distribution education

NGO B – Group classes, 10 to 20 people each, 20 to 30 minutes, no diploma required

NGO C – Group classes, 10 to 20 people each, 20 to 30 minutes, diploma required.

NGO D – Individual instruction – 45 min to 1 hr. per beneficiary, diploma required.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

After 6 to 12Months in Use

NGO A

NGO B

NGO C

NGO D

Contributing variables:

NGOs A and D – Sample size of 400/500 HH, 90/100% coverage, filters had been in use for 12 months or more.

NGOs B and C – Sample size of 43/56 HH, randomly selected, filters had been in use for only 6 months.

Time of implementation post-cyclone.

Downside:

•Education and follow-up are time consuming and add

to initial costs.

•Difficult to put a logo on education

Benefits:

•Education is a sound investment.

•Education is never lost or wasted.

•Education on improved hygiene alone isknown to produce positive health gains.

•Education creates more jobs

Assumption

The fiscal losses incurred due toproduct abandonment could be

greatly reduced by followingHan’s advice and investing more

in education, training, and programmatic support.

Conclusions:There is a direct association between

time spent educating beneficiaries and sustained use.

Using education as a currency appears to be as effective as monetary input,

plus it has the added value that simply education alone can bring.

Thank You!Thank You!

Questions?Questions?