Highlights from LeaPPS # 6 (March-April 2009)

From 23 March to 3 April, the 6th series of LeaPPS learning sessions took place in Arua, Koboko, Kamwenge and Kyenjojo. Selected highlights from these sessions are presented here.

LeaPPS aims to achieve impacts in households and schools through:

• sharing activities and results of interventions implemented
• analyzing the progress and challenges faced during implementation of the activities.
• fostering partnership, learning and sharing for harmonized approaches and better coordination.

In addition, LeaPPS 6 also focused on the following topics:

• Analysis of experiences with enforcements and behavior change in Uganda and elsewhere
• Social marketing
• Project management: principles and steps
• School health clubs, what are they and how do they help promote sanitation and hygiene.

What happened in the sessions?

In the learning sessions, a combination of presentations, group work and participatory tools are used. In LeaPPS 6, a role-play and two movies generated a lot of discussion and lessons.
The field visit also provided participants with an opportunity to get first-hand knowledge and feedback from the community.

Some highlights from these sessions are presented below:

• The role-play on enforcement helped to stimulate dialogue and thinking about issues of behavior change and understanding community members needs and interests. Rwenzori shared a case where enforcement in fishing villages /landing sites failed. Both regions concluded that a blend of enforcement and other methods is needed.
• The session on sanitation demand creation and sanitation marketing generated a lot of discussion in Rwenzori. This session was well received and highlighted the need to understand demand. The main change that is needed is to start thinking of households as consumers rather than beneficiaries. This means that we have to promote designs that they want, support supply side as well as stimulate demand;
  In each district Field visits were made and they were found to stimulate learning and interaction between different groups of stakeholders.
• The Nsumba women’s group which is presented in LeaPPS information case has generated a lot of interest. See also http://www.irc.nl/page/44050
• There is an increased interest in Model villages. But there is also a lot of discussion whether highly resourced model villages will actually lead to change in the surrounding villages
• Two movies, “Prescription for Health” about the importance of safe water, sanitation and hygiene and “waste if you don’t know, wealth if you know” about ecosan in Nepal were highly appreciated by participants.
  Prescription for health is available at https://idl-bnc.idrc.ca/dspace/handle/123456789/10770