Hygiene and sanitation promotion in semi-arid area context: case of Niger

The hygiene and sanitation component of NRWP focuses on the prevention and management of diseases resulting from inadequate sanitation facilities. Populations within the intervention areas have minimal access to appropriate sanitation facilities. As such, this project aims to mitigate the spread of communicable diseases in these areas by focusing on the provision of sanitary facilities, intensive health and hygiene education programs and through sanitary environmental clean-up initiatives.

It empowers communities, and especially women, to work together to improve their health and sanitation. The strategy is focused on rural communities, and aims to raise their awareness on sanitation issues, mobilized, organized and empowered them for a sustainable promotion and management of hygiene and sanitation in their villages.
In order to reach objectives, the project selected and trained in each community a peer educator.

Peer educators are responsible for educating communities permanently about the role of proper sanitation in the prevention and reduced transmission of communicable diseases. Following the preparation and design of a community health education program, community members are allowed to participate in health and hygiene education underscoring the importance of consistent latrine use, proper disposal of infant excretal matter and consistent hand washing. To improve the environmental sanitation in villages, clean-up days are identified and tools such as gloves and bags provided by the project.