Ballot for Sanitation

Supported and encouraged by the district administration and driven by children, nearly 1.39 lakh children from class VI to class XII in 1459 middle and upper middle government schools exercised their voting rights for the sanitation survey on July 11 2017. The concept, deliberately planned for implementation on World Population Day, had these strategies and objectives:

• Inculcating the responsibility of the election process from childhood by asking young participants to cast vote on an issue of immense value to the quality of life like "sanitation and hygiene".
• Assessing the real status of access to and use of toilets in respective homes of students casting vote.
• Communicating the message of hygiene practices of children such as hand washing at critical times.
• Motivating children not having toilets in homes to impress upon parents the importance of building toilets, like peer groups with toilets, so that they can feel proud like others having toilets.
• Providing information to block and district administrations about the real status of coverage, so that gaps can be addressed by gearing up social mobilisation and interpersonal communication (IPC) in the households of children not having toilets.
• Enabling schools to educate children about importance of sanitation and hygiene and to monitor progress in respect of access to toilets in the houses of students not having toilets.

The process of "Ballot for Sanitation" was almost an exact replica of the modern-day election process, but was the first-ever experience for the respective schoolchildren of rural areas of the tribal district. The ballot paper along with information, education, and communication (IEC) material was distributed amongst all the secondary and higher secondary schools 7 days prior to "voting". The teachers then took charge of the process and popularised the concept at village level through IEC material. Distribution of pamphlets was done at household level by children. A mock session was held on July 10, so as to familiarise children and teachers with the process. The committee of students was formed 1 day prior to voting.

The World Population Day (July 11) voting event saw a significant response from children, as average attendance in most of the schools was 90%. The ballot paper consisted of 3 questions focused on the availability and usage of toilets: (i) Is a functional toilet available in your house? (ii) Do all the members of your family regularly use toilets? (iii) Do all members of your family wash hands with soap after defaecation? The attendance of voters was taken, ink marking on voters' hands was ensured, and the process was monitored. The teachers and principal acted as supervisors, ensuring discipline during the voting process. Voting was done class-wise and on an average took 3 hours to complete. Votes were counted against each question put on the ballot paper. All the teachers, under the supervision of principal, counted the votes and put their results in an Excel sheet provided to them by the district. The results were then compiled at cluster level, to then be sent to the block office; results from all the blocks were compiled at district level, which helped the district assess the gap between claimed/declared coverage and actual status in respective GPs and to begin to develop strategies for possible future interventions. The media coverage and monitoring of district administration gave a boost and encouragement for the follow-up activities.

Armed with the information from the above-described process, during the next phase, organisers will encourage families without a toilet to build one and also to use it. Children with lack of toilet facilities will be tracked down, and they will be encouraged to adopt safe sanitation and hygiene practices; this follow-up communication is planned for every Tuesday. In this way, organisers hope that gaps can be addressed, and children can be in true sense incorporated as agents of change.

The process can be linked with GP-level administration for timely follow-up of households without a toilet. The District Administration, Udaipur, Rajasthan (India) has developed Open Defecation Elimination Plan (ODEP), with support of UNICEF, which is updated and revised by the District team based on the emerging context in the field. The focus of this plan is on: ODF planning; service delivery - strengthening the supply chain, addressing technology gaps; demand generation through social and behaviour change communication (SBCC); and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the plan.

Sanitation, Children

The Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation & Hygiene (JMP) Report of 2017 formulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF reveals the status of OD across countries, including India. As per JMP report of 2017, OD in rural India was reduced from 82% in 2010 to 56% in 2015. Coverage of sanitation in rural areas is also monitored through online entry incorporated into the website of the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation (MDWS) from districts across states of India and after declaration of ODF status by a GP, verification having been done at various levels. The Ministry also conducts third-party sample verification through the National Level Monitor (NLM) and Quality Circle of India (QCI). As per online entries, 70% sanitation overage has been achieved.

Around 75% of all the children eligible for "Ballot for Sanitation" voting cast their votes. The results are as follows:

• Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) coverage was about 51% against Management Information System (MIS) data of 71%.
• Girwa block, although an ODF block, had the highest percentage of IHHL coverage, yet also the highest number of people not using a toilet.
• Jhadol block displayed that households without toilet were more than 3 times the households having toilet.
• There was nearly a 50-50 share of people with a toilet and people without a toilet.
• Bhinder block stood out for the highest number of households without a toilet.

The results are expected to help district administrations in possible interventions to be made, block-wise. The concept has also been implemented in a neighbouring ODF district Dungarpur, so that the district can become ODF in the real sense. The concept is now being implemented in the state of Tamil Nadu of India.