The dynamics of social change

Credit: WaterAid in Burkina Faso

27 April 2009

"When one defecates in the toilet he loses his magical powers." This is one of justifications for open air defecation in Ghana, as revealed by a social transformation study conducted by WaterAid in West Africa.

The study, which spanned across Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana, aimed at identifying the dynamics of socio-cultural practices to aid the development of Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) in these countries.

Burkina Faso hosted a regional round table to discuss and compare the results of the study on 15 and 16 April 2009. The key findings have contributed significantly to improving the implementation of CLTS in eradicating open defecation through education, awareness, advocacy, and communication. A regional strategy based on a synthesis of the multi-country approaches to CLTS will soon be developed.