Scale up of CLTS kicked off in Burkina

A marker left by a community member draws attention to open air defecation.

Credit: WaterAid in Burkina Faso

20 February 2009

Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is an inclusive approach that works with communities to help rid them of open air defecation and has been favoured by WaterAid's Burkina Faso country programme since September 1997.

Tackling open air defecation often brings up issues around ownership as new practices often fall out of favour for old habits. CLTS empowers communities by building community ownership and behaviour change into the programme.

Following the decision to increase the use of this approach a 'Training of Trainers' (ToT) focusing on the concept, steps and monitoring of this type of programme took place in January 2009. With the aim of extending this approach to other organisation the core group of trainers was made of WaterAid and its partners as well as external technical and administrative advisers.