I am a big fan of the WASH&Nut integration and babyWASH in general but, as mentioned during the webinar, I’m still having little doubts about the efficacy of a measure such as relying on nutrition, health or other community networks for promoting hygiene behaviours. It seems to me that there might be a contradiction between what the science of behaviours is telling us about what works/what does not work in terms of behaviour change and this particular recommendation. This is due to the fact that the only evidence-based successful intervention I found out regarding effective adoption of hygiene behaviours is when the campaign is based on one single topic at a time, and is implemented by a group of trained professionals . Typically, the superamma campaign from the LHSTM.
Community networks being voluntary-based, their members can only spend limited time for conducting the facilitations. If hygiene behaviours are to be added to the numerous behaviours these networks are supposed to promoted, are we not going to end up with the knowledge behaviour gap rather than obtaining effective hygiene behaviour change?

Dear colleagues,

The webinar was interesting because it showed that people are working together, in this case to improve WASH and NUT.
We also noted, once again, that achieving this is difficult.
Maybe we have some degree of confusion in terms of, once we agree to collaborate, also agreeing on how we shall cooperate.
When collaborating, people work together (co-labor) on a single shared goal.
When cooperating, people perform together (co-operate) while working on selfish yet common goals.
An orchestra follows a script everyone has agreed upon and each musician plays their part not for its own sake but to help make something bigger. And there is one conductor.
In a drum circle the logic here is “If you help me I’ll help you” and it allows for the spontaneous kind of participation that fuels peer-to-peer systems and distributed networks. If an orchestra is the sound of collaboration, then is the sound of cooperation. No master architect, conductor, or blueprint is needed. You can join or leave a drum circle at any time and the beat goes on with or without you.
(paraphrased from cloudhead.headmine.net/post/3279118157/c...ion-vs-collaboration)

I am attaching a poster reflecting the "Community Led initiative to eliminate Schistosomiasis with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene or CL-SWASH".
It is the result of, on the one side, the cooperation between various programmes in Cambodia, that had not worked together before: WASH, Animal Health, Nutrition, Communicable Diseases- together they set up the CL-SWASH Task Force - and of a process that enhances community participation to the point that the community CL-SWASH Plans are actually owned by the community members.

I hope it is of your interest
Cheers
Alex

For those of you interested in viewing the presentations, I have posted them as attachments to this message.

You can find the ACF WASH and Nutrition Guidebook at www.actioncontrelafaim.org/sites/default...nutrition_online.pdf

For further information on the BabyWASH Coalition you can visit babywashcoalition.org, and to join the mailing list you can e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Please be in touch if you have any relevant experience with multi-sectoral you would be willing to share or if want to get more involved!

Here is the recording of the webinar.

Please join us for our next SuSanA webinar on ‘Multi-Sectoral Actions for WASH – the theoretical vs. the practical’ on Tuesday, March 21st 2017 at 14:00 CET (Central European time).

Background:

Over the past few years there has been a growing understanding of the need to integrate WASH messages into other sectors. WASH is critical in preventing malnutrition due to the effects of environmental enteric dysfunction from an unhygienic environment, is essential for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates by preventing sepsis, and is key in early childhood development by allowing children to reach their full potential. WASH really is foundational and therefore requires awareness of the programming of many other sectors. While the need to integrate is clear, best practices have not yet been compiled, and common obstacles face many who strive for more complete integration.

Content of the webinar

In this webinar, we will begin by exploring definitions of integration. A continuum of integration, from small programme adjustments to move towards integration to the ideal of what a fully integrated programme could look like, will be shared from the BabyWASH Coalition. Practical examples will then be shared for how countries have successfully moved along that continuum from World Vision’s experience in Uganda, and ACF’s experience in compiling a new WASH and Nutrition guidebook. There will be plenty of time left at the end for participants to share their success stories for WASH integration and place their experiences on the integration continuum that has been shared.

Presenters:
- Nicolas Villeminot, Senior WASH Technical Advisor, Action Against Hunger
- Peter Hynes, BabyWASH Coalition Coordinator, World Vision
- Jovana Dodos, Public Health Consultant – Expertise and Advocacy Department, WASH Sector, ACF – France

Links:
- ACF WASH and Nutrition 2017 Guidebook: www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/publicati...ition-2017-guidebook
- BabyWASH Coalition Website: babywashcoalition.org/

Schedule: The webinar will last approximately one hour. We will also open the session 15 minutes beforehand so you can test your video or microphone and meet other participants.

Time:
09:00 New York/Washington DC
13:00 London
14:00 Stockholm
16:00 Nairobi
18:30 New Delhi
20:00 Hanoi

Registration: You can join the webinar by following this link seint.adobeconnect.com/seiwebinar/. You can also register here to receive more information and reminders: www.susana.org/en/webinarregistrationbabywash

The webinar is being hosted by SEI, the SuSanA secretariat, and the BabyWASH Coalition as part of a grant to SEI funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.