Water & Sanitation Program
In 2003 the Government of Bangladesh conducted an extensive survey, the results of this survey show that only 32% of households use sanitary latrines, 25% use unhygienic latrines and 43% use no latrines.
The majority of people in Bangladesh have a poor understanding of the link between poor hygiene and disease. People tend to want to have latrines for reasons of convenience, privacy and status, rather than sanitation and health.
Traditional approaches to improving sanitation have focused on technocratic and financial patronage, rather than health and hygiene education. Water supply coverage is relatively high, but safe water alone leads to only minor health improvements and does not prevent serious diseases like cholera and dysentery.
There are a number of barriers to achieving total sanitation, as outlined below:
- The Government is centralized and functions in a top-down and supply-driven manner
- Fixed latrine models are too expensive for the poorest people and in many geophysical areas prove non-user friendly
- Lack of tenure rights, particularly for slum dwellers, mean poor people have no right to build latrines where they live
- Women’s specific sanitation-related needs are unrecognized by the community
a. Sanitation Hygiene Education & Water Supply (Gob-Unicef)
The project’s objectives is to achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) relating to water and sanitation and makes a significant contribution to the MDGs relating to under five child mortality and gender disparities in primary schools. This is in line with GoB sanitation and water supply targets. The project further aims to improve standards of hygiene practices and behavior on a sustainable basis, whilst ensuring adequate sanitation and safe water supply in un-served and underserved areas particularly, for the poorest peoples. This is a six year project of partnership approach. And CISD aims to reach about 2,45,000 peoples in the project. area.
The project is being implanted in 7 unions of Dhobaura Upazila under Mymensingh district. The unions are Dhobaura Sadar, Gamaritola, Daskhhin Miezpara, Porakandulia, Goatola, Ghoshgaon and Baghber.
The project has been implemented the following activities:
Base line survey, cluster formation, community action plan (CAP) formation, court yard session organizes & conduct (Safe water, Safe sanitation, Personal Hygiene), tea stall session , mothers meeting (under five children mothers), video show on watsan, union level watsan fair, drama & folk song , cluster level pout show , water point side selection, user group formation, latrine installation, latrine repairing, prepare school level improvement Plan (SLIP), ward watsan committee reformation & functioning, union watsan committee reformation & functioning, hand washing device installation, training on sanitation hygiene education & water supply. The project started in 2007 and completed in 2012. Funding Partners of this project are, GOB, UNICEF and UK Aid.
b. HYSAWA Project:
The HYSAWA (Hygiene Sanitation and Water supply) Fund was established in 2007 to provide financial and technical support to LGIs (Local Government Institutions), the union parishads in particular, for implementing locally planned hygiene, sanitation and water supply projects. Financial assistance from HYSAWA Fund through Local Government Institutions, CISD has been implementing HYSAWA (Hygiene Sanitation and Water supply) Project in Naogaon district since 2008.
The major objective of the Project is:
To develop and demonstrate sustainable hygiene, sanitation and water supply service delivery through local government institutions in consultation with local people.
The specific objectives of the Project are:
- To improve hygiene behaviour /practices;
- To promote community-led total sanitation;
- To increase coverage of safe water supply services;
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To strengthen the capacity of Community Development Forum (CDF);
Working Area of the Project :
| District | Upazila | Name of Union |
| Naogaon | Naogaon Sadar | Chandipur |
| Mahadebpur | Bhimpur | |
| Cheragpur | ||
| Raninagar | Bargachhaa | |
| Ekdalar | ||
| Atrai | Bisha | |
| Hatkalupa |
Major Activities of the Project are
- Baseline Survey;
- CDF Formation through PRA;
- Union and Ward Watsan Committee reform;
- Analysis water, sanitation and hygiene condition;
- Preparation of sub-proposal on water supply and sanitation infrastructure;
- Day observation;
- Awareness raising on development of hygiene behaviour;
- Governance and advocacy with local government institutions;
- WASH in school
