Thanks Alice for posting a link to Jamie's presentation at the WEDC. 
Copying the key takeaways from the blog for easy reference:

• Consider more participatory approaches to preparatory work to draw out partners’ experiences ahead of workshop discussions while reducing the documentation burden on them.
• Invest time in introductions and relationship building – and schedule workshops at times everyone can make – to establish a supportive online environment in which people get to know each other over time.
• Explore ways to facilitate more informal networking during or alongside workshop sessions.
• Know how much time partners can dedicate to the process and be realistic about what can be achieved in this, prioritising group work and balancing time for networking, analysis and (in)formal learning.
• Keep technology platforms simple and support connectivity to minimise disruptions.

I am wondering about the reaction of partners who were required to do more work before the workshop. Agree that the work would ensure a quicker dive-in and more informed discussion, but it required field partners to put in more time. (The blog agrees that they are already stressed due to remote work and living through Covid.)  I also hope they were compensated for their additional work.

I also like the second point above. In some recent webinars, I've seen organisers post introductions in the chat. I am not sure how many people read it. I personally find it difficult to read their intro and listen to the speaker simultaneously. 

An instrumental Q: Which technology platform did you use? I imagine if people only need to talk without sharing screens, Whatsapp would work well in India. 

Regards
paresh

Hi everyone, 

Our SLH colleague, Jamie Myers, recently presented reflections on this work at the WEDC conference. 

You can watch the presentation here:



Thanks and best wishes, 

Alice

Hello Chaiwe,

Let me chip in too, as the issue you raised emerged quite clearly in a webinar series on Covid-19 and sanitation we co-hosted with Unicef in August. 

Many webinar contributors provided concrete examples of integrating new solutions for remote communication and programming to continue sanitation programmes throughout the pandemic, in a variety of settings and geographies. Examples included sanitation utilities setting up customer care call centres and mobile payment systems in Kenya; rural WASH actors in Mozambique adjusting CLTS methodologies to minimise community gatherings; WASH actors in India introducing tele-counselling and tele-verification to keep promoting household-level sanitation; indigenous communities in Guatemala being reached via locally based proxy stakeholders; and more. All in all, the idea emerged that although communication technologies are no silver bullet, they actually help sanitation programming now and can help in future if used wisely. Also, the need was highlighted to rely more extensively on locally based capacities and stakeholders. 

The two webinar recordings are available through the SLH YouTube channel, and hopefully you can find inspiration here for effective solutions: and . 

Gian M.

Hi Chaiwe,

Your comment makes me think of the value of more old-fashioned info sharing methods in these contexts especially at the moment i.e. print copies and flash-drives. The main issue then is knowing the best place/people to send these things to.

We are planning to do a hard copy mailout soon to strategic contacts working at local community level where internet connection is poor. Your thoughts on key organisations/people to share print copies or flash-drives with in Southern Africa are welcome. 

Obviously this does not solve the much bigger problem of not being able to easily talk to and work people face-to-face but it could at least give local sanitation and hygiene practitioners useful resources in the meantime to help with planning going forward.  

Best wishes
Elaine

Dear Alice,

This is a topic worth navigating for many. Those working with rural/peri-urban-based target groups in developing countries are especially finding it very challenges during these COVID times to adequately reach their target groups. 

Currently, for a good number of countries in Southern Africa, the 3rd wave of the pandemic is in full gear. This means restrictions on travel and face-to-face meetings are back on. Community structures at the grassroots level have little to no access to internet connectivity and virtual tools. This ultimately puts a halt on all physical activities. The only solution that seems feasible enough is to wait it out.  Once things ease out again in terms of cases, implementers resort to smaller group meetings, masking up, hand washing and social distancing in order to engage with their target groups.

However, I do acknowledge that at the local government level, the example shared in the blog is very much valid. 

I too wonder what the experiences are like elsewhere.

Regards,
Chaiwe

Hi everyone, 

We recently published a blog on our experience of working on  local government leadership and prioritisation of sanitation and hygiene in East Africa. 

It's a reflection on our attempts to adapt our face-to-face workshops to an online setting. We'd welcome any lessons you've learnt on this too!

Here is the blog:  sanitationlearninghub.org/2021/06/04/tra...o-an-online-setting/

Thanks,

Alice