JULY 2005 42977 SOAPBOX The Public Private Partnership for Handwashing Newsletter UPDATES FROM ONGOING PROGRAMS The evaluation of the first six months of the Ghana communication campaign, undertaken in August 2004, confirms that the campaign has on the whole Regional launch events have taken place in all the been effective in creating awareness about the 10 regions and district-level launches of the importance of and critical times for washing hands handwashing campaign have taken place in all with soap. However, to maintain visibility, promote districts. The district launches were organized by behavior change, and maintain handwashing with the handwashing steering committees at the end of soap, the PPPHW Initiative needs to continue to Phase One of the campaign, with funding from the remind people of the handwashing with soap Community Water Supply Project II. All launch message, particularly at critical times. events were well-attended and chaired by a high- level regional political figure. The events attracted Table 1: Ghana Phase I Evaluation Results (%) print and electronic media coverage. District-level activities to support the campaign continued Reported Handwashing throughout 2004 and the first half of 2005. Handwashing with Pre Post Change Soap Junctures Campaign Campaign The mass media program was back on air on Ghana Women Television (GTV), the national television station, to After defecation 76 89 +13 re-echo the handwashing message to the target Before eating 14 55 +41 audience. In January 2005, there was a repeat Before feeding a baby 6 25 +19 broadcast of the television discussion program in Before preparing food 11 26 +15 the six main local languages. In addition, several After eating 53 31 -22 feature articles about the program appeared in a Children number of newspapers including two widely-read After defecation 76 89 +13 ones: Junior Graphic, a weekly paper targeted at Before eating 14 76 +62 school children, and Public Agenda, a bi-weekly After eating 61 41 -20 private newspaper targeted at opinion leaders. Table 1 (above) provides highlights of the results Secretariat for the Global from the evaluation of Phase One. The results show reported behavior change. Handwashing Partnership The key issues for Phase Two are funding, In March 2005, the coordination of global planning, and developing the campaign to build on PPPHW activities was transferred to the the results of Phase One. Partnership contacts have Secretariat for the Global Handwashing re-opened with all the key partners to discuss Partnership. The Secretariat is housed by the commitment and contributions to Phase Two. So Water and Sanitation Program and is staffed far, DANIDA has agreed to support the initiative by Coordinator Kate Tulenko and and is currently discussing the level of funding. The Communications Specialist Lene Jensen. soap company PZ-Cussons has also promised support. The business plan has been updated to cover 2005-2007. 1 Peru In this phase, efforts are also being made to The initiative reached a new phase with the consolidate regional partnerships in the regions of commencement of the International Bidding Lima, Lambayeque, Ayacucho, Cusco, San Martin, Process for the design of the handwashing Arequipa, and Piura. Once these partnerships have campaign. An official national launch of the been consolidated, others will be established in PPPHW Initiative took place on July 18, 2005. In other regions of Peru. The regional government of addition to promoting the initiative, the objective of Lambayeque has confirmed its commitment to lead this launch was to strengthen the commitment of the initiative in the region. A regional handwashing health and education officials, as well as that of the committee will soon be set up, with a regional private institutions and NGOs which have been coordinator to carry out the action plan. involved since the beginning of the program. In early September, the launch of the mass media and Colombia direct consumer contact campaign will follow. The handwashing coordinator for Peru has Colgate-Palmolive has agreed to take part in the continued to provide support for the establishment campaign launch and school program. The of the Colombia HW Initiative over the past 9 company will provide handwashing printed months. SKAT, a Swiss consulting firm, has been materials and soap samples for the classroom, and selected conduct the handwashing behavioral study participate with a kiosk and personnel to promote in Colombia. The selection process for a handwashing practice trials with audience at the coordinator of the Colombia HW Initiative has launch event. taken place and a coordinator was chosen by the Selection Committee and confirmed by Vice Boga Communicaciones S.A., a cable TV media Minister of Environment Carmen Arevalo. The company, has agreed to sponsor the production of Colombia Handwashing Campaign is planned to be a TV program to disseminate the handwashing carried out in five regions of the country as a practice and promote the initiative. Peru's main component of a World Bank funded project. private radio station, Radio Programmas Peru (RPP), has been chosen to develop local campaigns Nepal for national dissemination and provide airtime to The first phase of the Initiative comprised of a reach communities in the three geographical regions consumer baseline survey and the development of a of Peru: coast, highland, and tropical rainforest. Business Plan. Based on the findings of the survey, RPP reaches 85% of the country's population. The a marketing strategy was developed including IEC campaigns will be designed to reach the poorest and promotional materials viz. posters, brochure, segments of the population in peri-urban as well as flip chart, radio spots/jingle and a TV commercial. rural areas. The media materials that will be produced and disseminated include: The Nepal Handwashing Initiative was launched nationally in October 2004 followed by the district ˇ Radio soap operas level launches. The Handwashing Initiative was ˇ Radio talk-show programs launched using mass media advertising (TV, Radio) ˇ Handwashing contest in Spanish and and social mobilization, which included training of Quechua (radio promotion) frontline workers (Female Community Health ˇ Professionally designed generic handwashing Volunteers, Sanitation Motivators, and Community promotional campaign on (regional) Based Organizations etc.), door-to-door visits, hand television channels (with a large viewership in washing demonstrations and activities in schools poor communities) and communities, and local event promotions in the focus program districts. All these activities are being The radio and television programs will involve organized in a continued manner. Monitoring and local, well-respected professionals and community reporting at the community, district and central leaders (opinion leaders). The Japanese Social level is been organized on a regular basis during the Development Fund (JSDF) grant, which was signed implementation phase. into effect in May 2005, will finance the design and implementation of the communication tools. 2 Regarding the involvement of the private sector, Mines will allocate US$350,000 annually to the there are two major soap manufacturers involved in Initiative in the period 2006-2008 (as part of the the Initiative, Nepal Lever Ltd. (a subsidiary of new Poverty Reduction Support Credit). The Unilever Inc.), the market leader in the soap Partnership is also finding solid support in the segment and a local soap company, Aarti Soap and private sector with four local soap manufacturers Chemicals. They have supported the campaign by joining since September 2004. In June 2005, providing free media airtime in prime time Madagascar was identified as a USAID/HIP focal television and radio programs, soap samples and country, a development that is expected to further school promotions. strengthen the quality and reach of the Handwashing Initiative. During the recently concluded National Sanitation Action Week in May 2005, handwashing with soap A Communication Strategy and Business Plan have promotion was incorporated as an integral been agreed upon by all the partners in the component, particularly among the school children, Madagascar PPP. Harson Development was in a majority of the districts. selected to develop and has at this point delivered all the media (logo, slogan, mascot, etc.). All media Senegal materials will be pre-tested with target audiences in The Ministry of Hygiene has shown a strong rural and urban areas in early 2006. The campaign interest in the PPPHW. A steering committee, launch is tentatively scheduled for March 2006. headed by the Minister, will be set up and Office National de l'Assainissement du Sénégal (ONAS; Senegal's National WSS Agency) will remain the executing agency. Since the Initiative's inception, NEW HANDWASHING PROGRAMS partners have shown eagerness and support for the program. Indonesia On the funding side, a proposal for funding has The Coalition of for a Healthy Indonesia (KuIS) been submitted to the Belgium Technical has been spearheading a Handwashing with Soap Cooperation and the PPPHW team is discussing campaign to increase rates of handwashing in the potential contributions with Plan International- Banten and North Sumatra provinces, with Senegal. The already secured Japanese Social technical assistance from the Johns Hopkins Center Development Fund grant for the Senegal PPPHW for Communication Program (CCP) and support was signed into effect in May, 2005, enabling the from USAID. The initiative is carrying out an direct consumer contact (DCC) component of the integrated set of activities in these provinces, campaign to get underway. including the establishment of journalist forums, a mass media campaign, mobilization of stakeholders, The national handwashing behavioral study and community organization. Radio has played a (baseline) will begin in late July, 2005. The onset of central role in the mass media campaign and the the study has been delayed by recurrent cholera initiative has partnered with 14 radio stations in outbreaks in Senegal. The selection process for the Banten and North Sumatra to air the radio Interpersonal Communication component of the campaign materials developed. The radio campaign DCC is underway and expected to be complete in has reinforced handwashing promotion activities at August 2005. the community level. Launch of the Senegal National Handwashing A Handwashing with Soap initiative has similarly Campaign is tentatively scheduled for November been started in the Aceh province to support efforts 2005. to reduce the burden of diarrheal disease among those affected by the December 2004 tsunami. The Madagascar Aceh initiative has adapted the already developed Government backing for the Madagascar PPP for communication materials for use in the Aceh Handwashing continues to be solid. It has recently region. A new radio public service announcement been confirmed that the Ministry of Energy and (PSA) has been developed to promote the correct techniques involved in handwashing, a TV PSA is 3 under development, and three videos have been organizations charged with carrying out produced, using "Community Theatre" to convey handwashing programs. Decision makers in the handwashing message. Further, the initiative has ministries and funding agencies will also find provided training for key change agents (health assistance in designing policies and programs to workers, IDP camp managers, ulamas, teachers, and improve public health. The Handwashing radio stations) on the impact of handwashing with Handbook outlines a large-scale approach to soap and effective ways to deliver the handwashing handwashing promotion and covers laying the message. foundation for a national program, consumer research, program implementation, and Benin organization. The publication is available in The Government of Benin has expressed a strong hardcopy from the Secretariat and electronically on interest in setting up a national PPP for the Global PPP for Handwashing website at handwashing. The incipient Initiative has received www.globalhandwashing.org support from the Senegal handwashing coordinator, among other things in the drafting of a concept note, which has been submitted to the Government NEWS IN BRIEF of Benin via WSP-AF. Next steps towards the establishment of the Initiative will be defined during a WSP visit to Benin in September. University of Handwashing ­ March 7-8, 2005 Vietnam Over 35 participants from soap industry, academia, A PPP for Handwashing is in the early stages. The development organizations, and PPPHW country PPPHW will be part of the Coastal Cities programs gathered in Washington DC, March 7-8 Environmental Sanitation Project, which is 2005, to partake in the third global learning currently under preparation. Dr. Val Curtis of the workshop. Key topics discussed during the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine workshop included, among other things, visited Vietnam in May 2005 to explore the "Experience from the Private Sector", "The potential for enhancing health through better Marketing Plan for Handwashing", "Financing", hygiene in the three project cities, Nha Trang, Quy and "Building and Maintaining PPP's". The Nonh, and Dong Hoi. The visit strengthened workshop report and presentations are available on support for a handwashing program among key the Global PPP for Handwashing website at government counterparts. www.globalhandwashing.org Tanzania Micro-Finance Entrepreneurs Promote A PPP for Handwashing Initiative is in its first Handwashing in India stages. A consumer research (baseline) study will be According to a recent article in the Wall Street carried out in FY06 with funding from the Journal, Hindustan Lever Ltd., Unilever's Indian Government of Ireland. Nathaniel Paynter of the subsidiary, has embarked on a large-scale initiative Water and Sanitation Program will be heading up to market its products to low-income consumers in the Tanzania PPPHW. He will be relocating from rural parts of India ­ and is promoting WSP-HQ to Tanzania in the fall of 2005. handwashing with soap in the process. Since 2000, Hindustan Lever has partnered with micro-credit programs in an initiative (titled Project Shakti) to PUBLICATIONS & RESEARCH help poor rural women set up small-scale businesses, selling and promoting the company's products. Hindustan Lever provides training and Handwashing Handbook local marketing support to the small-scale The Global PPP for Handwashing released a new entrepreneurs, whose marketing tools include publication, the Handwashing Handbook, in March showing how soap cleans hands better than water 2005. The Handbook lays out the experiences of alone. Today, Project Shakti has expanded from the Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing in Andra Pradesh, where the initiative was started, to a practical guidance document. It is designed for India's 12 states, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. staff in governments and development Unilever's African units are looking to follow suit 4 shortly. Besides marketing its products, Hindustan Lever also advocates handwashing with soap in India. (Prystay, C. May 25, 2005. With Loans, Poor South Asian Women Turn Entrepreneurial. The Wall Street Journal. New York.) Indonesia Handwashing Festival ­ June 19, 2005 On June 19, 2005, handwashing festivals were held in Lebak, Banten and Medan, North Sumatra. The festivals were part of community-level campaign activities carried out by KuIS. Festival activities included handwashing dance performances by mothers, handwashing dance competitions for kids, leisure-walk competitions, an easy stroll, physical exercises, and coloring competitions for kindergarten kids. We encourage and welcome your comments and contributions to SoapBox. Please send them to Lene Jensen at Ljensen@worldbank.org To learn more about the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap, visit our website at www.globalhandwashing.org. 5