Preparing the Sector and Building its Capacity

It has been stressed that responsibility for increasing the effectiveness of the sector and raising its profile rests with the sector itself, through the introduction of a communication culture. To achieve this means making a sustained effort to increase the capacity of the sector and its allies to make effective communication interventions.

Scenario for a simplified in-country communication development approach

Since the communication strategy is new to many, it needs introduction and promotion. Even with strong consensus and enthusiastic support at the global level, spontaneous activities in countries are unlikely, and deliberate efforts are needed to promote and sustain them. Individual high-ranking officers in developing countries can play a decisive role in the promotion of a communication strategy among their colleagues at policy and programme level. The following steps form part of a scenario for communication development, which should be adapted to the prevailing situation.

A senior executive or managing engineer, but probably not the final authority in the sector, starts with a briefing session for his/her senior colleagues to review the WSS Collaborative Council's recommendations about the communication strategy and to reach general agreement on the new approach in the sector.
On the basis of 1. she/he will promote and work toward a clear decision by the top authority that communication must now form an essential element of the sector's work.
She/he will convene a meeting of division and section chiefs, along with representatives of the Ministry of Planning and, as appropriate, donor groups, to announce the decision and acquaint them with the overall implications for the various functions of the sector.
A general survey of the communication needs of the sector at community, district and national level, and of possible allies for the strategy, will be conducted and a report prepared.
Based on the report, a review involving division and section chiefs will be held. It may reveal that advocacy and promotion regarding the sector need to be introduced or stepped up. In a number of existing areas of work, the review may show an inadequate application of the communication process as the cause for insufficient fulfilment of the various objectives, and remedial action may be called for. In other areas it may become clear that no adequate capacities exist in terms of skilled communicators, and training efforts may be required. In other areas, there may be a total absence of communication, in which case it will have to be introduced as an integral part of the work. In still other areas, gaps in communication will emerge that require new communication inputs. Decisions at the review will have implications in a number of areas, e.g. re-orienting priorities, redesigning aspects of projects, training, and personal redeployment.
The top authority of the sector will designate one officer to be responsible for the communication strategy and to initiate action. Alternatively, an appropriate institution or a centre may be charged with this responsibility, or a team be formed. Adequate authority and support services (including financial support) will be provided. At an early stage, the responsible officer will make contact will the global work force of the Collaborative Council for support and guidance.
The responsible officer will begin to make an inventory of areas in the programme that require the most urgent action, and recommend priorities. This will probably include an overall approach towards raising the profile of the sector in the country. It may also include introducing cost recovery in an affluent urban area, strengthening community management of the water and sanitation facilities in a rural district, or developing political will in an area where little attention is paid to water and sanitation needs. It is important to emphasize that communication inputs should form an integral part of existing efforts. Only where there are critical gaps are new communication activities with distinct objectives called for. Technical support from specialists within the sector or other sectors, or consultants from voluntary agencies or external aid organisations is sought, as needed.
Where advocacy for the communication strategy is particularly difficult at top policy level, it may be possible to focus on geographic areas where introduction is feasible, or, alternatively, a pilot communication effort in a community may be undertaken to gain experience and data to support advocacy.
The responsible officer will organise a seminar for senior officers in the sector and related sectors, on a communication development approach integrated into sector action in the country, to generate broader support. Representatives of External Support Agencies in the country should be included, so that ESAs recognise the new priority, for which external resources will be required.
For those who are directly concerned with communication activities, training workshops will be needed to strengthen their capacities.
Training curricula to be used by technical schools and universities should also be developed for future workers in the sector.
Operations research is needed to ferret out underlying causes of blockages and to design specific effective communication inputs. External assistance may be needed.

A new capacity will almost certainly be needed to bring together people inside the sector with the main allies. There is a need to explore, articulate and outline the approach by the sector and the nature of the cooperation between all the different partners in the sector. On that basis the communication initiative goals can be advanced.

At a country level a high level committee is one option, bringing together government, NGOs, and external support agencies within the sector. This body may exist in a number of places, within a planning or line ministry, or responsible to someone in the Prime Minister's office, or convened by the water and sanitation sector itself. However, it should be positioned where it will have a fast-track access to the highest level of policy makers.

The aim of this body may be to play a leading advocacy role for the aims of the sector, or even to develop the broad targets for WSS programme coverage, once a situation analysis has been carried out. A good part of its mandate will be to provide leadership in this process and advocate for an enhanced role for communication within the sector.

A high level committee cannot act without ongoing, professional support. There is a need for a focal point to provide the communication support for the process. Using pooled resources, an organising body, existing or new, should be charged with the responsibility of acting as secretariat to the high level committee and with putting decisions into effect. It will also have the role of coordinating and tracking initiatives and should be involved in monitoring and evaluating the work, so that results can be fed back. How the committee and organising body will be formed, and where they will be positioned, may vary from country to country.

A key task at this early stage is a situation analysis of the present state of communication in the sector. This could be the first task of the organising body, or be carried out by a group responsible to it. The aim of the analysis is to identify constraints and possibilities for effective communication.

Going ahead with a new programme of work without conducting a situation analysis will almost certainly result in the wrong aims being pursued.

Some in the sector may object to organising a new structure to pursue what are seen as abstract communication aims. It should be stressed that these aims are not abstract, but are designed to achieve more effectively the overall aims of the sector. They are closely tied to existing programme aims, and will enable those aims to be more precisely defined and better targeted. Given that these communication inputs are intended for programme areas, activities must be built on resources that are available within the public, private and community sectors.

A communication plan of action, integrated into programme work, can be drawn up, including advocacy through mass and traditional media. The precise targeting of this work and the steps needed to ensure it is carried out effectively will be outlined in the next chapter.

Capacity Building

New ways of work require re-orientation and training for the key staff, and education and training initiatives for key allies. Sector staff must have answers to tangible questions. What will communication mean to my job? What am I expected to do? What am I expected to know? How am I expected to act? How does this new approach help programme objectives? Some of the new skills may already be within the sector, but it is likely that outside resources will be needed. Skills may include communication techniques, personal communication skills, graphic design, mass media, traditional media and anthropology. Many skills will be bought in and do not need to be part of the skill base for individuals within the sector. However, sector people need to be familiar with them and sensitised to new ways of working.

Complementary sectors, such as health and the environment, may have addressed some of the same issues and have communication training modules set up which could be easily adapted. NGOs and external support agencies will almost certainly have tackled training similar to that needed, but probably not on the scale required. University departments, or polytechnics may be willing to set up courses for sector staff to help teach some of the new skills. Some training may be set up in house.

Outside experts will need to be precisely briefed and the course contents carefully prepared so that the aims of the sector are met, and so that the courses are seen as relevant and empowering by the sector people.

It will usually be beneficial to ensure that training is multi-disciplinary; that it addresses water sector people and key allies at the same time. By this process the sector and its allies will develop a common approach to the work which will make for closer cooperation in the field.

Materials will need to be prepared to support training. Budgets will have to be identified. The task of initiating and tracking the development of communication training packages could be undertaken by the organising body. No two countries will adopt precisely the same pattern of organisation. However it is possible to outline a possible model which can be used or adapted.